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Country around Des Moines is a rural area of about 536 people in Union County, New Mexico, named for the post office its ZIP code uses. It's about 118 miles from Pueblo, CO and 219 miles from Denver, CO, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 87°F and winter highs 48°F, with about 24 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $165k and rent runs about $683 a month.
536people
$165kTypical home
$683/moRent
87° / 48°Summer / winter
24"Snow
304Sunny days
63Rain/snow days
Is Near Des Moines right for you?
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Size & setting
- Rural — about 536 people spread over the area
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 1 people per sq mi
- 219 mi to Denver, CO
- 118 mi to Pueblo, CO
- 112 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $165k (≈$1,043/mo)
- Median rent $683/mo
- Median household income $78k
- Property tax about 0.4% of value
- 4.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 87°F
- Winter highs around 48°F
- Dry summers (dew point 48°F)
- 304 sunny days a year (136 totally clear)
- 61 cloudy days a year
- 18 of 90 winter days are gray
- 63 days a year with rain or snow
- 24" of snow a year
- 8 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 19 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
Safety
- Very low violent crime (79 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (276 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 37
- 44% of households have kids
- 18% are 65 or older
- 19% have a college degree
- Very diverse community
- 2% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 23 min
- 3% walk or take transit to work
- 115 mi to TSM airport
- 153 mi to COS (major hub)
- 45 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 79% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1950
- 86% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Gently rolling terrain
- Elevation 5,929 ft
- 663 mi to the ocean
- 88 mi to a big lake
- 44 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 92 mi to the nearest ski area
- 42 mi to the nearest campground
- No golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- Few or no sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- Few or no bars within 25 mi
- Few or no coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 2 museums within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 97 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 13% of New Mexico districts (reading)
- 33 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 32 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 107 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 45 mi to the nearest vet
- 45 mi to the nearest dog park
- 13 congregations per 10k people
- 84 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Union County: R+52 in 2024
- New Mexico: D+6 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- Low tornado risk
- High wildfire risk
- Very low earthquake risk
- Very low flood risk
- High drought risk
- High winter storm risk
- Very low heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk
Limited data: this place is small enough that most of its Census numbers (rent, home value, income, age) are blended with county figures. Treat its match as a rough guide.