Otero County, New Mexico
Otero County is in southern New Mexico, right along the Texas border. The county seat and largest city is Alamogordo. It was founded on January 30, 1899, and named after Miguel Antonio Otero, who was the territorial governor at the time. The county covers about 6,628 square miles, making it the third-largest in New Mexico. Most of the area is land, with only a small amount of water.
As of the 2020 census, about 67,800 people live in Otero County. The population is fairly spread out, with a median age in the late 30s. The Alamogordo Micropolitan Statistical Area is part of the county. A portion of the White Sands Missile Range lies in the western part of the county, an Army area created around World War II.
The county has a history of notable events. In 2019, it declared a state of emergency when federal border checkpoints on two highways were temporarily unmanned during a policy change; the checkpoints reopened a few months later. In 2022, county commissioners briefly resisted certifying the primary election results, but the matter was resolved when two of the three commissioners later certified the results.
Demographically, the county is diverse, with White, Hispanic or Latino, Native American, Black, and other residents. About half the people live in urban areas and the other half in rural areas. There are roughly 26,000 households, with many homeowners.
Education in the southeast part of the county is served by the Alamogordo Public Schools, while some students are bused to the Dell City Independent School District in Texas because it’s nearer than traveling to Alamogordo. The county is governed by a three-member board of commissioners and is known for voting Republican in elections, having last voted for a Democratic presidential candidate in 1964.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 01:23 (CET).