Pajarito Mesa, New Mexico

Pajarito Mesa, New Mexico
Census-designated place
Pajarito Mesa
Coordinates: 34°59′51″N106°47′50″W / 34.99750°N 106.79722°W / 34.99750; -106.79722
Country	United States
State	New Mexico
County	Bernalillo
Area [1]
• Total	21.27 sq mi (55.09 km2)
• Land	21.27 sq mi (55.09 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	5,480 ft (1,670 m)
Population  (2020) [2]
• Total	260
• Density	12.22/sq mi (4.72/km2)
Time zone	UTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-6 (MDT)
Area code	505
FIPS code	35-54940
GNIS feature ID	2584171

Pajarito Mesa is a census-designated place in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States. At the 2010 census, the population was 579. ^[3] It is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Pajarito Mesa is an informal settlement lacking basic services including electricity, running water, and formal roads, and existing largely outside of government regulation. ^[4] It does not meet the U.S. government definition of a colonia because it is more than 150 miles (240 km) from the U.S.–Mexico border, ^[5] but otherwise exhibits the same features as a colonia. The mesa was first settled in the 1970s and the population had grown to about 250 families by 2013. ^[6]

Geography

Pajarito Mesa is located on a mesa between the Rio Grande and Rio Puerco valleys, about 10 miles (16 km) southwest of central Albuquerque.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 12.5 square miles (32.4 km²), all land. ^[3]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
2020	260		—
U.S. Decennial Census [7] [2]

Education

It is zoned to Albuquerque Public Schools. ^[8]

References

1. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
2. "Census Population API". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
3. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Pajarito Mesa CDP, New Mexico". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
4. Hill, Evan (August 16, 2014). "Off the grid, onto the mesa". Al Jazeera America. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
5. 42 U.S.C.   § 1479 (f)(8)
6. de la Torre, Gabriela; Chavez, Erin; Pedraza, Lucas; Gonzales, Moises (2013). "Mapping the Mesa: Identifying complexities that continue to hinder planning development in Pajarito Mesa, NM" (PDF). UNM School of Architecture and Planning. Resource Center for Raza Planning. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
7. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
8. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Bernalillo County, NM" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved July 20, 2021.