Welcome To Rodeo New Mexico
And Hidalgo County

Rodeo, in Hidalgo County, is in the southwest corner of the state in the San Simon Valley. It is served by State Highway 80 and Interstate 10.

Rodeo has a history that dates back to the early Native American cultures that pre-dated the arrival of Apaches around 1400 A.D.

One book indicates the Spanish word rodeo means "roundup, enclosure," but a local historian interprets it as referring to a large bend in the area's railroad. Whatever the case, Rodeo started out as a ranching and farming community, which grew in part because of the railroad system that ran from Arizona mining towns like Tombstone, Bisbee and Douglas. It was during this time that Rodeo was considered a boomtown and was one of the main railroad shipping terminals for cattle in the area. With a decline in mining and eventual closing of the railroad, Rodeo declined rapidly and came close to being a ghost town itself by the early 1960s before times once again improved.

Hidalgo County was formed from Grant County in 1919. One theory as to its name is that it was named in honor of El Cura Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, the liberator of Mexico. Another view is that it was named after Miguel Dolores Hidalgo, who led the 1810 revolution in Mexico that eventually led to its independence from Spain.

The area's average warmest month is June. Its highest recorded temperature was 110 degrees in 1990. On average, the coolest month is January, and the lowest recorded temperature was -19 degrees in 1978. The most precipitation on average occurs in August.

Area attractions and events include the Shakespeare Ghost Town Reenactments, Fourth of July Activities and 5K Run, the Hidalgo County Fair, the Tejano Fiesta, Sister City Celebration at Antelope Wells, Cowboy Hall of Fame, Mixed Nuts Arts and Crafts Show, the Historic Lordsburg/Hidalgo Library Festival and Annual Book Sale, the Hidalgo County Annual Light Parade and Moonlight Madness, plus much more. Of historical interest is the Hidalgo County Museum, with various historic items, artifacts and treasures gathered from Hidalgo County and nearby areas. The Lordsburg-Hidalgo Library is a beautiful building and one of Lordsburg's real treasures. Another Lordsburg feature is the Bootheel Cowboy Poetry Fiesta. It features poets, storytellers and musicians from around the Southwest. Held the second week in February, the annual 2-night event is a fundraiser for the Lordsburg-Hidalgo County Museum.

Today Rodeo is quickly becoming one of the fastest growing art communities in the southwest. Presently there are 3 galleries open on a regular basis: the Chiricahua Gallery, Roger McKasson Studio-Gallery and the Rock Shop. The Chiricahua Gallery is a co-op gallery of local artists and crafts people. It is Rodeo's oldest gallery and features paintings, ceramics, woodcarving and craft items by local and regional artists and crafts people.

Nearby colleges and universities include Eastern Arizona College, Cochise College, New Mexico State University (main campus & Dona Ana), Pima Community College, the University of Arizona and the University of Texas at El Paso.

Hidalgo Medical Services is a community-driven, medical/social model proving comprehensive primary medical and dental services with clinic sites in Animas, Lordsburg, Silver City, Bayard and the Mimbres Valley. Clinical services are supported by a broad range of social services.

Parks near Rodeo include Cave Creek Regional Park, Sunny Flat Picnic Ground, Geronimo Surrender Monument, John Hands Picnic Ground, Smugglers Trail Historical Marker, Pole Bridge Canyon Natural Area, Whitmire Canyon Wilderness Study Area, Chiricahua National Monument, Buck Robinson Wilderness Study Area, Cowboy Spring Wilderness Study Area, Fort Bowie National Historic Site, Lewis Monument, Camp Bowie, Shakespeare Historical Marker, Big Hatchet Mountains Wilderness Study Area, Short Park, Lordsburg Historical Marker, Peloncillo Mountains Wilderness Study Area and more.

The 1,780,000-acre Coronado National Forest extends into southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. Here visitors can explore Foster Draw or Cloverdale Creek and hike Bunk Robinson Peak or Black Point. Incredible views and biological diversity make a visit to New Mexico's Coronado National Forest unforgettable. Skeleton Canyon, in the Pelloncillo Mountains, is a beautiful and rugged wilderness. It is named for the massacre of a Mexican mule train, but is better known for being the surrender site of the famed Apache leader Geronimo.

If you want to experience the beauty and history of our area for yourself, drop by our United Country office soon and let us show you some of the many real estate opportunities we offer.