Catron County is a county in New Mexico, United States, on the Arizona border in the southwestern part of the state. It had a population of 3,579 at the 2020 census and covers 6,924 square miles (17,930 km2) of land, centred near 33°55′N 108°25′W.
Reserve is the county seat, and its postal code is 87830. The county has one incorporated village and roughly 30 unincorporated communities and Census-designated places, no civil townships, and sits entirely in the Mountain time zone.
Towns & Villages in Catron County
Catron County has one incorporated place — the village of Reserve — plus a scatter of small Census-designated places and unincorporated communities strung along the San Francisco and Tularosa rivers and US 60. New Mexico has no civil townships, so the table below drops that column.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reserve | Village · seat | — | 87830 |
| Datil | CDP | — | 87821 |
| Glenwood | CDP | — | 88039 |
| Mogollon | CDP | — | 88039 |
| Pie Town | CDP | — | 87827 |
| Quemado | CDP | — | 87829 |
| Alma | Unincorp. | — | 88039 |
| Apache Creek | Unincorp. | — | 87830 |
| Aragon | Unincorp. | — | 87820 |
| Claremont | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cooney | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cruzville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Escudilla Bonita | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Greens Gap | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gutierrezville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Homestead | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lehew | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lower Frisco | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lower San Francisco Plaza | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Luna | Unincorp. | — | 87824 |
| Mangas | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Middle Frisco | Unincorp. | — | — |
| New Horse Springs | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Old Horse Springs | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Omega | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pleasanton | Unincorp. | — | 88039 |
| Potato Patch | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Rancho Grande | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Rancho Grande Estates | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Red Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Salt Lake | Unincorp. | — | — |
| San Francisco Plaza | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Spur Lake | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Tres Lagunas | Unincorp. | — | — |
Glenwood and Mogollon share the 88039 Glenwood ZIP, and the string of San Francisco River hamlets — Lower Frisco, Middle Frisco and San Francisco Plaza — are historic ranching settlements upriver from Reserve rather than separate towns with their own post offices.
ZIP Codes
- 87830 — Reserve (also serves Apache Creek)
- 87821 — Datil
- 87829 — Quemado
- 87827 — Pie Town
- 87824 — Luna
- 87820 — Aragon
- 88039 — Glenwood (also serves Mogollon, Alma and Pleasanton)
Most of the county’s smaller ranching hamlets have no ZIP of their own and use whichever of these seven post offices is nearest.
Geography
Catron County is New Mexico’s largest county by land area, covering high desert grassland around Quemado and Pie Town in the north, the Plains of San Agustin, and rugged mountain forest in the south where the Mogollon Mountains rise above the San Francisco River. Most of the county’s southern half lies inside the Gila National Forest, with smaller portions of the Apache and Cibola national forests also within its borders. The county has no incorporated cities and only one incorporated village; nearly all its land is federally managed forest and rangeland.
Catron County borders Cibola County to the north, Socorro County to the east, Sierra County to the southeast, Grant County to the south, and Greenlee County and Apache County, Arizona, to the west.
Demographics
Catron County had 3,579 residents at the 2020 census, the third-lowest population of New Mexico’s 33 counties. Reserve is the largest community, followed by Quemado and Datil. Median household income runs well below the New Mexico median of $62,268 — Catron is one of the state’s poorer, most sparsely populated counties. With 6,924 square miles of land, the county’s population density works out to roughly one person per two square miles, among the lowest of any county in the continental United States.
Economy & Local Life
Ranching and forestry underpin the local economy, alongside seasonal hunting, fishing and hiking tourism drawn by the Gila and Apache national forests. The Very Large Array radio telescope, just east of the county line near Datil, and the Lightning Field art installation outside Quemado bring niche visitor traffic. Reserve hosts county government offices, a small hospital, and the schools serving most of the county’s scattered ranching families.
History
Catron County was organized on February 25, 1921, carved from Socorro County, and is named for Thomas B. Catron, one of New Mexico’s first two United States senators. Reserve, originally called Upper San Francisco Plaza, was the site of a 1884 shootout in which lawman Elfego Baca held off dozens of gunmen for two days, an episode still marked locally. Mogollon, now a near-ghost town, boomed as a silver- and gold-mining camp in the late 1800s and early 1900s before the mines closed.
Getting There
US Highway 60 crosses the county’s north end through Datil, Pie Town and Quemado; NM Highway 12 and NM Highway 435 connect Reserve and Glenwood to the south.
- Silver City — 45 miles south
- Socorro — 70 miles northeast
- Springerville, Arizona — 55 miles west
- Albuquerque — 190 miles northeast
The nearest commercial airport is Albuquerque International Sunport, roughly 190 miles from Reserve; Grant County Airport near Silver City offers limited general aviation service closer to the county’s south end.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Catron County?
It is in west-central New Mexico, bordering Arizona, roughly 190 miles southwest of Albuquerque.
What is the population of Catron County?
It had a population of 3,579 at the 2020 census.
How big is Catron County?
It covers 6,924 square miles (17,930 km2) of land, New Mexico’s largest county by area.
What is the county seat of Catron County?
Reserve is the county seat.
How many towns are in Catron County?
One incorporated village, Reserve, plus about 30 unincorporated communities and Census-designated places such as Quemado, Datil, Pie Town, Glenwood and Mogollon.
What ZIP codes are in Catron County?
Seven, anchored by 87830 Reserve, 87829 Quemado, 87821 Datil, 87827 Pie Town, 87824 Luna, 87820 Aragon and 88039 Glenwood.
What is Catron County known for?
The Very Large Array radio telescope near Datil, the Lightning Field art installation near Quemado, the Gila National Forest, and Elfego Baca’s 1884 stand in Reserve.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in New Mexico.