page_title: Alamogordo, New Mexico
section_title: Economic history
hierarchical_section_title: Alamogordo, New Mexico / Economy / Economic history
caption_attribution_description: English: Downtown Alamogordo, New Mexico.
context_page_description: Alamogordo is the seat of Otero County, New Mexico, United States. A city in the Tularosa Basin of the Chihuahuan Desert, it is bordered on the east by the Sacramento Mountains and to the west by Holloman Air Force Base. The population was 30,403 as of the 2010 census. Alamogordo is known for its connection with the 1945 Trinity test, which was the first ever explosion of an atomic bomb.
  Humans have lived in the Alamogordo area for at least 11,000 years. The present settlement, established in 1898 to support the construction of the El Paso and Northeastern Railroad, is an early example of a planned community. The city was incorporated in 1912. Tourism became an important economic factor with the creation of White Sands National Monument in 1934. During the 1950–60s, Alamogordo was an unofficial center for research on pilot safety and the developing United States' space program.
  Alamogordo is a charter city with a council-manager form of government.
context_section_description: Alamogordo was founded as a company town to support the building of the El Paso and Northeastern Railroad, a portion of the transcontinental railway that was being constructed in the late 19th century. Initially its main industry was timbering for railroad ties. The railroad founders were also eager to found a major town that would persist after the railroad was completed; they formed the Alamogordo Improvement Company to develop the area, making Alamogordo an early example of a planned community. The Alamogordo Improvement Company owned all the land, platted the streets, built the first houses and commercial buildings, donated land for a college, and placed a restrictive covenant on each deed prohibiting the manufacture, distribution, or sale of intoxicating liquor.
  Tourism became an important part of the local economy from the creation of White Sands National Monument in 1934. Construction began on the Alamogordo Army Air Field (the present-day Holloman Air Force Base) in 1942, and the Federal government has been a strong presence in Alamogordo ever since. Education has also been an important part of the local economy. In addition to the local school system, Alamogordo is home to the New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, founded in 1903, and a branch of New Mexico State University founded in 1958.  The largest non-government employer in the city is the Gerald Champion Regional Medical Center with 650 employees in 2008.
caption: Retail shops on New York Avenue
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