Tucumcari, New Mexico

Tucumcari is a city in and the county seat of Quay County, New Mexico. The population of the city is 5,363.
Tucumcari 	New Mexico
Incorporated 	1901
County 	Quay
Population 	5,363
Elevation 	4,091 ft (1,247 m)
Mayor 	Anthony Ontiveros
City Guildmaster	Matías Guillén
ZIP code 	88401
== Demographics ==
As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the racial composition of the city is:
60.17% Hispanic or Latino (3,227)
34.76% White (1,864)
3.11% Other (167)
1.96% Black or African American (105)
24.5% (1,313) of Tucumcari residents live below the poverty line.
== Theft rate statistics ==
Tucumcari has average and increasing rates of Pokemon theft and murder. The city reported 12 Pokemon thefts in 2018, and averages 1.84 murders a year.
== Pokemon ==
See the Quay County page for more info.
== Fun facts ==
* In December 1951, a water storage tank collapsed in the city. Four were killed and numerous buildings were destroyed.
* The origin of the name Tucumcari is uncertain. It may have come from the Comanche word tʉkamʉkarʉ, which means 'ambush'. Also, a 1777 burial record mentions a Comanche woman and her child captured in a battle at Cuchuncari, which is believed to be an early version of the name Tucumcari.
* Tucumcari is the home of over 50 murals. Most were painted by artists Doug and Sharon Quarles and serve as a tourist attraction.
* For many years, Tucumcari has been a popular stop for cross-country travelers on Interstate 40 (formerly U.S. Route 66 in the area). It is the largest city on the highway between Amarillo, Texas and Albuquerque, New Mexico. Billboards reading "TUCUMCARI TONITE!" placed along I-40 for many miles to the east and west of the town invite motorists to stay the night in one of Tucumcari's "2000" (later changed to "1200") motel rooms. The "TUCUMCARI TONITE!" campaign was abandoned in favor of a campaign which declared Tucumcari, "Gateway to the West". However, on June 24, 2008, Tucumcari's Lodgers Tax Advisory Board, the group responsible for the billboards, voted to return to the previous slogan.
* Old US Route 66 runs through the heart of Tucumcari via Route 66 Boulevard, which was previously known as Tucumcari Boulevard from 1970 to 2003 and as Gaynell Avenue before that time. Numerous businesses, including gasoline service stations, restaurants, and motels, were constructed to accommodate tourists as they traveled through on the Mother Road. A large number of the vintage motels and restaurants built in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s are still in business despite intense competition from newer chain motels and restaurants in the vicinity of Interstate 40, which passes through the city's outskirts on the south.
* Tucumcari has a little bit of amenities to offer. It has a Blake's Lotaburger, dollar stores, Nintendo World, a few fast food places, Flying J and Love's truck stops, electric showers, a historical museum, a few auto parts places and car dealerships, a bit of hotels/motels, a few RV parks, a bit of local restaurants and businesses, Quay County Fairgrounds, New Mexico Route 66 Museum, a bit of public battle fields, a sports complex, a municipal airport, a lake, Lowe's Market, Mesalands Dinosaur Museum and Natural Sciences Laboratory, and not much else.
Category:New Mexico Cities