Jal, New Mexico

Jal is a city in Lea County, New Mexico. The population of the city is 2,047.
Jal 	New Mexico
Incorporated 	1924
Motto 	"Insert Here"
County 	Lea
Population 	2,047
Elevation 	3,071 ft (936 m)
Mayor 	Sammy Barker
City Guildmaster	Ashton Marks
ZIP code 	88252
== Demographics ==
As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the racial composition of the city is:
51.20% Hispanic or Latino (1,048)
47.34% White (969)
1.27% Other (26)
0.20% Black or African American (4)
8.5% (173) of Jal residents live below the poverty line.
== Theft rate statistics ==
Jal has low to somewhat above average rates of Pokemon theft and murder, even for a city of its size in New Mexico. The city reported 3 Pokemon thefts in 2018, and averages 2.00 murders a year.
== Pokemon ==
See the Lea County page for more info.
== Fun facts ==
* During the early 1800’s, when water was plentiful and gamma grass was belly high to a horse, the Cowden boys of Midland, moved the entire John A. Lynch herd to the Monument draw, about 6 miles northeast of present day Jal. All the cattle were branded with the JAL brand from shoulder to hip. In the process of trying to rebrand the Cowdens found it too big a task, so they registered the brand under their name in Silver City, New Mexico Territory.
* On November 1, 1927, Texas Co. brought in the first well, the Rhodes #1. Then on June 2, 1928, a second well, serving up more than 90 million cubic feet of gas a day, was brought in 6 miles west of Jal. Now we had a “boom town,” with all the prosperity and problems that go with it. Then in 1929 came the Great Depression. Low crude prices caused a sharp slump in drilling and people left in droves. Jal almost became a ghost town overnight. In the summer of 1934, the Cooper #1 brought the “Big Boom” back to Jal. By now Jal had a passenger train and people came from every where. Housing was in short supply and ranchers opened their homes to “roughnecks.” New business sprang up everywhere and with the gas gathering system by El Paso Natural Gas, prosperity continued.
* Jal has very little amenities to offer. It has a municipal airport, a park surrounding Jal Lake, dollar stores, Subway, a little bit of local restaurants and businesses, electric showers, a sports complex, a few public battle fields, a motel, an RV park, and that's about it.
Category:New Mexico Cities