San Juan County, New Mexico

San Juan County Education, Geography, and History

San Juan County is a county located in the state of New Mexico. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 130,044, making it the fifth-most populous county in New Mexico. Its county seat is Aztec. The county was created in 1887.

San Juan County is part of the Farmington, NM Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is located in the northwest corner of the state and includes the New Mexico portion of the Four Corners.

Etymology - Origin of San Juan County Name

It was named for the San Juan River which begins in the San Juan Mountains

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

San Juan County History

San Juan County was created 24 January 1887. It was named for the San Juan River which begins in the San Juan Mountains. This is the ancient home of the Anasazi. Aztec is the county seat. This county is awash with ancient history, from Aztec Ruins National Monument to Chaco Canyon National Historical Park and the Navajo Nation. This area is rich in agriculture, clean air, open skies, and natural resources.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 5,538 square miles (14,340 km²), of which 5,513 square miles (14,280 km²) is land and 25 square miles (65 km²) (0.5%) is water.

Indian reservations (and off-reservation trust lands) comprise 63.4 percent of the county's land area: The Navajo Indian Reservation takes up 60.45% and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Reservation another 2.93%.

The physical features include three rivers: the San Juan, Animas, and La Plata rivers; also, the Chuska Mountains and Shiprock Pinnacle to the west, volcanic structures, buttes, mesas, badlands, and fertile river valleys.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Rio Arriba County - east
• Sandoval County - southeast
• McKinley County - south
• Apache County, Arizona - west
• San Juan County, Utah - northwest
• Montezuma County, Colorado - north
• La Plata County, Colorado - north
• Archuleta County, Colorado - northeast

Education

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