La Luz, New Mexico

La Luz, New Mexico
CDP
Our Lady of the Light Church
Location of La Luz, New Mexico
Country	United States
State	New Mexico
County	Otero
Area
• Total	10.7 sq mi (27.8 km2)
• Land	10.7 sq mi (27.8 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	4,751 ft (1,448 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	1,615
• Density	150.7/sq mi (58.2/km2)
Time zone	UTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP code	88337
Area code	505
FIPS code	35-38330
GNIS feature ID	0920624

La Luz is a census-designated place (CDP) in Otero County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,615 at the 2000 census. It is located immediately north of Alamogordo and lies in the eastern edge of the Tularosa Basin and on the western flank of the Sacramento Mountains. Until 1848, La Luz was a part of Mexico. The CDP gets its name from the Spanish word for "light."

Geography

La Luz is located at 32°58′35″N 105°56′44″W (32.976378, -105.945497)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 10.7 square miles (27.8 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 1,615 people, 648 households, and 463 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 150.7 people per square mile (58.2/km²). There were 738 housing units at an average density of 68.9/sq mi (26.6/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 84.71% White, 0.43% African American, 1.24% Native American, 0.56% Asian, 10.40% from other races, and 2.66% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 31.70% of the population.

There were 648 households out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.5% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 26.6% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $28,625, and the median income for a family was $29,719. Males had a median income of $30,213 versus $21,563 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $15,258. About 10.9% of families and 13.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.2% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.