East Central New Mexico
Melrose, NM
New Mexico is a state with a population density of 16.2 people per square mile, ranking 45th in the nation. With a land area of over 121,000 square miles, it boasts huge expanses of unpopulated land, and its geographic diversity lends itself to some incredible natural beauty.
Far from the mountainous northern part of the state, the eastern and southeastern portions make up part of the Llano Estacado, a place so flat and empty that the curvature of the earth is visible. Many of the communities on these plains tend to be small, with residents enjoying the simple, quiet life under the big blue sky.
The Llano Estacado is oil country. Derricks dot the landscape, and the refineries fill the air with the heady smell of black gold, their facilities glowing at night against the black sky, punctuating the darkness with pinpricks of light.
It’s also ranch country, where pickup trucks and stetsons abound, and the cattle and antelope graze on the wide open terrain. Very little rain falls, but when it does, the land is so flat that it pools together in a huge mess of mud.
Melrose is a small community just west of Clovis. Its claim to fame is as the birthplace of William Hanna, of the famous Hanna Barbara cartoon duo. West of Melrose, between Clovis and Fort Sumner, is the village of House, with a population of less than 100. Near House is a large wind farm, with huge turbines spinning swiftly in the wind generated on the open plains.
Old and New Windmills in House, NM
Well south of House and Melrose is Lea County, home to the Lea County Rodeo. Just near the Texas border, the communities of Hobbs and Lovington feel much more Texan than New Mexican.
Peeling Paint in Melrose, NM
Sunset in Lovington, NM