Belen, New Mexico
Location of Belen, New Mexico
Coordinates: 34°39′56″N 106°46′34″W / 34.66556, -106.77611
Country	United States
State	New Mexico
County	Valencia
Area
- Total	4.7 sq mi (12.2 km²)
- Land	4.7 sq mi (12.2 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation	4,810 ft (1,466 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	6,901
- Density	1,463.1/sq mi (564.9/km²)
Time zone	Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
- Summer (DST)	MDT (UTC-6)
ZIP code	87002
Area code(s)	505
FIPS code	35-06480
GNIS feature ID	0923557

Belen (pronounced /bəˈlɪn/) (Spanish: Belén) is a city in Valencia County, New Mexico, United States. Belen is Spanish for Bethlehem and over time has gained the nickname "Hub City" because of the Belen railroad Cutoff. The Cutoff made it possible for many more trains to traverse east and west across the United States. Prior to the Belen Cutoff train traffic came through the steep and inaccessible Raton Pass on the Colorado and New Mexico border. To this day, an average of 110 trains travel through Belen in a 24-hour period. Belen also has the only Harvey House Museum in the state of New Mexico. The population was 6,901 at the 2000 census.

Geography

Belen is located at 34°39′56″N, 106°46′34″W (34.665587, -106.776225)^[1].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.7 square miles (12.2 km²).

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 6,901 people, 2,596 households, and 1,778 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,463.1 people per square mile (564.5/km²). There were 2,952 housing units at an average density of 625.9/sq mi (241.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 67.50% White, 1.07% African American, 1.65% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.16% Pacific Islander, 25.39% from other races, and 4.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 68.61% of the population.

There were 2,596 households out of which 34.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.3% were married couples living together, 17.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% were non-families. 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.8% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,754, and the median income for a family was $30,765. Males had a median income of $26,551 versus $21,300 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,999. About 23.2% of families and 24.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.9% of those under age 18 and 18.2% of those age 65 or over.

Belen City Hall

Belen Plaza Gazebo

References

1. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
2. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

External links

• Belen Consolidated Schools Site
• Belen Local Weather
• City Website
• Valencia County News-Bulletin
• New Mexico Entertainment's Belen Page
• Profile on AOL Hometown

• Belen, New Mexico is at coordinates 34°39′56″N 106°46′34″W / 34.665587, -106.776225 (Belen, New Mexico)Coordinates: 34°39′56″N 106°46′34″W / 34.665587, -106.776225 (Belen, New Mexico)

v â€¢ d â€¢ e City of Albuquerque
County	Bernalillo
Metro area	North Valley | Rio Rancho | South Valley
Suburbs	Belen | Bernalillo | Carnuel | Corrales | Edgewood | Isleta Village Proper | Los Lunas | Los Ranchos de Albuquerque | Santa Ana Pueblo | Tijeras

v â€¢ d â€¢ e Municipalities and communities of Valencia County, New Mexico
County seat: Los Lunas
City	Belen
Villages	Bosque Farms | Los Lunas
CDPs	Casa Colorada | El Cerro-Monterey Park | Jarales | Los Chaves | Los Trujillos-Gabaldon | Meadow Lake | Peralta | Rio Communities | Rio Communities North | Tome-Adelino | Valencia