The population of Tucumcari, a town in eastern New Mexico, has been declining for 70 years, from a high of about 8,500 in 1950 down to just under 5,000 in 2020. It shows. Downtown Tucumcari felt like a ghost town when we were there in 2003.
Per capita income in the town has been in decline for decades as well. It's pretty sad. I guess this is the dark side of beautiful New Mexico.
In 2003, a lot of the buildings in the old downtown area seemed to be standing empty.
In 2003, this is what the town's "federal building" looked like. At street level there was a drugstore. I assume the upstairs was where federal government offices were located. Wikipedia says the building was heavily damage by fire in 2008 and was demolished.
In its heyday, Tucumcari must have been quite a place. That's when it was a stop on the highway that ran from Chicago to L.A., the legendary Route 66. Tucumcari is the "seat" of Quay County, with an area of about 3,000 square miles and a total population of just over 8,000. In comparison, the "county" (département) where we live in France, the Loir-et-Cher, has an area of 2,500 square miles and a population of about 332,000.
Here's an evocation of Tucumcari's better days. It was a mural on the wall of a building downtown. Many well-known American films and television series — "westerns" — were filmed in the Tucumcari area in past decades.
For us, Tucumcari was just a brief stopover. We were ready to continue our eastward trek through the Texas Panhandle and the states of Oklahoma and Missouri, on our way to visit friends in Illinois.
Those first couple pictures are a feast of streamline and Art Deco architecture, done up in Provençal colors. A town fading away reminds me of the movie "The Last Picture Show."
ReplyDeleteI was really curious to see Tuncumcari, after having seen Tuscon, Tehachapi, and Tonopah in the 1990s. It was pretty sad- and poor-looking, though. I have to admit I always loved Linda Ronstadt's singing, and Willin' was one of the songs she made into a big hit.
DeleteI, too, am a fan of Linda Ronstadt, but the only song I know of is The blue bayou! I too have been in Tucson, Tehachapi and Tucumcari, but didn't know theses places were mentioned in a song!
DeleteYou can add me to the list of Ronstadt fans, but I like her earliest stuff best. Long, Long Time is amazing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0qm8nq8RcA
DeleteWent back and listened to Willin' and I knew the song, but didn't know it was the names of all those towns.
As I recall, our Motel 6 in Tucumcari was in a seemingly bustling area.
ReplyDeleteProbably because of the season, or maybe even the year. We were there on May 1 in 2003...
DeleteIt was the end of April.
DeleteSo, that's Tucumcari. I have to say, I didn't realize what song it was that you were referring to LOL. I was thinking of that Johnny Cash song where he says he's been to this and this and that place :) I'm watching Linda Ronstadt performing Willin' right now-- I know the song! Never realized that was the name of the town that she was saying --ha!
ReplyDeleteTucson, Tucumcari, Tehachapi, Tonopah...
DeleteRural New Mexico is remote and very poor, and it continues to suffer from the national opioid crisis (a friend works in that area, north of Santa Fe). Big chunks of it are Native American reservation land, with all the financial dysfunction our system has loaded on, and those generally don't benefit much from the tourists or skiers.
ReplyDeleteIt's beautiful land, though, and a shame we haven't found a way to balance those things out.
You can get wonderful, big fresh eggs at the Fromagerie in St. Aignan. And surprisingly, the little "Proxy" store in St. A. has farm-fresh eggs that are huge, with dark yolks. Normally, I buy my eggs from my St. Aignan hairdresser, who has a fermette with her husband. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI think the boulangerie in Mareuil sells eggs too. I just didn't go there yesterday. If we don't get eggs in our grocery order tomorrow, I'll go there or to the fromagerie. Thanks for the tips. Do I know you? K? D?
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