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The City of Clovis

Norman Petty's NorVaJak Music, Inc.

Seal

Location of Clovis, New Mexico

Coordinates: 34°24′45″N 103°12′17″W / 34.4125, -103.20472

Incorporated

1909¹

Government

- Mayor

Gayla Brumfield

- City Manager

Joe Thomas

Area

- Total

22.5 sq mi (58.2 km²)

- Land

22.4 sq mi (58.0 km²)

- Water

0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)

Elevation

4,268 ft (1,301 m)

Population (2007)

- Total

42,213

- Density

1,458.9/sq mi (563.3/km²)

Time zone

Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)

- Summer (DST)

MDT (UTC-6)

ZIP code

88101 88102

Area code(s)

505, 575

FIPS code

35-16420

GNIS feature ID

0915815

Website: www.cityofclovis.org

Clovis is a city in and the county seat of Curry County, New Mexico, United States.² The population is 42,213 at the 2007 census.

Clovis is located in the Llano Estacado and eastern New Mexico regions. The largely agricultural town is also noted for its role in early rock music history. Nearby Cannon Air Force Base has a significant impact on the community.

It is the principal city of the Clovis Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the larger Clovis-Portales Combined Statistical Area.

Geography

Clovis is located at 34°24′45″N 103°12′17″W / 34.4125, -103.20472 (34.412509, -103.204611).³ It lies at approximately 4281 feet above sea level (1304 m)http://www.fallingrain.com/world/US/35/Clovis.html

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 22.5 square miles (58.2 km²), of which, 22.4 square miles (58.0 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (0.44%) is water. This water area is primarily artificial ponds in Clovis' several public parks.

Albuquerque, Roswell, Lubbock and Amarillo are frequent destinations for Clovis residents seeking products and services, a wider range of retail shopping, and others, not easily available in the nearby area. Portales, located 17 miles south, is home to Eastern New Mexico University and a variety of local restaurants, furniture stores, and specialty shops. Medical care is provided by the Plains Regional Medical Center.

History

The eastern New Mexico region was home to the Clovis culture, a significant early anthropological group of Native Americans. Historical remains were found at the Blackwater Draw site, south of the town, which remains a historical and tourist site.

The town takes its name from Clovis, the first Christian king of the Franks, at least according to most reports; it is often reported that this is because the daughter of the settlement's railroad stationmaster was studying French at the time of the town's naming and proposed the appellation.

Before receiving the name Clovis, the community was known as Riley's Switch.

Demographics

As of the census⁴ of 2000, there were 32,667 people, 12,458 households, and 8,596 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,458.9 people per square mile (563.3/km²). There were 14,269 housing units at an average density of 637.3/sq mi (246.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 37.86% White, 7.32% African American, 1.02% Native American, 1.62% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 14.98% from other races, and 3.63% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino were 33.44% of the population.

There were 12,458 households out of which 36.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were married couples living together, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the city the population was 30.0% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were ages 65 or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,878, and the median income for a family was $33,622. Males had a median income of $26,586 versus $20,375 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,561. About 17.2% of families and 21.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.2% of those under age 18 and 14.6% of those age 65 or over.

Events

On April 29, 2005, a male student at Marshall Junior High School touched off a massive police alert when he carried into school a wrapped object approximately 30 inches in length, which turned out, in fact, to be a burrito which he had made as an extra-credit project. School authorities thought the object might have been a weapon--given heightened sensitivity to potential violence in schools throughout the US.⁵^{dead link}

On March 23, 2007, an EF3 tornado damaged or destroyed significant parts of the city, killing two people. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is assisting the State of New Mexico with disaster aid to the affected areas.

On August 24, 2008, eight prisoners escaped from the Clovis Jail by climbing through plumbing pipes. The escape was highlighted on the television show America's Most Wanted.

Economics and industry

Like most of east-central New Mexico and west Texas, the vicinity hosts agriculture and ranching, including peanut and cotton farming and cattle ranching, for meat and dairy production. Several processing plants exist for these products. In 2004, construction began on the plant Southwest Cheese Company and it commenced operations in late 2005 providing a substantial boost to the local economy employing over 200 personnel. It is one of the largest plants of its type in the world, processing in excess of 2.3 billion pounds of milk yearly, provided by the numerous local dairies. A high proportion of local residents make their living in the services sector. Dillards and Wal-Mart have a large influence among retail consumption in the community, though smaller stores including regional and national supermarket chains do exist. The railroad also contributed to economic growth in the early years of the towns development and like many small towns still maintains an important role in the economy. In the financial markets large financial institutions such as Bank of America [www.bankofamerica.com] and Wells Fargo [www.wellsfargo.com] are present and manage a large portion of the local and large industries financial needs. The Curry County Chamber of Commerce hosts many events annually that contribute to local economic growth and the Clovis Industrial Development Corporation works toward the succesful union of development and industrial expansion. Cannon Air Force Base and a small Army National Guard unit exist in Clovis. Clovis has recently had an economic boom with many new stores and restaurants as well as new hotels opening in the Northern and mid-town areas of the city due to new industry bieng present and the idea of expansion of the Air Force Base. This has caused the population to increase to an estimated 42,314 people.

Clovis is adjacent to Cannon Air Force Base, a special operations base. This military installation has a large impact on the community and typically receives a great deal of support from local civic and business leaders. Clovis hosts a local organization, the Committee of Fifty, whose stated purpose is to express support for Cannon AFB. The nearby community of Portales also has a similar organization, the Military Affairs Committee.

The corporate headquarters of Allsup's convenience stores is located in Clovis.

BRAC 2005

The recent round of Defense Department BRAC investigations prompted a large campaign among Clovis and neighboring communities called "Save Cannon" or "Operation Keep Cannon." The City of Clovis government and other governmental and non-governmental organization rallied behind this cause, including hiring professional consultant and hosting a visit of the BRAC committee members. The BRAC committee proposed on August 26, 2005 not to close the installation, but instead to decrease its quantity of military assets.

In June 2006 the DoD gave Cannon a new mission, as a center for Special Operations training to all branches of the military. Residents were elated by the news and for weeks "Mission Accomplished" signs were seen throughout the city. Air Force Special Operations Command took control over the base and initiated the 27 SOW (Special Operations Wing) on 1 Oct 2007.

Health care

Plains Regional Medical Center is the primary hospital serving Clovis. It is part of the Presbyterian Hospital system based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. There are numerous private physician practices, as well as nursing homes, home health care firms, and other medical practitioners, including at least one traditional Hispanic healer (consejero de salud).

Architecture

Southwest, Spanish Mission, or Adobe architectural styles are prevalent, being considered representative of New Mexico. Much of Clovis architecture is indistinguishable from the group of styles prevalent throughout the United States' small cities and suburbs since the 1930s.

The Hotel Clovis, a local landmark, opened on October 20, 1931. At the time of its construction it was the tallest building between Albuquerque, NM and Dallas, TX. The hotel was designed by architect Robert Merrill, combining an Art Deco exterior with Southwestern Indian interior. The elegant ballroom hosted such names as Louis Armstrong, Glen Miller, Tommy Dorsey, and Hank Williams. The nearby train depot supplied the hotel with most of its business. Hotel Clovis closed its doors shortly after the Santa Fe Railroad discontinued passenger train service to Clovis. The building is currently unused and frequently vandalized. Several plans for restoration have surfaced but for now the building remains merely a part of Clovis' past.

Clovis is also home to the Lyceum auditorium and the State Theater. The Lyceum auditorium has been restored and often hosts plays and shows.

Climate and landscape

Flooding caused by a thunderstorm

The climate is relatively temperate with low humidity. Summers are warm with few extremes of heat and winters are cool with few extremes of cold. Severe thunderstorms are frequent in the spring. Rainstorms are prevalent in the summer, typically in the evening. A few snowfalls occur each winter.Landscape of the town and surrounding area is stereotypically flat, though to the south, near Portales, undulating hills are found. Most open land is grassland, much of which has been converted into grazing land. Much land is also farmed, with a high degree of irrigation use.

Education

Private schools

Clovis Christian School
Eastern Plains Early Head Start / Head Start

Public education

Clovis is served by several public schools making up the Clovis Municipal Schools:

Elementary schools
- Arts Academy at Bella Vista
- Barry Elem.
- Cameo Elem.
- Highland Elem.
- James Bickley Elem.
- LaCasita Elem.
- Lockwood Elem.
- Los Ninos Pre-School
- Mesa Elem.
- Parkview Elem.
- Ranchvale Elem.
- Sandia Elem.
- Zia Elem.
2 Middle schools
- Marshall Middle School and Yucca Middle School
1 Junior High
- Clovis High School Freshman Campus
1 High school
- Clovis High School

Post-secondary education

For post-secondary education, there is one community college, Clovis Community College (CCC). Eastern New Mexico University in nearby Portales, New Mexico, is the nearest four-year college/university. Many local high school graduates attend the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas (90 miles away), or New Mexico State University in Las Cruces .

Clovis formerly had a Catholic K-8 school as part of Sacred Heart Parish

Culture

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Food

In addition to general American cooking styles, Mexican cuisine is prevalent. Local restaurants are increasingly dominated by national chains and fast food. Several establishments, mostly franchises such as Chili's, Applebees, and Burger King exist, as well as a limited number of other local restaurants. There is also the Shōgun, a Japanese steakhouse. National pizza chains are present, and the city hosts the only dine-in Domino's with buffet in the United States. Several new national chains such as Bahama Buck's are also planning to add locations because of expected population growth. There is a Cotton Patch Cafe and a Dakota's Steak House, as well as seafood available at Red Lobster and a Golden Corral. K-Bob's Steakhouse also offers steak and buffet style food and is part of local tradition.

The Arts

Performances, including music, drama, and other content, take place at Clovis Community College and nearby Eastern New Mexico University in Portales. Some Performances are also held at the Lyceum auditorium. The Clovis Music Festival is a high-profile event held annually at the beginning of September. The Festival has featured many artists who recorded at the Norman Petty Studios and generally 50s Rock'n'Roll acts. The Clovis Civic Center has hosted this and some other entertainment events. A Special events center is currently being built adjacent to the county fairgrounds. The Special events center will hold events such as rodeos, auctions, and concerts.

Popular Music

The town achieved some fame in the 1950s as it is home to the Norman Petty Recording Studio, founded by early pop musician Norman Petty, at which rock pioneers Buddy Holly & The Crickets and other prominent early pop music artists recorded. In fact, The Crickets trademark #1 song, "That'll Be The Day" was recorded in Clovis.

Since the 1990s the town has played a large role in hosting performances by national artists such as Machine Head, Hemlock, Legion, White Zombie, Leann Rimes, Kiss Army, Minus the Bear, Murder by Death, Moments in Grace, and Between the Buried and Me, as well as many other acts from such cities as Seattle, WA, Los Angeles, CA, New York City, NY, and Gainesville, FL. These events have been held in the Clovis/Portales area since the early 1990s but have become more consistent in recent years. Organizers and Promoters of these events have often been the local Christian youth (ages 24 and under) who make up 39.4% of the community and are the largest segment in the population.

Radio

Locally tunable stations have wide variety of content relatively typical of most of the United States, including music and talk broadcasting. Due to religious demographics of the area, Contemporary Christian music, as well as preaching (typically Protestant Christian) and other religious-themed broadcasts are common on local radio. Several Spanish-language stations are tunable, broadcasting largely Mexican music and a proportion of Christian-themed content, mostly music.

Notable natives

Hank Baskett, football player for the Philadelphia Eagles
Norman Petty, musician, songwriter, record producer, and founder of Norman Petty Recording Studios