Rodeo is a census-designated place (CDP) in Hidalgo County, New Mexico, United States. It lies less than 1 mi from the border with Arizona on New Mexico State Road 80. As of the 2010 census, the population of Rodeo was 101.

History

Founded in 1902 as a rail stop on the El Paso and Southwestern Railroad line running from Bisbee, Arizona to El Paso, Texas, it became the center for cattle shipping in the San Simon Valley. The toponym Rodeo originated as Spanish rodeo, meaning "roundup" or "enclosure", or more specifically "place where cattle are gathered" (Sitio donde se reúne el ganado), derived from the Spanish verb rodear meaning "to surround, encircle". The El Paso and Southwestern railroad runs east across the southern part of the state and after passing through Antelope Pass turns south to Rodeo continuing to Douglas, Arizona, and then north to Bisbee, going around the Chiricahua Mountains.

Geography

Rodeo is in western Hidalgo County, bordering the state of Arizona. New Mexico Highway 80 leads north 30 mi to Interstate 10 at Road Forks and southwest 2 mi to the state line, continuing as Arizona State Route 80 southwest another 48 mi to Douglas, Arizona. Lordsburg, the Hidalgo County seat, is 47 mi to the northeast via Highway 80 and I-10. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Rodeo CDP has an area of 21.2 sqkm, all land.

Demographics