Tucumcari

Tucumcari: Quay County Courthouse

Tucumcari, city, seat (1903) of Quay county, eastern New Mexico, U.S., in the Canadian River valley. Lying along the important Goodnight-Loving cattle trail, it was established as a construction base for the El Paso and Rock Island Railroad in 1901. Tucumcari is named for a mountain (1,000 feet [305 metres] above the plains), 1 mile (1.6 km) south; the name probably derives from the Comanche word tukumukaru, “to lie in wait for someone approaching,” and is rendered in early Spanish documents as Cuchuncari. The city’s growth as a trade centre and shipping point for cattle, cotton, wheat, and broomcorn was influenced by the completion of the Tucumcari Irrigation Project in 1940. The city provides tourist services for travelers on major east-west interstate and U.S. highways. It also has light diversified industries. Conchas Lake and Ute Lake state parks are nearby. Inc. 1908. Pop. (2000) 5,989; (2010) 5,363.