Alamogordo is the county seat of Otero County and a city in
south-central New Mexico, United States. A desert community lying in the
Tularosa Basin, it is bordered on the east by the Sacramento Mountains.
It is the city nearest to Holloman Air Force Base. The population was
35,582 as of the 2000 census. Alamogordo is known for the Atari video
game burial of 1983. It is also famous for its connection with the
Trinity test, the first explosion of a nuclear (atomic) bomb.
Humans
have lived in the Alamogordo area for at least 11,000 years. The present
settlement established in 1898 to support the construction of the El
Paso and Northeastern Railroad, is an early example of a planned
community. The city was incorporated in 1912. Tourism became an
important economic factor with the creation of White Sands National
Monument in 1934. During the 1950-60s, Alamogordo was an unofficial
center for research on pilot safety and the developing United States'
space program.
Alamogordo is a charter city with a council-manager
form of government. City government provides a large number of
recreational and leisure facilities for its citizens, including a large
park in the center of the city, many smaller parks scattered through the
city, a golf course, Alameda Park Zoo, a network of walking paths,
Alamogordo Public Library, and a senior citizens' center. Gerald
Champion Regional Medical Center is a nonprofit shared military/civilian
facility that is also the hospital for Holloman.
As the economic
center of Otero County, Alamogordo has a primarily service and retail
economy that draws its customers from tourists and from active-duty and
retired military personnel. The city is accessible through three U.S.
Highways and scheduled commercial air service at Alamogordo-White Sands
Regional Airport. Holloman Air Force Base (including a German Air Force
Tactical Training Center) and White Sands Missile Range are two
