Welcome to Raton ...
The city of Raton is located in northeast New Mexico.
Raton is located in Colfax County<1> and is the County Seat for Colfax County.
While we don't have a date for the founding of Raton, you might consider that their post office opened in 1880.
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Raton has a population of 5,996 people<2> (see below for details).
The community of Raton is 6,560 feet [1,999 m] above sea level.<3> In other words, the elevation of Raton is 1¼ mile [or ~2 km] above sea level.
Time Zone: Raton lies in the Mountain Time Zone (MST/MDT) and observes daylight saving time
Raton is located in the (575) area code.
The ZIP code for Raton: 87740<4>
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Raton had an population of 5,996 people. This is a decrease of 12.91% since the 2010 Census (or a decrease of 17.66% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Raton had a population of 6,885 people (or 50.07% of the total population of Colfax County). This makes Raton the county's most populous community.
The population of Raton represents 0.33% of the population of New Mexico (which has 2,059,179 people), making it the state's 28th most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 6,885 people, the population of Raton decreased 5.45% from the 2000 Census (with a count of 7,282 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Raton.
Communities near Raton ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Raton.
- Trinidad
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trinidad
- Trinidad is located in Las Animas County (CO)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,127 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Trinidad <5>
- Cokedale
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cokedale
- Cokedale is located in Las Animas County (CO)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 121 people
- Starkville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Starkville
- Starkville is located in Las Animas County (CO)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 55 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Starkville <5>
- Brilliant ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brilliant
- Brilliant is located in Colfax County
- San Miguel ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for San Miguel have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Miguel
- San Miguel is located in Las Animas County (CO)
- Engleville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Engleville have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Engleville
- Engleville is located in Las Animas County (CO)
- Sopris ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest) - Madrid ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madrid
- Madrid is located in Las Animas County (CO)
- Segundo
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Segundo
- Segundo is located in Las Animas County (CO)
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Segundo <5>
- Valdez
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valdez
- Valdez is located in Las Animas County (CO)
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Raton. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Raton.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Raton. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Raton.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Raton. Our list includes 31 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Raton.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Raton ...
Looking for more information about Raton? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Raton, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Raton.
Adding Raton to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Raton in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Raton was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<7>
From that list, the Raton post office opened in 1880.
We also found Raton in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Raton.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Raton. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of New Mexico: www.newmexico.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of New Mexico's counties, including Colfax, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Raton. |
| <3> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Raton - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <4> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a city (such as Raton). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Raton or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <5> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <6> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <7> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |