Welcome to Lava ...
Lava is located in Socorro County<1>.
The location of Lava has been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (ie- the GNIS).<2>
While we don't have a date for the founding of Lava, you might consider that their post office opened in 1886.
Lava is 4,730 feet [1,442 m] above sea level.<3> In other words, the altitude of Lava is about ¾ mile [or ~1½ km] above sea level.
Time Zone: Lava lies in the Mountain Time Zone (MST/MDT) and observes daylight saving time
The area code for Lava: (575)
Communities Also Named Lava ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are two New Mexico communities named Lava: This one is located in Socorro County and the other is located in Rio Arriba County.
Beyond New Mexico, there are 6 communities that are also named Lava - they are located in Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, New York and Oregon.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Lava.
Communities near Lava ...
We have created a list of 7 communities that are near Lava.
- Rock Canyon
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Canyon
- Rock Canyon is located in Sierra County
- Elephant Butte
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elephant Butte have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elephant Butte
- Elephant Butte is located in Sierra County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,320 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elephant Butte <4>
- Cuchillo
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuchillo
- Cuchillo is located in Sierra County
- Truth or Consequences
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Truth or Consequences
- Truth or Consequences is located in Sierra County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,769 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Truth or Consequences <4>
- Cutter ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south) - San Antonito
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Antonito
- San Antonito is located in Socorro County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for San Antonito <4>
- Williamsburg
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Williamsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsburg
- Williamsburg is located in Sierra County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 415 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Williamsburg <4>
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 Lava. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Lava.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Lava. 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 Lava.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Lava. See our Newspapers Page for Lava.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Lava ...
Looking for more information about Lava? 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.
While we are unaware of a Tourism page that is specific to Lava, there are neighboring communities that do have Tourism pages. A map of those communities can be found with our TripAdvisor Page for Lava.
Adding Lava to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Lava 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 Lava was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<5>
From that list, the Lava post office opened in 1886.
We also found Lava in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Lava.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Lava. 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 Socorro, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | 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. |
| <3> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Lava - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <4> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <5> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |