RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of New Mexico >> Lincoln County  

Welcome to Lincoln County ...

Time Zone: Lincoln County lies in the Mountain Time Zone (MST/MDT) and observes daylight saving time.

The community of Carrizozo is the Seat for Lincoln County.

Lincoln County was founded in 1869 and was created by taking area from Socorro County.

From the Census Estimates for 2019, <1> Lincoln had a population of 19,572 people. This is a decrease of 4.29% since the last Census (which gave a population of 20,450 people in 2010).

At the time of the 2010 Census, Lincoln represented 0.99% of the total population of New Mexico.

Below are some of the communities located in Lincoln County:

  • Capitan
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Capitan have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capitan
    • Capitan is located in Lincoln County (NM)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,457 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Capitan <3>
  • Carrizozo
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
  • Corona
    (43 miles [69.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Corona have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corona
    • Corona is located in Lincoln County (NM)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 167 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Corona <3>
  • Ruidoso
    (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruidoso
    • Ruidoso is located in Lincoln County (NM)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,061 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ruidoso <3>
  • Ruidoso Downs
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ruidoso Downs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruidoso Downs
    • Ruidoso Downs is located in Lincoln County (NM)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,631 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ruidoso Downs <3>

Websites of Interest ...

Footnotes ...

<1>On a yearly basis, the US Census Bureau creates an estimate of the county's population. Keep in mind that this is an estimate and not an actual count. The last physical count was the 2010 Census and the next count will be for the 2020 Census.
<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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
 

Copyright 2025
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 15 Jul 2025