Hatch, William Henry, 1833-96, U.S. Congressman (1879-95), b. Scott co., Ky. He was admitted (1854) to the bar and moved to Hannibal, Mo. He became prominent in Democratic politics in Missouri and was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Hatch devoted himself to agricultural legislation and became chairman of the Committee on Agriculture. He successfully pushed through Congress the act (1884) that created the Bureau of Animal Industry, the Hatch Act (1887), which provided for direct federal aid for the study of scientific agriculture, and the act (1889) that elevated the Dept. of Agriculture to the status of an executive department in the cabinet.

Hatch is a village in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,673 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Las Cruces Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town is experiencing moderate growth, along with its outliers of Salem, Arrey, Derry, and Rincon. As Las Cruces expands north, and Truth or Consequences expands south, Hatch will get more and more retail establishments and hotels.

History

Hatch was originally settled as Santa Barbara in 1851, however Apache raids drove the farmers away until 1853 when the nearby Fort Thorn was established. When Fort Thorn closed in 1860, the town had to be abandoned again. It was not until 1875 that it was re-occupied and at that time it was re-named for Indian fighter Edward Hatch, who was then commander of the New Mexico Military District.

Economy

Hatch enjoys the distinction of being the home of "The World's Best Chile Pepper", according to a report by the BBC World News. Hatch Chile is best prepared by roasting over an open flame. Each year during chile season, dozens of chile vendors can be found lining the streets of Hatch roasting the local chile.

The Hatch Chile Festival is an annual event that occurs each Labor Day. This event attracts people world wide to a place known as the chile capital of the world. The small town has accommodated up to 30,000 people for this event. This small farming community is known world wide for raising very good chile. Other crops such as onions, cotton, and corn are also raised there. Irrigation of local farms is accomplished by water wells as well as irrigation ditches which divert water from the Rio Grande and two lakes approximately 20 miles north of Hatch named Caballo (Spanish for Horse) and Elephant Butte Reservoir (named after a rock formation in the middle of the lake that looks similar to an elephant). Hatch is 40 miles north of Las Cruces, New Mexico on Interstate 25.

Geography

Hatch is located at (32.664919, -107.158668).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 3.1 square miles (8.0 km²), all of it land.

The village is located just off Interstate 25 about 40 miles northwest of Las Cruces, NM and approximately 80 miles northwest of El Paso, TX.

Hatch and the surrounding area (Doña Ana Conty) was hard hit by flooding in Summer 2006. The area was declared a disaster (#1659) and FEMA established a Disaster Recovery Center in the city.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,673 people, 538 households, and 402 families residing in the village. The population density was 540.2 people per square mile (208.4/km²). There were 635 housing units at an average density of 205.0/sq mi (79.1/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 46.03% White, 0.36% African American, 0.96% Native American, 0.24% Pacific Islander, 50.03% from other races, and 2.39% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 79.20% of the population.

There were 538 households out of which 43.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.7% were married couples living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.1% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.11 and the average family size was 3.63.

In the village the population was spread out with 35.7% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 17.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.9 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $21,250, and the median income for a family was $23,819. Males had a median income of $21,923 versus $17,188 for females. The per capita income for the village was $14,619. About 28.5% of families and 34.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 50.1% of those under age 18 and 14.6% of those age 65 or over.

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