NEW MEXICO 3 : North and East Central - Farmington; Santa Fe

In 1949, artist Georgia O'Keeffe made an adobe house in Abiquiu, a village northwest of Santa Fe, her permanent home. Painting until her death in 1986, O'Keeffe wove the New Mexican desert landscape into her work. Artists and tourists have since been drawn to Santa Fe and Taos to take in the breathtaking scenery and experience its Spanish and American Indian heritage. Art galleries and ski resorts have made the area a growing vacation destination.

But in the counties that ring the district's most populated areas areas - especially Cibola, McKinley and Mora - unemployment and poverty persist at high rates. Largely Hispanic and American Indian populations struggle at farming and ranching. Alcoholism has a stranglehold on some western reservations. One economic oasis is Los Alamos, where the A-bomb was developed during World War II. A strong white-collar economy has grown up around the city's defense labs.

With large Hispanic and Native American populations - and a liberal, affluent base in Santa Fe - the district tilts toward Democratic candidates. Republicans can be found among Los Alamos' wealthy, conservative community, as well as San Juan County in the far northwest, an oil- and gas-producing region.

Major Industry
State government, ranching, farming

Military Bases
Cannon Air Force Base, 3,150 military, 641 civilian (1998)

Population
504,973 (1990)

Cities
Santa Fe, 66,522; Farmington, 37,936 (1996); Rio Rancho (pt.), 30,658 (1990)

People
40% rural; 10% age 65+ (ranks second of three in state; middle third nationally); 58% married couples, 31% married couples with children; 20% college educated (ranks second of three in state; middle third nationally); 58% white collar (ranks second of three in state; middle third nationally), 24% blue collar (ranks second of three in state; middle third nationally) (1990)

Race
66% white, 1% black, 1% Asian, 20% American Indian; 34% Hispanic origin (1990)

Median Household Income
$23,610 (ranks second of three in state; bottom third nationally) (1990)

Unusual Features
Santa Fe founded in 1607 by the Spanish, 13 years before Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock; Camel Rock, natural formation that looks like a camel; Outdoor Santa Fe Opera; About 100 tribes exhibit at the annual Indian Market in Santa Fe in August.

© 2002 The Washington Post Company