San Juan

Formed February 24, 1887 (14^th county)

San Juan County (121,663), Aztec (6,210), Farmington (46,619)                

The Modern stone and concrete building is on Oliver Street south of Aztec Boulevard.  Aztec Boulevard is New Mexico State Highway 516.  This courthouse was built in 1994 to replace the 1902 facility.  The building architect is William Freimuth.  A 1982 Judicial Center in Aztec and a 2003 Juvenile Court in Farmington support the courthouse.  Veteran memorials are across the street.  Aztec has been the county seat from the county formation except for a two-year period from 1890-1892 when Junction City was the seat.  The county was formed on February 24, 1887 as the 14^th county.  The county was named for the Biblical personality, Saint John.  The county seat was inspired by the ancient civilization from Mexico.  San Juan County was the birthplace for 1 New Mexico Governor, Thomas F. Bolack. 

San Juan County government consists of a manager, a sheriff, a treasurer, an attorney, an assessor, and a clerk (executive).  It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.)  Six District Court Judges serve San Juan and McKinley counties (judicial.)  San Juan County is in the northwest corner of the state sharing borders with Colorado and Arizona.  Its northwest corner is part of the Four Corners point, a spot common to Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah.  The county center is 40.2 miles South-Southwest of Aztec nearer Farmington.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Colorado and Rio Arriba, Sandoval, and McKinley counties and Arizona and Utah. 

The area of the county is 5514 square miles.  It is 6 out of 33 in the state.  It ranks 5 out of 33 in population in the state.  It has a density of 22.1 persons per square mile making it 8 out of 33 in the state.  San Juan County has 50.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 64 crosses the county from east to west, Rio Arriba County to Arizona.  United States Highway 550 enters from Colorado on the north and exits southeast into Rio Arriba County.  United States Highway 666 crosses the western part of the county from north to south, Colorado to McKinley County.  The county is a rectangle with Aztec in the northeast quarter.  Farmington is just to the west of Aztec.  Aztec is the county seat and Farmington is the largest city.  Aztec is 5.1% of the county population while Farmington is 38.3% of the county population.  The county is pronounced SAN WON.  The county seat is pronounced AZ-TEK.  This county is in the Farmington Metropolitan Statistical Area.