Formed February 1, 1860 (9th county)
Mora County (4,185), Mora* (547), Wagon Mound (264)
The Modern courthouse in the middle of this small community replaced the 1939 building. The courthouse is off New Mexico State Highway 518 near the center of the community. This courthouse was built in 2016 as the fourth courthouse in the county. Ortega, Romero, and Rodriguez Architects are the brown concrete building designers. The county was formed on February 1, 1860 from San Miguel and Taos counties as the 9th county with Mora as the only county seat. It provided land for Harding County. The county and county seat are named for the Mora River.
Mora County government consists of a manager, a sheriff, a treasurer, an attorney, an assessor, and a clerk (executive). It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.) Three District Court Judges serve Mora, Guadalupe, and San Miguel counties (judicial.) Mora County is in northwestern New Mexico. Santa Fe, New Mexico is southwest and Pueblo, Colorado is north of the site. The Canadian River forms the county’s eastern border. The county center is 20 miles East of Mora near Wagon Mound. The county is surrounded clockwise by Colfax, Harding, San Miguel, Santa Fe, Rio Arriba, and Taos counties.
The area of the county is 1931 square miles. It is 28 out of 33 in the state. It ranks 28 out of 33 in population in the state. It has a density of 2.2 persons per square mile making it 27 out of 33 in the state. Mora County has 6.3% of its population in its incorporated areas. Interstate Highway 25 crosses north to south from Colfax County to San Miguel County. The county’s shape is a sugar bowl turned upside down. The town of Mora is located in the southwest quarter of the county. Wagon Mound is in the eastern third of the county. Mora is the county seat although it is unincorporated. Wagon Mound is the largest city since it is the only incorporated city. Mora is 13.1% of the county population while Wagon Mound is 6.3% of the county population. The county and seat are both pronounced MORE-A.
Wagon Mound
Mora (unincorporated)
