Formed February 28, 1903 (23rd county)
Quay County (8,744), Tucumcari (5,280)
The masonry Art Deco courthouse is located at 3rd Street at Aber Street, this structure was built in 1939. United States Highway 54 passes two blocks north of the courthouse. Townes and Funk were the architects. There was a 1912 version of the county courthouse. The county was created on February 28, 1903 from Colfax County as the 23rd county with Tucumcari as the only county seat. The Native American term for “lookout” is the source for the county seat name. The county name comes from a type of local plant similar to rhubarb.
Quay County government consists of a manager, a sheriff, a treasurer, an attorney, an assessor, and a clerk (executive). It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.) One District Court Judge serves Quay, DeBaca, and Harding counties (judicial.) Quay County is in far eastern New Mexico on the border with Texas. Albuquerque, New Mexico is west and Amarillo, Texas is east of the county. The county center is 14.2 miles East-Southeast of Tucumcari. The county is surrounded clockwise by Union County and Texas and Curry, Roosevelt, De Baca, Guadalupe, San Miguel, and Harding counties.
The area of the county is 2855 square miles. It is 23 out of 33 in the state. It ranks 26 out of 33 in population in the state. It has a density of 3.1 persons per square mile making it 24 out of 33 in the state. Quay County has 74.4% of its population in its incorporated areas. Interstate Highway 40 crosses the county east to west, Texas to Guadalupe County. United States Highway 54 enters from the northeast, Texas, joins Interstate Highway 40 at Tucumcari, and exits west, Guadalupe County. The Canadian River transits west to east across the northern part of the county. A series of stair steps make the north and south borders of the county going northeast to southwest and provide a caterpillar appearance. Tucumcari is located slightly west and north of geographical center in the county. Tucumcari is the county seat and the largest city. It is 60.4% of the county population. The county is pronounced KWAE. The seat is pronounced TUE-KUM-KARE-EE.
House
Logan
San Jon
Tucumcari
