Town of Edgewood

Eventually, as the population grew, the community wanted its own post office. Oldtimers have said the U.S. Postmaster did not like the community's then-name of Venus and urged residents to find a new name -- they ultimately decided on Edgewood. When regional utility cooperatives formed with help from local families, water, natural gas, and electricity became more accessible to residences and businesses, and the region and community slowly grew. In the 1960s/1970s, Interstate 40 was built closely following old Route 66, meaning Edgewood remained a part of this growing east-west transportation corridor.

On July 1, 1999, the Town of Edgewood was incorporated. One hundred-ten residents turned out to elect the town's first mayor (Larry Keaty) and four councilors (Howard Calkins, Robert Stearley, Frank Lasky, and ?). A three-way tie for the fourth seat called into action a New Mexico statute that says a tie must be broken by a game of chance. So, the next day, surrounded by community members at the Homestead Restaurant, the three contenders drew for high card. Ultimately, with a draw of the seven of spades, the fourth and final seat was filled (Gary Chemistruck), and this newly-minted Western town made national news in the process.
Within a few short years, more annexations had extended the town's boundaries into the East Mountain portions of Bernalillo and Sandoval counties as well. Today, the Town of Edgewood stretches out over a 48 square mile area in three counties, surprisingly, making it the 7th largest municipality in New Mexico by land area. In recent years, Edgewood has grown in popularity for its dual attractions - a more rural, small town way of life and convenience to that state's largest metropolitan areas. Located just 20 miles east of Albuquerque on Interstate 40 and Historic Route 66, and 51 miles south of the City of Santa Fe, the town is well-situated to easily access state and county government centers as well as numerous cultural attractions.
Profile Data (more statistics and data for Edgewood)
2020 US Census Quick Facts
Population | 6,174 |
Owner-Occupied Housing | 86.8% |
Median Household Income | $64,931 |
Age Distribution | 6.7% (<5), 16.3% (6-18), 62.1% (19-64), 14.9% (65+) |
Education Level | 27.5% bachelor's degree or higher; 94.6% HS graduates or higer |
Race/Ethnicity | 69.9% white, 28.4% Hispanic/Latino, 1.7% all others |
Veterans | 8.5% |