Hatch, New Mexico

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Hatch is a village in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,673 at the 2000 census. The town is experiencing moderate growth, along with its outliers of Salem, Arrey, Derry, and Rincon. As Las Cruces expands north, and Truth or Consequences expands south, Hatch will get more and more retail establishments and hotels.

Hatch enjoys the distinction of being the home of "The World's Best Chile Pepper", according to a report by the BBC World news. Hatch Chile is best prepared by roasting over an open flame. Each year during chile season, dozens of chile vendors can be found lining the streets of Hatch roasting the local chile.

The Hatch Chile Festival is an annual event that occurs each Labor Day. This event attracts people world wide to a place known as the chile capital of the world. This small farming community is known world wide for raising very good chile. Other crops such as onions, cotton, and corn are also raised there. Irrigation of local farms is accomplished by water wells as well as irrigation ditches which divert water from the Rio Grande and two lakes approximately 20 miles north of Hatch named Caballo (Spanish for Horse) and Elephant Butte Lake (named after a rock formation in the middle of the lake that looks similar to an elephant). Hatch is 40 miles north of Las Cruces, New Mexico on Interstate 25.
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatch,_New_Mexico
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   32°39'52"N   107°9'52"W

Comments

  • Ortega brand chili has large holdings here (or did have when I was there)- and operates a number of chili-processing plants not far away. My brother was in charge of one plant (not Ortega, I believe) for a few years, which I visited.
  • Was in Hatch on 3/19/2010 & it is for sure a place that has peppers! They hang everywhere drying. We stopped in a local place & had a couple spicy burritos. Very tasty.
This article was last modified 14 years ago