{"id":10967,"date":"2022-06-15T01:45:07","date_gmt":"2022-06-15T01:45:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bestplacesto.travel\/?p=10967"},"modified":"2023-10-18T17:52:43","modified_gmt":"2023-10-18T17:52:43","slug":"15-reasons-why-you-should-stay-in-raton-new-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bestplacesto.travel\/15-reasons-why-you-should-stay-in-raton-new-mexico\/","title":{"rendered":"15 Reasons Why you should Stay in Raton New Mexico"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"334\" src=\"https:\/\/bestplacesto.travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Raton-New-Mexico.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17083\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bestplacesto.travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Raton-New-Mexico.jpg 500w, https:\/\/bestplacesto.travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Raton-New-Mexico-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>The city of Raton, New Mexico, is a small community in northern New Mexico that was incorporated in 1923. The city&#8217;s growth was spurred by the development of two golf courses. In 2009, the city won the state final race horse license, with plans to build a $50 million racehorse track and casino. The project was slated to include 53,000 square feet of racetrack space, 600 slot machines, and 300 jobs. However, construction and financing issues prevented the project from moving forward. In 2010, the project was canceled, and the land that had been leased for the project is now in a lawsuit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the early 1700s, Spanish explorers came to the area, which was home to several native tribes: Ute and Apache. These tribes settled in the mountains, while the Kiowa and Comanche populated the plains. In 1821, William Becknell blazed the Mountain Branch of the Santa Fe Trail through Raton, crossing Raton Pass. The early trail over Raton Pass was difficult to navigate without pack animals, so trade was moved to the Cimarron Route.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether you&#8217;re traveling to Raton for business or pleasure, there&#8217;s a campground for you. The city&#8217;s location makes it a popular destination for RV travelers. It&#8217;s close to Colorado and the border. You can hike or bike along the nature trails of Sugarite Canyon State Park. The Santa Fe Trail Scenic and Historic Byway follows the original wagon trails into the American West. The city also features a Shuler Theater and the NRA Whittington Center. The museum of firearms and shooting ranges add to the experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The city of Raton is located in Colfax County, New Mexico. It has a population of approximately 7,280. The city&#8217;s name derives from the Spanish word for mouse. Located in Colfax County, it is the county seat of the Colfax region. The city was founded on the Santa Fe Trail and is a key mining and ranching center in northeast New Mexico. The city is also home to Raton Peak and the Raton Range.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The town was incorporated in 1880 as Willow Springs, which was a stopping point on the Santa Fe Trail. In 1821, William Becknell used this route when blazing the Mountain Branch of the Santa Fe Trail. In 1846, Stephen Watts Kearny led the Army of the West through the town. Later, in 1864, the Colorado Volunteers defeated the Confederate Army at Glorieta Pass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite its small population, Raton experienced a century-long economic boom, spurred by horseracing and coal. Eight coalmines surrounded the town at the turn of the century, employing 2,000 men and boys. However, coal jobs began to fade as steam engines and gas powered vehicles replaced coal. In the late 1990s, as Eastern steel mills were moved overseas, many jobs disappeared in the town. It is still a thriving community, but the town faces deep challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1878, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad began construction of a railroad through the town&#8217;s old stage station. The railroad built a roundhouse and shops near the old stage station. In 1881, the town grew to a population of 3,000 and was renamed Raton. It was the site of New Mexico&#8217;s first horse racetrack, named La Mesa Park, which closed in 1992.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The city of Raton, New Mexico, is a small community in northern New Mexico that was incorporated in 1923. The city&#8217;s growth was spurred by the development of two golf courses. In 2009, the city won the state final race horse license, with plans to build a $50 million racehorse track and casino. The project [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17083,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[392,24],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>15 Reasons Why you should Stay in Raton New Mexico<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bestplacesto.travel\/15-reasons-why-you-should-stay-in-raton-new-mexico\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"15 Reasons Why you should Stay in Raton New Mexico\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The city of Raton, New Mexico, is a small community in northern New Mexico that was incorporated in 1923. 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