Ruidoso

Also known as Ruidoso, New Mexico, Ruidoso, NM

village in Lincoln County, New Mexico, United States

Key facts

Country: United States
State: New Mexico
County: Lincoln
Mayor: Lynn Crawford
Total: 16.15 sq mi (41.83 km )
Land: 16.13 sq mi (41.78 km )
Water: 0.019 sq mi (0.05 km )
Elevation: 6,739 ft (2,054 m)
Density: 476.0/sq mi (183.78/km )
Time zone: UTC−7 ( Mountain )
Summer dst: UTC−6 ( Mountain )
Zip codes: 88345, 88355
Fips code

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Article

Ruidoso (Spanish for "noisy") is a village in Lincoln County, New Mexico, United States, adjacent to the Lincoln National Forest. The population was 7,679 at the 2020 census. The city of Ruidoso Downs and the unincorporated area of Alto are suburbs of Ruidoso, and contribute to the Ruidoso Micropolitan Statistical Area's population of 21,223.

A mountain resort town, Ruidoso lies in the Sierra Blanca mountain range of south-central New Mexico, where it merges with the Sacramento Mountains to the south. Ruidoso is a resort community close to the slopes of Ski Apache, the Mescalero Apache Tribe-owned ski resort on Sierra Blanca, an almost 12,000-foot (3,700 m) mountain. The tribe also operates the Inn of the Mountain Gods resort in the area, which includes a casino, hotel, arcade room and golf course. Ruidoso is the largest community in Lincoln County, and serves as the regional economic hub.