Geography
Thoreau is located at 35°24′52″N 108°13′25″W / 35.414370°N 108.223594°W / 35.414370; -108.223594 (35.414370, -108.223594).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 15.9 square miles (41 km2), all of it land.
Thoreau sits at an altitude of approximately 2,200 meters (7,200 ft) above sea level, and located 8 kilometers (5.0 mi) east of the continental divide.
Thoreau lies along Interstate 40 and the historic U.S. Route 66. New Mexico State Highways 122, 371, and 612 also pass through or terminate here. Additionally, the town is located along two natural gas pipelines and a major railway.
The climate in Thoreau is desert, with sparse vegetation typical of the region. Common plants include pinyon pine and juniper trees, sagebrush, tumbleweeds, and some short, sparse grasses. The four seasons are well pronounced. Summers are relatively mild, due to Thoreau's high elevation and persistently low humidities. Maximum temperatures do not usually exceed about 33 °C (about 90 °F). The southwest monsoon brings thunderstorms with frequent lightning in July and August. Autumn is pleasant with warm days and cool nights. Winter is marked by frequent snowstorms, with minimum temperatures sometimes dropping to about -15 °C (about 0 °F) or colder. Cold, persistent, very high winds are common in Spring, usually through much of the month of March.
Thoreau is located in a broad valley beneath a large escarpment of Old Red Sandstone, which marks the southern boundary of the Colorado Plateau to the north. Mount Powell and Castle Rock are landmarks along this escarpment adjacent to Thoreau. The Zuñi Mountains are to the south.
Read more about this topic: Thoreau, New Mexico
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)