Fast Facts about Taos and Taos Ski Valley

​Average Weather and Town Stats

Taos and Taos Ski Valley, New Mexico are located, respectively, near and in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Taos County has a population of approximately 34,000. Taos Ski Valley has a residential population of 70-100 full time and part-time residents with about 75 businesses that operate seasonally and full time. Taos enjoys sunshine more than 285 days a year.


Getting Here

You can get here by train, plane, bus or car; every option provides a unique experience of Northern New Mexico. More information on the Getting Here page.


Fun Facts

  • In the 1800's Taos Ski Valley was a small copper mining town called Twining.
  • The population density as of 2010 was 28.75 inhabitants per square mile.
  • From 1955-1957, the only ski run in Taos Ski Valley was Snakedance.
  • The Kachina lift serves the highest elevation of any triple chair on the North American continent.

Elevation

  • Town of Taos - 6,967 feet
  • Taos Ski Valley (base) - 9,207 feet
  • Wheeler Peak (highest point in New Mexico) - 13,161 feet

Climate

Taos County has a semi-arid, continental climate. Taos Ski Valley gets an average of 12.3 inches of rain per year. The average U.S. rainfall is 37 inches per year. It receives, on average, 300 inches of snow per year but has been slowly declining in recent years. On average, there are about 285 sunny days per year in Taos Ski Valley. The July average high is 76°F. The January average low is 4°F, with an average high of 25.2°F. Our comfort index, which is based on humidity during the hot months, is a 69 out of 100, where higher is more comfortable. The U.S. average on the comfort index is 44.


Average Annual Snowfall

• Town of Taos—35 inches
• Taos Ski Valley—300 inches
• Angel Fire—140 inches

Climate Taos Ski Valley, NM United States
Rainfall (avg in. per yr.) 12.3 36.5
Snowfall (avg in. per yr.) 300 25
Precipitation Days 70 100
Sunny Days 285 205
Avg. July High 76 86.5
Avg. Jan. Low 4.2 20.5
Comfort Index (higher=better) 69 44
UV Index 5.9 4.3
Elevation ft. 9,207 1,443


Town of Taos Average Temperature and Precipitation

Month High Temp (F) Low Temp (F) Precip Inches
January 40 10 0.83
February 45 15 0.72
March 53 22 0.79
April 64 29 0.92
May 73 37 1.21
June 83 44 0.75
July 87 50 1.58
August 85 50 1.77
September 79 42 1.11
October 67 32 1.13
November 52 18 0.71
December 43 12 0.57
Average Totals 64 30 12.09


Community Information

  • Inexpensive and trainable labor force
  • Available land in town and county
  • State-of-the-art hospital
  • Growing municipal airport
  • Full-service banks and credit unions
  • Environmentally friendly community
  • University of New Mexico campus

What Works

  • Agribusiness
  • Alternative medicine
  • Art
  • Film production
  • Lodging
  • Outdoor recreation
  • Retail, with large tourism base
  • Service industry
  • Spanish language oriented business

Dominant Industries

  • Construction
  • Finance
  • Government
  • Manufacturing
  • Service
  • Transportation, communications & utilities
  • Wholesale

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