There's No Community In New Mexico More Enchanting And Historic Than Raton
By Melissa Mahoney|Published July 31, 2023
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Melissa Mahoney
Author
I'm an east coast girl living in a west coast world. I grew up in New England before moving to SoCal for several years. I then lived in NYC or a year before moving to AZ in 2009. I worked in the entertainment industry for many years of my adult life and have a deep love for photography, writing, and traveling around the U.S. as well as to far-flung locations around the world. Travel is my life and writing about it is a dream!
If you’ve never visited Raton, I urge you to check it out. Between its small-town charm, history, and surrounding natural beauty, it’s a place that can both delight and enchant visitors. If you’re curious to learn more about this historic town in New Mexico and all it has to offer, consider a weekend getaway that will allow you more time to explore.
Located just 6.5 miles south of the New Mexico-Colorado border is the small community of Raton. While a city, it is small with a population of just over 6,000 people, and has that small-town charm we all love.
It's also the highest point along the Historic Santa Fe Trail and is known as "Raton Pass."
Raton was settled in the 1880s once the railroad came to town. Pictured here is the Santa Fe Depot which was built in 1903 in a Spanish mission revival-style for the Santa Fe Railroad. Today, it serves as a stop for Amtrak.
Head downtown and you'll find plenty of historic buildings like El Raton Theatre. Built in 1929, this movie theatre had its grand opening in 1930 and the first film it showed was Song of the West.
A couple of doors down from El Raton Theatre is the Shuler Theater. This landmark in downtown Raton first opened its doors in 1915 and serves as the premier performing arts center in northeast New Mexico.
While the historic sites are a must-see while visiting Raton, so are the parks and mountains in town. Pictured here is Climax Canyon Park where you can hike along the Climax Canyon Trail. This easy 2.7-mile loop trail leads to epic scenery as well as unique geological features. It's definitely worth exploring while visiting Raton!
Do you want to spend time exploring this historic town in New Mexico? If you’ve visited Raton before, please share your favorite things about it in the comments. To learn more, visit the Explore Raton website.
Plan on spending the night in Raton? Check out some of the town’s unique vacation rentals on Vrbo.
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