Gallup is a city in McKinley County, New Mexico, United States, with a population of 21,678 as of the 2010 census.

A substantial percentage of its population is Native American, with residents from the Navajo, Hopi, and Zuni tribes. Gallup is the county seat of McKinley County and the most populous city between Flagstaff and Albuquerque, along the historic U.S. Route 66. The city was founded in 1881 as a railhead for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad, and named after David Gallup, a paymaster for the railroad. It is on the Trails of the Ancients Byway, one of the designated New Mexico Scenic Byways. Because of the nearby rugged terrain, it was a popular location in the 1940s and 1950s for Hollywood Westerns.

Geography

Gallup is located at 35°31′41″N 108°44′33″W (35.5280783, −108.7425843). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.4 square miles (35 km2), all land.

Crime

Crime is a serious problem in Gallup. In 2012, violent crime was nearly five times the national average. As a result, the city has the highest violent crime rate in the state of New Mexico. According to an article published in November 2014, "Gallup saw 463 violent crimes last year including murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. That’s an eleven percent increase from the year before and two times the rate of Albuquerque, the state’s largest city."

Climate

Gallup, like most of the interior Mountain West, has a cool semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk). The summers are hot during the day, but the high altitude and low humidity means that nights remain distinctly cool: as late as July 2 of 1997 the temperature fell to 31 °F (−1 °C). Despite the large diurnal temperature range, most rain falls in the summer from afternoon thunderstorms. Despite the dry atmosphere, hot sun and an average of only 7.4 days with maxima below 32 °F (0 °C), winter nights are so cold snow is common and sometimes heavy: the maximum in a month is 29.10 inches (0.74 m) in December 1992 and the most in a year 65.10 inches (1.65 m) between July 1990 and June 1991. Actual snow cover, with the hot sun at Gallup’s altitude, however, has never exceeded 13.1 inches (0.33 m), and for no day averages over 3.5 inches (0.089 m).