Biohazard and Pathogen Disinfection in Española, NM

Española is an incorporated city located primarily in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, although its central and eastern sections extend into Santa Fe County.

Española traces its origins to 1598, when Juan de Oñate established San Gabriel, near the modern city, as the capital of Nuevo México; San Gabriel is described as the first capital city founded by Europeans in what is now the United States.

A farming settlement known as La Vega de los Vigiles existed at the site of Española by 1751, more than a century before the railroad arrived.

Española grew as a railroad village after the narrow-gauge Denver and Rio Grande Railroad arrived in 1880; it took the name Española, received a post office in 1881, and was officially incorporated as a city in 1925.

The 2020 census counted 10,526 residents in Española.

The 2020 census recorded 4,177 households and 4,574 housing units in Española.

Hispanic or Latino residents made up 83.4 percent of Española's population in the 2020 census.

Española sits in a valley between the Jemez Mountains and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains at the meeting point of three rivers: the Rio Grande, the Rio Chama, and the Rio Santa Cruz.

Much of the city of Española lies within the boundaries of Santa Clara Pueblo.

Española is home to Northern New Mexico College and to Española Valley High School, part of the Española Public Schools district.