hobbs fundation

HOBBS NM FUNDATION

Hobbs was founded in 1907 when James Isaac Hobbs (1852–1923) established a homestead and named the settlement.

In 1910, the Hobbs post office opened, with James Hobbs as the first postmaster. By 1911, about 25 landowners lived in Hobbs.

The small, isolated settlement expanded rapidly following the discovery of oil by the Midwest Oil Company in 1927. A refinery was built the following year, and in 1929, the town of Hobbs was officially incorporated. At the peak of this oil boom, over 12,000 people lived in Hobbs. When the Great Depression hit, oil prices dropped and the population fell to only about 3,000 in 1931. A few years later, though, activity picked up in the oilfields and the population climbed to about 14,000 in 1940.

On June 23, 1938, seven local men were killed and five more injured when an explosive charge used in oil drilling detonated prematurely.

Following the outbreak of World War II, Hobbs Army Airfield was built north of town in 1942. In 1948, the city bought the air base and converted it into the Hobbs Industrial Air Park, which is still used for soaring competitions.

The first college in Hobbs opened in 1956. It was initially the First Baptist College, and in 1962, it became the College of the Southwest. The name was changed again to University of the Southwest in 2008. A second college, New Mexico Junior College, opened in 1966.

An ordinance was passed in Hobbs in November 2022 to prevent abortion clinics from operating.