Community Information
Whether you're buying a home, selling your home or relocating to Los Alamos, the following information and resources will help to guide your decision. The tab on the left titled Neighborhood Information will provide you with more detailed information about specific neighborhood areas in both Los Alamos and White Rock. The tab on the left titled Market Statistics will provide you with current market statistics and trends in the Los Alamos area.
History of Los Alamos Housing
The history of Los Alamos as the home of the first atomic weapons laboratory is very relevant to the age and type of homes available today; simply put, Los Alamos is a government-built town. Beginning in 1943, the town’s residences, ranging from simple dormitories and apartments to multi-family and single residence homes, were built quickly by the government without truly understanding what it would take to provide quality, permanent housing to the future influx of Laboratory scientists and their families. The housing shortage continued to plague the Lab well into the 1960s when almost 1,000 families were on a waiting list for housing. The development of White Rock, a town located approximately eight miles from Los Alamos, was seen as one solution to the housing crisis. By the mid-1960s, two new White Rock subdivisions, with more diverse floor plans and exteriors, were completed. Several more subdivisions were developed over the next ten years. Well into the 1990s, new condominiums, townhomes, and single residences on larger acreage, were constructed in the gaps of the now well-established community of White Rock. In Los Alamos, private construction of larger single-family homes and modern condominiums and townhomes took place on parcels of land that were slowly released for sale by the government. The latest chapter in the history of Los Alamos housing was the May 2000 Cerro Grande Fire, which was responsible for a significant impact on the town’s real estate market. Many of the 400 properties that burned in the fire were located in the Western Area and North Community. These properties are still being rebuilt, so some new construction is interspersed amongst the original government-built homes in these neighborhoods.*
Today, the area’s population of approximately 18,000 is split between the two towns of Los Alamos and White Rock. There are five elementary schools, one middle school and one high school that serve both towns. Two of the elementary schools are located in White Rock and the remaining five schools are located in Los Alamos.
*Reference: "Quads, Shoeboxes and Sunken Living Rooms: A History of Los Alamos Housing" by Craig Martin