Playas is a census-designated place in Hidalgo County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 74. It is a former company town, named after a nearby former settlement along the Southern Pacific Railroad. It was developed by the Phelps Dodge Corporation in the 1970s for employees of its then-new Hidalgo Copp…Playas is a census-designated place in Hidalgo County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 74. It is a former company town, named after a nearby former settlement along the Southern Pacific Railroad. It was developed by the Phelps Dodge Corporation in the 1970s for employees of its then-new Hidalgo Copper Smelter, located 10 miles south of the development. Over 270 rental homes, six apartment buildings, a post office, grocery/dry goods store, medical clinic with heliport, a bowling alley, grill, a rodeo arena, horse stables, a fitness center, a shooting range, an airstrip and a swimming pool were built for the community, which even has its own ZIP Code. At its peak, the town had about 1,100 residents and included two churches built on land leased from the mining company.
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