Town file
Farmington, New Mexico
Farmington, New Mexico (San Juan County, New Mexico) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 701, "Meaningless Mutilation Murders" (21 May 2026). Farmington, New Mexico sits in the northwest corner of the state, in San Juan County, close to the Four Corners and the northern edge of Arizona.
- Town
- Farmington
- County
- San Juan County
- State
- New Mexico
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 701
- Approximate location
- 36.754, -108.181
Episode 701 / 21 May 2026 / 183 min / full
Meaningless Mutilation Murders
"This is Farmington, New Mexico... It's in northwestern New Mexico... This is in San Juan County, area code 505." about 0:07:03
The case: Murders of Joseph Fleming and Matthew Trecker (November 1996); Murder of Donald Tosi (March 1998); Murder of Betty Jean Lee (June 2000). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2026
- Population
- 46,696
- Median age
- 34.7
- Median household income
- $6,045 a year
- Median home value
- $216,100
- Two-bedroom rent
- $1,050
- Cost of living
- 80
- Religious
- 41.3%
- Property crime
- ▲ about one third above
- Violent crime
- ▲ about 50% above
History, in brief
- Three rivers come through the area, so it was originally known as Junction City. about 0:08:40
- By 1901 it had been named Farmington, incorporated, and had 548 people. about 0:08:50
- On March 18, 1950, Farmington was the site of a mass UFO sighting; over f the town's population, about 5,000 people, reported large saucers flying at rapid speeds. about 0:08:56
- In 1967 an underground nuclear detonation took place 50 miles east of Farmington, part of Operation Plowshare's Project Gasbuggy, to fracture bedrock and free more natural gas. about 0:09:43
The reviews read out
3.5 stars
"Not great, even with a lot of reviews."about 0:10:52
5 stars
"Loves the town and says it does not need any changes; calls it filled with uniqueness and diversity, with people who are always nice and greeting."about 0:11:03
1 star
"Calls Farmington an Indian town with high crime and little to do, one of the most dangerous metro areas, with meth, crack, severe alcoholism, homelessness and an almost non-existent police force; says housing is priced as if the oil field were still booming, the justice system is a joke and they cannot wait to leave."about 0:11:56
1 star
"A lifelong resident says the town has gone from bad to worse; the landscape is unique and beautiful but the people make it unbearable, nearby towns have some of the highest sexual assault levels in the country, and the area has some of the highest DWI fatalities in the state."about 0:13:40
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Flora Vista, New Mexico6.0 miles
- Cortez, Colorado47 miles
- Chimayo, New Mexico135 miles
- Gunnison, Colorado142 miles
- Tijeras, New Mexico153 miles
- Whitewater, Colorado155 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.