Proposed New Counties for New Mexico

County Seat: Hobbs
Formed from: Lea
Hobbs is the largest community in Lea County, but the county seat is 22 miles away in Lovington. My plan would break the county in half, making Hobbs the seat of the new southern county. The name comes from the Llano Estacado formation of southeastern New Mexico.

County Seat: Artesia
Formed from: Chaves and Eddy
Eddy County is similar to Lea County in that it has two relatively large communities. I split it into north and south halves, leaving Carlsbad as the Eddy County seat and making Artesia the seat of the new Pecos County. I also added the southwestern-most part of Chaves County to Pecos, since the communities located there are closer to Artesia than they are to Roswell. The Pecos River flows through the new county and gives it its name.