As you might imagine, I have a LOT of conversations with clients about the commute up to Los Alamos and ways to get around town. These are all big questions that make a huge impact on folks’ decision to purchase a home in the county. As I’ve been thumbing my way through so many of the cool books on Los Alamos History you can find in our local Historical Museum Shop, I came across some interesting photos and information about that same topic. I think what strikes me most is that we have far more independence and even options today than the those who were contemplating these things in the mid to late 1940s.
The Commute
First of all, getting up to Los Alamos wasn’t exactly a picnic. The military was making improvements to the access roads on an almost constant basis. The Otowi suspension bridge across the Rio Grande required a nearly 90 degree turn from the road to access. The roads were dirt and gravel and prone to washouts and all kinds of weather related mess with potholes and mud. If you’ve ever driven into Rendija Canyon, that’s probably a similar experience to what the first drivers were dealing with.
The Bus to Los Alamos!
Not unlike our NM Park & Ride, the bus to Los Alamos which carried workers up to the Hill traveled a 50 mile trip through Espanola, Chimayo, and the San Ildefonso, Santa Clara, and Tesuque Pueblos. There was also a bus to Santa Fe. Anyone traveling the road to Los Alamos had to have identification and approval from the military. MPs were responsible for checking ids and sources suggest that by 1946 there were approximately 500 people on 43 buses making daily trips to both Santa Fe and the surrounding areas!
What sort of workers were bussed in from these areas? Commuters in those days were the folks who might not have been project connected, but were critical to operations in the Secret City. Clerks, cooks, food service workers, mechanics, custodians, and other important folks were given free bus service so that they could commute from their homes in outlying areas to the Hill on a nearly daily basis. But if you were working for the Manhattan Project in any way, you weren’t eligible to live off post. You needed to be on site. Whether you had a family or were single, your job determined where you could live. Single person wanting a little piece of quiet property and a small casita in the valley? Too bad! You got a cramped room in a dormitory.
White Rock
We’ve actually talked about White Rock in the past. You can check out that blog post HERE. It was first slapped together as a place to house construction workers beginning in 1949. That meant if you were attached to those construction projects, you couldn’t pick a commute either. White Rock was where you were and that was that!
Traffic in Los Alamos
Check out this photo from Images of America: Los Alamos 1944-1947. The Los Alamos Trading Post can be seen on the left. This is actually a photo of Central Avenue in 1946. Public opinion was that a MP was needed to direct traffic at this, the busiest intersection in Los Alamos. If you think lunchtime traffic is tricky in 2025, imagine what it was like back then! There was zero distance between the technical areas, (located at Ashley Pond) and downtown Los Alamos.
It’s important to remember that, “this little town was just full of young women and men. As the population soared toward 6,000 in 1944-1945, small groups of GIs, WACs, and civilians were visible everywhere, heading out together for one social event or another”(Los Alamos 1944-1947).
This statement actually sounds very familiar. Los Alamos is nothing if not eclectic when it comes to the distribution of age groups here in town. A distribution that is heavily affected by things like summer students and snowbirds! And all of these folks are looking for something fun to keep them occupied when they aren’t working.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this trip down memory lane. Our community here in the Secret City is unique in so many ways. But a lot of things we consider quirky about life in Los Alamos have been going on for so long, it’s hard to imagine life any other way! When you’re ready to talk housing in Los Alamos, give me a call! I’d love to chat Quads, Duplexes, and Modified Westerns with you as you discover all of the amazing living options Los Alamos has to offer!
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