A convenient stopping point between Amarillo, Texas, and Albuquerque, this is a trading center for a 45,000-acre irrigated and industrial water area. New energy is focused on carbon dioxide, petroleum, and natural gas. There is also a thriving cattle business. Tucumcari has become a transportation center with many trucking companies and much railroad traffic. Tucumcari Mountain (4,957 feet) is to the south. Born when the railroad reached its site, Tucumcari was once known as "six-shooter siding."