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About McKinley County
McKinley County covers 5,455 square miles on the western border of New Mexico. The elevation is high and mountains cover much of the county, especially in the southern areas and along the western border. The mountains are forested and beautiful. In the southeast corner is Mount Taylor which reaches to 11,301 feet in elevation. Flat desert land lies along the northern border.
Gallup is the county seat of McKinley County, and the population is 74,798 (2000 census). Interstate 40 is the major highway through the county, passing east to west near the southern border, passing through Gallup. U.S. Highway 491 (formerly 666) heads north from Gallup and State Highway 602 heads south from there.
74 percent of the population is Native American. The Zuni Indian Reservation covers the southwest corner of the county, and the Navajo Indian Reservation includes the northwest corner.