Room to grow
How density can make the most out of limited land
Story by Stephanie Nakhleh
Photos by Minesh Bacrania (unless otherwise noted)
Map by Amaya Coblentz
Los Alamos National Laboratory has grown its workforce by more than 50% since 2018, but the town itself hasn’t grown to match. Today, about 10,000 Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) employees commute into Los Alamos daily — many because they can’t find housing, despite having the wages to compete for it.
In the game of housing musical chairs, even LANL’s well-paid workforce struggles to find homes, while many teachers, nurses, police officers, and service workers are priced out entirely. The result is a cascade of consequences: skyrocketing housing costs, staffing shortages at local businesses, dangerous commuting conditions, and a deteriorating downtown.
In 2025, Los Alamos is expected to …
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Boomtown to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.