Carlsbad, city, seat of Eddy County, southeastern New Mexico, on the Pecos River; incorporated as a city 1918. Major industries of the area include the mining and refining of potash, irrigated farming and livestock raising, and tourism. The city has a junior college, and Carlsbad Caverns National Park is nearby. Settled about 1888, the community was originally called Eddy. It was renamed in 1899 for the European spa of Karlsbad, or Carlsbad (now Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic), because of the mineral springs in the area. Increased agricultural productivity resulted from the Carlsbad reclamation project, begun in the region in 1906. Population 25,496 (1980); 24,952 (1990); 25,625 (2000).
