Hobbs, city, Lea County, southeastern corner of New Mexico, near the Texas line; incorporated 1929. The College of the Southwest (1956) and a junior college are here. The center of a large oil field, it was named for James Hobbs, who settled here in 1907. The city itself was founded with the discovery of oil in 1928. Population 29,153 (1980); 29,115 (1990); 28,657 (2000).
