New Mexico

New Mexico
State of New Mexico
Estado de Nuevo México (Spanish)
Nickname
The Land of Enchantment
Motto
Crescit eundo (English: It grows as it goes)
Anthem:
Map of the United States with New Mexico highlighted
Map of the United States with New Mexico highlighted
CountryUnited States
Before statehood
Admitted to the UnionJanuary 6, 1912 (47th)
CapitalSanta Fe
Largest cityAlbuquerque
Largest metro and urban areasAlbuquerque Metropolitan Area
Government
 • GovernorMichelle Lujan Grisham (D)
 • Lieutenant GovernorHowie Morales (D)
LegislatureNew Mexico Legislature
 • Upper houseSenate
 • Lower houseHouse of Representatives
JudiciaryNew Mexico Supreme Court
U.S. senators
U.S. House delegation (list)
Area
 • Total121,591[1] sq mi (314,915 km2)
 • Land121,298[1] sq mi (314,161 km2)
 • Water292[1] sq mi (757 km2)  0.24%
 • Rank5th
Dimensions
 • Length371 mi (596 km)
 • Width344 mi (552 km)
Elevation
5,701 ft (1,741 m)
Highest elevation13,161 ft (4,011.4 m)
Lowest elevation2,845 ft (868 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total2,117,522
 • Rank36th
 • Density17.2/sq mi (6.62/km2)
  • Rank45th
 • Median household income
$51,945
 • Income rank
45th
Demonym(s)New Mexican (Spanish: Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)[4]
Language
 • Official languageNone
 • Spoken languageEnglish, Spanish (New Mexican), Navajo, Keres, Zuni[5]
Time zoneUTC−07:00 (Mountain)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−06:00 (MDT)
USPS abbreviation
NM
ISO 3166 codeUS-NM
Traditional abbreviationN.M., N.Mex.
Latitude31°20′ N to 37°N
Longitude103° W to 109°3′ W
Websitewww.newmexico.gov
State symbols of New Mexico
List of state symbols
Living insignia
BirdGreater roadrunner
FishRio Grande cutthroat trout
FlowerYucca
GrassBlue grama
InsectTarantula Hawk Wasp
MammalAmerican black bear
ReptileNew Mexico whiptail
TreeTwo-needle piñon
Inanimate insignia
Color(s)Red and yellow
FoodChile peppers, pinto beans, and biscochitos
FossilCoelophysis
GemstoneTurquoise
OtherThe smell of roasting green chile[6]
State route marker
Route marker
State quarter
New Mexico quarter dollar coin
Released in 2008
Lists of United States state symbols

New Mexico (Spanish: Nuevo México[Note 2][7] [ˈnweβo ˈmexiko] ; Navajo: Yootó Hahoodzo Navajo pronunciation: [jòːtʰó hɑ̀hòːtsò]) is a state in the Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also borders Texas to the east and southeast, Oklahoma to the northeast, and the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Sonora to the south. New Mexico's largest city is Albuquerque, and its state capital is Santa Fe, the oldest state capital in the U.S., founded in 1610 as the government seat of Nuevo México in New Spain.

New Mexico is the fifth largest of the fifty states by area, but with just over 2.1 million residents, ranks 36th in population and 46th in population density.[8] Its climate and geography are highly varied, ranging from forested mountains to sparse deserts; the northern and eastern regions exhibit a colder alpine climate, while the west and south are warmer and more arid. The Rio Grande and its fertile valley runs from north-to-south, creating a riparian climate through the center of the state that supports a bosque habitat and distinct Albuquerque Basin climate. One–third of New Mexico's land is federally owned, and the state hosts many protected wilderness areas and national monuments, including three UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the most of any U.S. state.[9]

New Mexico's economy is highly diversified, including cattle ranching, agriculture, lumber, scientific and technological research, tourism, and the arts, especially textiles and visual arts. Major sectors include mining, oil and gas, aerospace, media, and film.[10][11][12][13] Its total gross domestic product (GDP) in 2020 was $95.73 billion, with a GDP per capita of roughly $46,300.[14][15] State tax policy is characterized by low to moderate taxation of resident personal income by national standards, with tax credits, exemptions, and special considerations for military personnel and favorable industries. Due to its large area and economic climate,[16][failed verificationsee discussion] New Mexico has a significant U.S. military presence, including White Sands Missile Range, and strategically valuable federal research centers, such as the Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories. The state hosted several key facilities of the Manhattan Project, which developed the world's first atomic bomb, and was the site of the first nuclear test, Trinity.

In prehistoric times, New Mexico was home to Ancestral Puebloans, the Mogollon culture, and ancestral Ute.[17] Navajos and Apaches arrived in the late 15th century and the Comanches in the early 18th century. The Pueblo peoples occupied several dozen villages, primarily in the Rio Grande valley of northern New Mexico.[18][19] Spanish explorers and settlers arrived in the 16th century from present-day Mexico.[20][21][22] Isolated by its rugged terrain, New Mexico was a peripheral part of the viceroyalty of New Spain dominated by Comancheria. Following Mexican independence in 1821, it became an autonomous region of Mexico, albeit increasingly threatened by the centralizing policies of the Mexican government, culminating in the Revolt of 1837; at the same time, the region became more economically dependent on the U.S. Following the Mexican–American War in 1848, the U.S. annexed New Mexico as part of the larger New Mexico Territory. It played a central role in U.S. westward expansion and was admitted to the Union as the 47th state on January 6, 1912.

New Mexico's history has contributed to its unique demographic and cultural character. It is one of only seven majority-minority states, with the nation's highest percentage of Hispanic and Latino Americans and the second-highest percentage of Native Americans after Alaska.[23] The state is home to one–third of the Navajo Nation, 19 federally recognized Pueblo communities, and three federally recognized Apache tribes. Its large Hispanic population includes Hispanos descended from settlers during the Spanish era,[24][25] and later groups of Mexican Americans since the 19th century. The New Mexican flag, which is among the most recognizable in the U.S.,[26] reflects the state's eclectic origins, featuring the ancient sun symbol of the Zia, a Puebloan tribe, with the scarlet and gold coloration of the Spanish flag.[27] The confluence of indigenous, Hispanic (Spanish and Mexican), and American influences is also evident in New Mexico's unique cuisine, music genre, and architectural styles.

  1. ^ a b c "United States Summary: 2010 – Population and Housing Unit Counts" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. September 2012. p. 41. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  2. ^ "Wheeler". NGS Data Sheet. National Geodetic Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  3. ^ a b "Elevations and Distances in the United States". United States Geological Survey. 2001. Archived from the original on October 15, 2011. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  4. ^ Neomexicano definition Archived June 27, 2018, at the Wayback Machine by Royal Spanish Academy (Real Academia Española)
  5. ^ "Most spoken languages in New Mexico in 2010". MLA Data Center. Archived from the original on May 23, 2013. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
  6. ^ McKay, Dan (March 28, 2023). "Sweet smell of success". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  7. ^ "México" in Diccionario panhispánico de dudas by Royal Spanish Academy and Association of Academies of the Spanish Language, Madrid: Santillana. 2005. ISBN 978-8429406238.
  8. ^ 2020 U.S. Census
  9. ^ "United States of America". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  10. ^ Sector, End-Use (June 19, 2014). "New Mexico Profile". Homepage – U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  11. ^ Vickers, Jenny (October 24, 2012). "High-Tech Hubs Are Moving To Their Markets". Business Facilities. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  12. ^ "Albuquerque, NM". Forbes. August 14, 2019. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  13. ^ Gomez, Adrian (May 29, 2021). "New Mexico's film industry has bounded back to near pre-pandemic levels". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  14. ^ "U.S. federal state of New Mexico – real GDP 2000-2020". Statista. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  15. ^ "New Mexico: per capita real GDP 2000-2019". Statista. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  16. ^ "N.M. military bases play key roles in national defense". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  17. ^ Roberts, Calvin A. Roberts; Susan A. (2006). New Mexico (Rev. ed.). Albuquerque: Univ. of New Mexico Press. pp. 64–65. ISBN 978-0-8263-4003-0.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  18. ^ Pritzker, 52
  19. ^ For example, the Great Canadian Parks website suggests the Navajos may be descendants of the lost Naha tribe, a Slavey tribe from the Nahanni region west of Great Slave Lake. "Nahanni National Park Reserve". Great Canadian Parks. Retrieved July 2, 2007.
  20. ^ Hendricks, Rick (2015). "Return to Aztlan: Indians, Spaniards, and the Invention of Nuevo México by Danna A. Levin Rojo". Southwestern Historical Quarterly. 118 (4). Project Muse: 427–428. doi:10.1353/swh.2015.0033. ISSN 1558-9560. S2CID 143749388.
  21. ^ "Art Meets History: Technologies of the Spirit". 516 ARTS. June 11, 2022. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  22. ^ Levin-Rojo, Danna Alexandra (2002). Way back to Aztlan: Sixteenth century Hispanic-Nahuatl transculturation and the construction of the new Mexico (phd thesis). London School of Economics and Political Science.
  23. ^ Norris, Tina; Vines, Paula L.; Hoeffel, Elizabeth M. (February 2012). "The American Indian and Alaska Native Population: 2010" (PDF). Census 2010 Brief. United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 5, 2012. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
  24. ^ Chavez, Angelico; Cisneros, José. "Origins of New Mexico families in the Spanish colonial period : in two parts : the seventeenth (1598-1693) and the eighteenth (1693-1821) centuries". familysearch.org.[user-generated source]
  25. ^ "Onate Genealogy".
  26. ^ Kaye, Edward B. (2001). "Good Flag, Bad Flag, and the Great NAVA Flag Survey of 2001". Raven: A Journal of Vexillology. 8: 11–38. doi:10.5840/raven200182.
  27. ^ "New Mexico State Flag – About the New Mexico Flag, its adoption and history from". Netstate.Com. Archived from the original on September 16, 2012. Retrieved June 10, 2012.


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