New Mexico is a large state that is located in the Southwestern of the United States. New Mexico is bordered on the north by Colorado, on the northeast by Oklahoma, on the east and southeast by Texas, on the south by the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Sonora and, and on the west by Arizona. There’s also a border with Utah in the Four Corners region that shared by Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico. The nickname of New Mexico is The Land of Enchantment. To know more about New Mexico, we will talk about “The Land of Enchantment” in this article.
1. New Mexico is the 5th Least Densely Populated States of the United States
New Mexico is the fifth largest state in the United States. But it ranks 36th in population that makes it 46th in population density. New Mexico also has the slowest population growth in the United States. From 2010 to 2020, the population of Mexico only grow 2.8% from 2,059,179 to 2,117,522. It’s the second lowest in the western United States after Wyoming.
2. The Capital City of New Mexico is Santa Fe while Its Largest City is Albuquerque
Santa Fe is the capital city of New Mexico. It’s the oldest capital in the United States as it was founded in 1610 as government seat of Nuevo México in New Spain. The largest city in New Mexico is Albuquerque. Albuquerque metropolitan area, also called Tiguex, is also the largest metropolitan area in New Mexico. Albuquerque is named in honor the 10th Duke of Alburquerque, the Viceroy of New Spain.
3. New Mexico Has the Highest Percentage of Hispanic and Latino Americans than Any Other States
New Mexico is one of only six majority-minority states. It has the highest percentage of Hispanic and Latino American than any other states of the United States. New Mexico is also the highest percentage of Native Americans after Alaska. A large part of Navajo Nation is located in New Mexico while New Mexico is also home to 19 federally recognized Pueblo communities as well as three different federally recognized Apache tribes.
4. The World’s First Nuclear Explosion is Located in Jornada del Muerto, New Mexico
On July 16, 1945, the world’s first nuclear explosion occurred during the Trinity test. It was a plutonium implosion device tested on the plains of the Alamogordo Bombing Range that known as the Jornada del Muerto. The Jornada del Muerto is located 210 miles south of Los Alamos, New Mexico. The Trinity test was successful so that the atomic bomb was ready to be used by the military of the United States.
5. New Mexico is One of the Youngest States of the United States
New Mexico was admitted as the 47th state of the United States on January 6, 1912. Arizona, Alaska and Hawaii are the younger state that was admitted to the Union after New Mexico. Arizona was admitted to the Union only one month apart from New Mexico, while Alaska and Hawaii were both accepted to the Union in 1959.
6. New Mexico is the Largest Producer of Potash in the United States
New Mexico is the largest producing state of Potash in the United States. More than 80% of the potash are produced by New Mexico. Potash products of New Mexico are muriate, langbeinite and sulfate-of-potash. Potash is primarily used in fertilizers. New Mexico is also the leading state in perlite production. Most perlite is used in construction products such as ceiling tiles and roof insulation.
7. New Mexico is One of the States with Highest Poverty Rate
New Mexico has one of the highest poverty rates among all other states in the United States. It’s still better than Mississippi and Louisiana but it’s indeed higher than the other 48 states and District of Columbia. In 2022, the poverty rate of New Mexico was 18.55% while the poverty rate of Mississippi and Louisiana were 18.65% and 19.58%. The average poverty rate of the United States was 13.15%.
8. Wheeler Peak is the Highest Natural Point in New Mexico
At 13,161 ft (4,011.4 m) elevation, Wheeler Peak is the highest in New Mexico. Wheeler peak is located in the northern part of the state, northeast of Taos and south of Red River. Wheeler peak is part of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the southernmost subrange of the Rocky Mountains. Wheeler Peak was previously named Taos Peak, but it was renamed Wheeler Peak in honor of George Montague Wheeler.
9. Greater roadrunner is the Official State Bird of New Mexico
The official state bird of New Mexico is the greater roadrunner. The greater roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) was designated in 1949. It is long-legged bird from the Aridoamerica region in the Southwestern United States and Mexico. As the largest cuckoo in America, the greater roadrunner spends most of its time on the ground although it’s capable of limited flight. It can run up to 32 km/h (20 mph) in speed while some report said that it has run as fast as 42 km/h (26 mph).
10. Yucca is the Official State Flower of New Mexico
The blossom of Yucca was adopted as the official state flower of New Mexico on March 14, 1927. Yucca was chosen by schoolchildren as the state flower then also supported by New Mexico Federation of Women’s Clubs. Yucca is a genus of perennial shrubs and trees in the family Asparagaceae. There are various species of Yucca. The legislation does not specify a particular species of yucca as the state flower of New Mexico. One of the widespread species in New Mexico is Soaptree Yucca (Yucca elata).
If you know other interesting facts about New Mexico, feel free to share with us here. There are surely many more interesting facts about New Mexico that we haven’t talked about in this article.