78 Facts About New Mexico

New Mexico is the fifth-largest of the fifty states, but with just over 2.

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 state.

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.

In prehistoric times, New Mexico was home to Ancestral Puebloans, Mogollon, and the modern Comanche and Utes.

Isolated by its rugged terrain and the relative dominance of its indigenous people, New Mexico was a peripheral part of the viceroyalty of New Spain.

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New Mexico's history has contributed to its unique demographic and cultural character.

New Mexico is home to part of the Navajo Nation, 19 federally recognized Pueblo communities, and three different federally recognized Apache tribes.

New Mexico received its name long before the present-day nation of Mexico won independence from Spain and adopted that name in 1821.

The name "New Mexico" derives from Nahuatl and originally referred to the heartland of the Mexica, the rulers of the Aztec Empire, in the Valley of New Mexico.

The indigenous cultures of New Mexico, however, proved to be unrelated to the Mexica and lacking in riches, but the name persisted.

The name New Mexico was first used by a seeker of gold mines named Francisco de Ibarra, who explored far to the north of New Spain in 1563 and reported his findings as being in "a New Mexico".

Confederate power in the New Mexico Territory was effectively broken after the Battle of Glorieta Pass in 1862.

New Mexico has received large amounts of federal government spending on major military and research institutions in the state.

The pattern continues into the 21st century, with New Mexico adding over 400, 000 residents between 2000 and 2020.

The northwestern quadrant of New Mexico is dominated by the Colorado Plateau, characterized by unique volcanic formations, dry grasslands and shrublands, open pinyon-juniper woodland, and mountain forests.

The Colorado Plateau in the northwest corner of New Mexico is high desert with cold winters, featuring sagebrush, shadescale, greasewood, and other plants adapted to the saline and seleniferous soil.

New Mexico was central to the early–20th century conservation movement, with Gila Wilderness being designated the world's first wilderness area in 1924.

In January 2016, New Mexico sued the United States Environmental Protection Agency over negligence after the 2015 Gold King Mine waste water spill.

The New Mexico government has responded with efforts to regulate industrial emissions, promote renewable energy, and incentivize the use of electric vehicles.

The University of New Mexico estimates there are 118 colonias in the state, though the U S Department of Housing and Urban Development identifies roughly 150.

New Mexico's population is among the most difficult to count, according to the Center for Urban Research at the City University of New York.

Majority of live births in New Mexico are to Hispanic whites, with Hispanics of any race consistently accounting for well over half of all live births since 2013.

New Mexico is one of six "majority-minority" states where non-Hispanic whites constitute less than half the population.

New Mexico has the fourth largest Native American community in the U S, at over 200, 000.

New Mexico is the only state besides Alaska where indigenous people have maintained a stable proportion of the population for over a century: In 1890, Native Americans made up 9.

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In 1989, New Mexico became the first of only four states to officially adopt the English Plus resolution, which supports acceptance of non-English languages.

In 2008, New Mexico was the first to officially adopt a Navajo textbook for use in public schools.

Since the 1970s, New Mexico has been a leading center of the New Age movement, attracting adherents from across the country.

New Mexico is the second largest crude oil and ninth largest natural gas producer in the United States; it overtook North Dakota in oil production in July 2021 and is expected to continue expanding.

In common with other states in the Western U S, New Mexico receives royalties from the sale of federally owned land to oil and gas companies.

Nevertheless, New Mexico has had recurring disputes and discussions with the U S government over management and revenue rights over federal land.

New Mexico received $9, 624 per resident in federal services, or roughly $20 billion more than what the state pays in federal taxes.

New Mexico is home to two major federal research institutions: the Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories.

New Mexico provides a number of economic incentives to businesses operating in the state, including various types of tax credits and tax exemptions.

New Mexico is one of the largest tax havens in the U S, offering numerous economic incentives and tax breaks on personal and corporate income.

New Mexico is one of the poorest states in the U S and has long struggled with poverty.

New Mexico is one of only eight states without a billionaire; ranks 39th in the share of households with more than $1 million in wealth; and is among fourteen states without a Fortune 500 company.

New Mexico government has enacted several policies to address chronic poverty, including approving a minimum wage increase in January 2021 and requiring paid sick leave.

New Mexico Legislature is considering implementing a statewide guaranteed basic income program targeting poorer residents; if enacted, it would be only the second U S state after California with such a policy.

New Mexico has long been an important corridor for trade and migration.

Larger cities in New Mexico typically have some form of public transportation by road; ABQ RIDE is the largest such system in the state.

New Mexico is plagued by poor road conditions, with roughly a third of its roadways suffering from "inadequate state and local funding".

New Mexico has had a problem with drunk driving, but that has lessened.

New Mexico has only three Interstate Highways: Interstate 10 travels southwest from the Arizona state line near Lordsburg to the area between Las Cruces and Anthony, near El Paso, Texas; Interstate 25 is a major north–south interstate highway starting from Las Cruces to the Colorado state line near Raton; and Interstate 40 is a major east–west interstate highway starting from the Arizona state line west of Gallup to the Texas state line east from Tucumcari.

New Mexico currently has 15 United States Highways, which account for over 2, 980 miles of its highway system.

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The road crossed through northern New Mexico, connecting the cities of Albuquerque and Gallup, before being replaced by I-40 in 1985.

Many existing and former highways in New Mexico are recognized for their aesthetic, cultural, or historical significance, particularly for tourism purposes.

New Mexico is served by two of the nation's ten class I railroads, which denote the highest revenue railways for freight: the BNSF Railway and the Union Pacific Railroad.

New Mexico has four primary commercial airports that are served by most major domestic and international airliners.

Constitution of New Mexico was adopted by referendum in 1911 and establishes a republican form of government based on popular sovereignty and separation of powers.

New Mexico's governor is granted more authority than those of other states, with the power to appoint most high-ranking officials in the cabinet and other state agencies.

Legislative branch consists of the bicameral New Mexico Legislature, comprising the 70-member House of Representatives and the 42-member Senate.

New Mexico has 13 judicial districts with circuit courts of general jurisdiction, as well as various municipal, magistrate, and probate courts of limited jurisdiction.

New Mexico is organized into a number of local governments consisting of counties, municipalities, and special districts.

Since 2018, New Mexico has been led by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and Lieutenant Governor Howie Morales, both of the Democratic Party.

Until 2008, New Mexico was traditionally a swing state in presidential elections.

New Mexico is notable for electing more women of color to public office than any other U S state.

New Mexico is one of 23 states without the death penalty; on March 18, 2009, then-Governor Bill Richardson signed the law abolishing capital punishment following the legislature's vote the week before, making New Mexico the 15th U S state to do so.

New Mexico arguably has some of the least restrictive firearms laws in the country.

Additionally, New Mexico is a "shall-issue" state for concealed carry permits, thus giving applicants a presumptive right to receive a license without giving a compelling reason.

The New Mexico State Police is a division of the DPS with jurisdiction over all crimes in the state.

New Mexico has long pioneered loosening cannabis restrictions: In 1978, it was the first to pass legislation allowing the medical use of marijuana in some form, albeit restricted to a federal research program.

In 2018, a state judge issued a landmark ruling that "New Mexico is violating the constitutional rights of at-risk students by failing to provide them with sufficient education", in particularly those with indigenous, non-English-speaking, and low-income backgrounds.

The court ordered the governor and legislature to provide an adequate system by April 2019; in response, New Mexico increased teacher salaries, funded an extended school year, and expanded prekindergarten childhood education programs, while developing budget formula for delivering more funding to schools that serve at-risk and low-income students.

In January 2022, New Mexico became the first state in the U S to recruit national guardsmen and state workers to serve as substitute teachers due to staffing shortages caused by COVID-19.

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New Mexico has 41 accredited, degree-granting institutions; twelve are private and 29 are state-funded, including four tribal colleges.

New Mexico is one of eight states that fund college scholarships through the state lottery.

In September 2019, New Mexico announced a plan to make tuition at its public colleges and universities free for all state residents, regardless of family income.

In March 2022, New Mexico became the first state to offer free college tuition for all residents, after the legislature passed a bipartisan bill allocating almost 1 percent of the state budget toward covering tuition and fees at all 29 public colleges, universities, community colleges, and tribal colleges.

New Mexico Mexican culture is a unique fusion of indigenous, Spanish, Hispanic, and American influences.

New Mexico is an important center of Native American culture, with an indigenous population close to 200, 000 in 2010, constituting roughly one-tenth of all residents.

Many indigenous New Mexico Mexicans have moved to urban centers throughout the state, with some cities such as Gallup being major centers of Native American culture.

Many New Mexico Mexicans speak a unique dialect known as New Mexico Mexican Spanish.

Old Spanish traditions such zarzuelas and flamenco are popular; the University of New Mexico is the only institute of higher education in the world with a program dedicated to flamenco.

Las Cruces, in southern New Mexico, has a museum system affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution Affiliations Program, and hosts variety of cultural and artistic opportunities for residents and visitors.

The city hosts two soccer teams: New Mexico United, which began playing in the second-tier USL Championship in 2019, and Albuquerque Sol FC, which plays in the fourth-tier USL League Two.

New Mexico has nine of the country's 84 national monuments, which are sites federally protected by presidential proclamation; this is the second-highest number after Arizona.

New Mexico is one of 20 states with a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and among only eight with more than one.