Categories: Travel

Crazy & Cool Facts About New Mexico [Infographic]

The Land of Enchantment is filled with surprises. Take a journey with us through the great state and learn everything you need to know about New Mexico along with a few things that no one probably needs to know.

Have your cool and crazy fact about New Mexico that we didn’t include above? Let us know in the comments section below!

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Santa Fe, New Mexico is the highest capital in the country at over 8000 feet above sea level

New Mexico is one of the four corner states, joining with Arizona, Colorado and Utah

New Mexico is also one of four states that shares its border internationally with Mexico

While New Mexico is commonly thought to be entirely desert, there are actually seven national forests and almost ¼ of the state is covered in trees. The largest national forest in New Mexico is over 3.3 million acres.

The Rio Grande, the 4th largest river in the US, runs the entire border of the state

Roughly 75% of New Mexico’s roads are unpaved which ensures these roads do not wash away during heavy rains in this exceptionally dry climate

Cows outnumber people in New Mexico with under 20 people per square mile and around 13,500 ranches covering over 60% of the state

The Capulin Volcano National Monument towers over the edge of the Great Plains in the northeastern corner of the state where, on a clear day, 5 different states can be seen from the top.

The national monument located in the New Mexico desert is not sand as most people think. It is actually made with a giant Gypsum Crystal.

New Mexico’s state flower is the Yucca which can be used for many things ranging from soap to sandals to stunning fish

New Mexico has a bilingual constitution that was drafted in both English and Spanish. More than one third of households in New Mexico speak Spanish at home.

The US government is a big source of employment in the state with one out of every 3 jobs in New Mexico being directly related to the government

As a result of the many government jobs, New Mexico has more PhDs per capita than any other state

Santa Fe was founded 10 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth

Anasazi were the first settlers in New Mexico arriving prior to the Pueblo roughly 1200 years ago

The longest surviving Indian heritage reservation in the country is located in New Mexico and covers roughly 14 million acres.

Grants, New Mexico is well known for its uranium mining and this area has produced more uranium for the defense of our country than any other state in the union.

Smokey (the) Bear is from New Mexico, a black bear cub found by firefighters from Taos Pueblo who would become the iconic character made popular during World War II to spread forest fire education to the American public.

The Wilderness Act, signed into law in 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson, was based on landmark conservation legislation that originated in New Mexico

New Mexico is home to the first detonation of the world’s first atomic bomb on July 16, 1945 at the white sands testing range

Around 1,000 official reports of UFOs are made each year in New Mexico

The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is the largest balloon festival in the United States spanning 9 days with over 500 hot air balloons participating each year

New Mexico has a long history of grape growing and by the late 19th century was producing over a million gallons of wine each year

More chili peppers are grown in New Mexico than all other states combined

Hatch, New Mexico is known as the “Green Chile capital of the world”

Las Cruces, New Mexico is home to the largest enchilada ever made which measured in at ten and a half feet.

The New Mexico Constitution officially bars “idiots” from voting. While the term has taken on new meaning over time, at the time the constitution was drafted, the term “idiot” referred to those suffering some sort of mental illness

Still officially a law in New Mexico, you cannot legally dance while wearing your Sombrero
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Shana Potter

Shana Potter has been the Director of Marketing for AirCARE1 since 2016. She has been in the advertising industry since 2007 helping brands drive increased results based on their business goals. Shana also focuses on providing content for the AirCARE1 blog that highlights the local communities surrounding AirCARE1's three bases in Albuquerque, NM, Phoenix, AZ, and Melbourne-Orlando, FL.