The Official State Nickname is "The Land of Enchantment."

New Mexico was the 47th state to enter the Union on January 6, 1912.

The entire state has the same 505 area code.

New Mexico is approximately 370 miles long and 343 miles wide.

New Mexico is the 5th largest and 38th most populated state in the US.

Although many believe that New Mexico is a desert, one quarter of the state is forested.

Every part of New Mexico receives at least 70 percent sunshine year-round.

 What world famous company started in Albuquerque in 1975?  Microsoft.  Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft in Albuquerque in 1975, and their first official address was the One Park Central Tower at San Mateo and Central, in shared office space.  A mug shot photo for an arrest of Bill Gates in the mid-1970s can be seen at the TheSmokingGun.com.  The reason for the arrest after a traffic citation is unknown as the records have been lost.


Smokey the Bear is from New Mexico.  In the spring of 1950 Smokey was found in the Capitan Mountains clinging to the remains of a charred tree after a forest fire raged through the area.  Smokey is famous for his slogan:  Only YOU can prevent forest fires.  In 1963, in Smokey's honor, the black bear was named the official state animal.  Smokey died in 1976.  He is buried at the Smokey Bear Historical Park in the heart of downtown Capitan.

Turquoise is the state gem of New Mexico.  It is said that the wearer of Turquoise will be protected from illness and bad luck.

Rockhound State Park, located near Deming, is of the few state parks in the nation where you are allowed to take home what you find.  Rockhounds visit the park to gather agate, quartz crystals, opal and other collectibles.

Roswell was not the only place to have UFO sightings in 1947.  In June and July of 1947, the Albuquerque Journal reporting UFO sightings repeatedly.  Residents were said to watch "space ship" maneuvers from their front lawns.


Albuquerque was founded in 1706, and was originally named the Villa de San Xavier de Alburquerque.


Albuquerque hung its first town marshal.  Milt Yarberry was known to be quick on the trigger.  After shooting an unarmed man when he heard a shot while on patrol, he was tried and sentenced to hang.  Tickets were sold for his hanging.  He is buried in the Santa Barbara Cemetery.


In the 1880s, sheriffs in Albuquerque were chosen by a crowd voting for the winner of a brawl.  The referree was Judge William Heacock.  The toughest men were collected, met in a vacant lot and did battle with sticks, rocks, gun butts and fists.  The winner became the new sheriff.


Albuquerque's racy past compares with Dodge City and Tombstone.  The railroads brought in undesirables, including gamblers and prositutes.  In the late 1800s the city had 20 saloons, multiple gaming houses, 7 opium dens, and numerous brothels.  The red-light district flourished along Third and Fourth streets between Copper and Tijeras.  Train robberies and gunfights were not uncommon, and most citizens carried pistols.  Vigilantes hanged many and outlaw and horse thief.


Any visitor to Albuquerque is sure to notice the many beautiful pieces of public art in the city.  Currently there are 361 pieces of public art throughout the city.  In 1978, the city passed an ordinance that 1% of every bond fund project be designated for the Arts.  


The Rio Grande runs 1,960 miles and is the fifth largest river in the US.  The river bisects the state and the city of Albuquerque from North to South.


The Intel manufacturing plant in Rio Rancho has over 5,000 employees and is the largest of its kind anywhere in the world.


Looking out to the west in Albuquerque, you will notice the Five Sleeping Sisters.  These are five extinct volcanoes.  From south to north, they are:  the J.A., Black, Vulcan, Bond, and Butte.

Billy the Kid, whose real name was William H. Bonney, resided in Lincoln County, New Mexico.  Billy was killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett in Fort Sumner, NM.  Controversy surrounds the death with many believing that it wasn't really Billy the Kid who was killed that day.  Efforts to exhume Billy the Kid for DNA testing were struck down in September of 2004, but the debate continues.

Elizabeth Garrett, the blind daughter of Sheriff Pat Garrett who allegedly shot Billy the Kid, is the composer of New Mexico's state song, "Oh Fair New Mexico."

The hot air balloon is the official state aircraft of New Mexico.


Blue Hole, an 81-foot deep natural artesian spring in Santa Rosa, is a favorite location for scuba divers.

Victory Ranch Alpacas in Mora County has the largest herd of alpacas in the American Southwest.  Both alpacas and buffalo are common sites on New Mexican ranches.

Doc Holliday operated a dental office and a saloon and gambling hall in Las Vegas, New Mexico before moving on to Tombstone.  The town of Las Vegas has 900 buildings on the National Historic Registry, more than any other city in the United States.

When standing on the crest of the 8,182-foot Capulin Volcano in Union County, you can see five states:  New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado and Kansas!

New Mexico has provided striking scenery for many major films including:  Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Chisum, City Slickers, The Cowboys, Hang 'em High, Lonesome Dove, The Milagro Beanfield War, Silverado, Wyatt Earp, and Young Guns.

Famous people who have called New Mexico home include:  Billy the Kid, Glen Campbell, Kit Carson, Sam Donaldson, John Denver, Geronimo, Gene Hackman, William Hanna (Hanna-Barbera cartoons), Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie Howser), Conrad Hilton, Val Kilmer, D.H. Lawrence, Nancy Lopez, General Douglas MacArthur, Demi Moore, Georgia O'Keefe, General John "Blackjack" Pershing, Julia Roberts, Donald Rumsfeld, and the Unser family (auto racing).

In the 1940s the Unser family operated a wrecking service at Unser Garage at 7700 Central SW in Albuquerque.  The family has raced in every Indianapolis 500 except one since 1964.  They have won nine times.


Cimarron is the Spanish word for "wild or uncivilized," and during the 1870s, the town lived up to its name.  One edition of the Las Vegas, New Mexico Gazette carried this news:  "Things are quiet in Cimarron; nobody has been killed in three days."

From a small gathering of 13 balloons in 1972, the Kodak Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta has grown to become hands-down the largest balloon event in the world.  Held each year during the first week in October, the Balloon Fiesta hosts hundreds of balloons and over 1,000 pilots.  It is the most photographed event in the world.

Santa Fe is the highest capital city in the United States at 7,000 feet above sea level.  The Palace of Governors in Santa Fe was built in 1610;  it is the one of the oldest public buildings in America.

Las Cruces, New Mexico makes the world's largest enchilada the first weekend in October at the "Whole Enchilada Fiesta."

White Sands National Monument is a desert, not of sand, but of gleaming white gypsum crystals.  Sledding down the sand dunes is a common recreational activity for visitors.

Hatch, New Mexico is known as the "Green Chile Capital of the World."

New Mexico is one of the "Four Corner" states, bordering at the same point with Colorado, Utah and Arizona.  This area is commonly termed "Indian Country."

More than 25,000 Anasazi sites have been identified in New Mexico by archeologists.  Their great classical period lasted from 1100-1300 AD.  The Anasazi were the ancient ancestors of the Pueblo Indians.  The use of the term "Anasazi" has become somewhat controversial in recent years.  

In some isolated villages, such as Chimayo and Coyote, some descendants of Spanish Conquistadors still speak a form of 16th century Spanish used nowhere else in the world.

At Lake Valley, miners discovered silver in veins so pure, the metal could be sawn off in blocks instead of having to be mined by traditional methods.

After WWII, Los Alamos and Albuquerque had many new scientific laboratories.  Hundred of highly educated scientists and engineers moved to the state.  New Mexico soon had the highest percentage of people with Ph.D.'s in the country.

New Mexico has a mean altitude of 5,700 feet - more than a mile high!  At 5,311 feet, Albuquerque is the highest metropolitan city in America.

 Natural disasters in the Albuquerque metropolitan area are virtually non-existent.


The State Bird is the Roadrunner.  Roadrunners are a type of cuckoo.  They can run at speeds of up to 17 miles per hour.

The State Flower is the Yucca, called "Our Lord's candles."  The leaves may be used to make sandals, baskets, ropes, and belts.  Soap can be made from the roots.  The flowers can be used for food.

The official State Motto is:  "It Grows As It Goes."  You may wonder what in the world that means.  It is referring to lightning, a reference from classical literature. 


The State Vegetables are Chiles and Frijols (pinto beans).

The State Question is "Red or Green?"   This refers to your preference in chile.  If you say "Christmas," you will get a combination of red and green chile.  Remember in New Mexico, that is chile with an "e", not chili with an "i".   The spelling of chile with an "e" is a state law.

Adobe is a mixture of mud and straw formed into bricks.  Modern "pueblo" style houses are made of modern construction, but many original adobe structures still stand in New Mexico.

The scenic mountains of Northern and Central New Mexico are actually the tail end of the Rocky Mountain chain.  The Rio Grande skirts the west side of the mountain range.

New Mexico is the only state in the Union which feels the necessity to include "USA" on its automobile license plates.

Migration to New Mexico is primarily from California, Texas, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, and New York.  However, the friendly people of New Mexico welcome new residents from across the United States and throughout the world.

                 NEW MEXICO...VISIT FOR A LIFETIME