New Mexico: 2.1 Million Residents Across 121,500 Square Miles of High Desert
New Mexico holds roughly 2.1 million people spread over 121,500 square miles, giving it one of the lowest population densities in the lower 48. The Rio Grande runs north to south through the state, dividing the eastern plains from the higher elevations to the west. Santa Fe serves as the capital and is the oldest state capital in the United States, founded by Spanish colonists in 1610. The city holds about 90,000 residents and sits at 7,200 feet, making it the highest state capital in the country.
Albuquerque, 60 miles southwest of Santa Fe along Interstate 25, is the largest city in New Mexico with about 560,000 residents. The metro area hosts the International Balloon Fiesta each October, which attracts hundreds of hot air balloon pilots and hundreds of thousands of spectators to the middle Rio Grande Valley. The city anchors a research and defense corridor that extends north to Los Alamos National Laboratory, the federal facility established in 1943 as part of the Manhattan Project and still a major employer in northern New Mexico.
Las Cruces, the third largest city, sits in the southern part of the state near the Texas and Mexico borders and is home to New Mexico State University. White Sands National Park, about 50 miles northeast of Las Cruces, protects the world's largest gypsum dunefield. Carlsbad Caverns National Park in the southeast sits above the Permian Basin, the oil and gas formation that extends into West Texas and has driven much of New Mexico's state revenue over the past fifteen years. The state has a Spanish-American majority population in historical terms and includes 19 Native American pueblos, each with its own governance structure and cultural calendar.
Eastern New Mexico blends into the Llano Estacado plains of the Texas Panhandle, while the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in the north reach above 13,000 feet. Taos and the surrounding high country draw skiers in winter and artists year-round. The state's economy combines federal laboratories, oil and gas, agriculture in the Pecos and Rio Grande valleys, and tourism tied to Native American and Spanish colonial heritage sites.
Show more
New Mexico holds roughly 2.1 million people spread over 121,500 square miles, giving it one of the lowest population densities in the lower 48. The Rio Grande runs north to south through the state, dividing the eastern plains from the higher elevations to the west. Santa Fe serves as the capital and is the oldest state capital in the United States, founded by Spanish colonists in 1610. The city holds about 90,000 residents and sits at 7,200 feet, making it the highest state capital in the country.
Albuquerque, 60 miles southwest of Santa Fe along Interstate 25, is the largest city in New Mexico with about 560,000 residents. The metro area hosts the International Balloon Fiesta each October, which attracts hundreds of hot air balloon pilots and hundreds of thousands of spectators to the middle Rio Grande Valley. The city anchors a research and defense corridor that extends north to Los Alamos National Laboratory, the federal facility established in 1943 as part of the Manhattan Project and still a major employer in northern New Mexico.
Las Cruces, the third largest city, sits in the southern part of the state near the Texas and Mexico borders and is home to New Mexico State University. White Sands National Park, about 50 miles northeast of Las Cruces, protects the world's largest gypsum dunefield. Carlsbad Caverns National Park in the southeast sits above the Permian Basin, the oil and gas formation that extends into West Texas and has driven much of New Mexico's state revenue over the past fifteen years. The state has a Spanish-American majority population in historical terms and includes 19 Native American pueblos, each with its own governance structure and cultural calendar.
Eastern New Mexico blends into the Llano Estacado plains of the Texas Panhandle, while the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in the north reach above 13,000 feet. Taos and the surrounding high country draw skiers in winter and artists year-round. The state's economy combines federal laboratories, oil and gas, agriculture in the Pecos and Rio Grande valleys, and tourism tied to Native American and Spanish colonial heritage sites.
Country selected
Region selected
Optional — select or proceed
