New Mexico

New Mexico is a state in the southwestern United States and its U.S. postal abbreviation is NM. Nuevo México was the Spanish name for the territory north and west of the Rio Grande.

USS New Mexico was named in honor of this state.

History New Mexico is centered on the Rio Grande valley, the historical center of Spanish settlement and conquest of the Pueblo, Native American tribes who lived in small towns along the Rio Grande and nearby as at Acoma[?]. In 1540, the Spanish conquistador Coronado trekked through the area known today as New Mexico in search of the fabled seven cities of gold.

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

Law and Government The capital of New Mexico is Santa Fe and its governor is Bill Richardson[?]. Its two U.S. senators are Jeff Bingaman[?] (Democrat) and Pete V. Domenici[?] (Republican).

Geography See: List of New Mexico counties

It has a southern border with Mexico, an eastern border with Texas (103°) and Oklahoma, and a western border with Arizona (109°). The 37th parallel forms the northern boundary with Colorado. The spot where New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Utah come together is called the Four Corners. The landscape ranges from rose-colored deserts to snow-capped mountains.

Economy New Mexico's 1999 total gross state product was $51 billion, placing it 38^th in the nation. Its 2000 Per Capita Personal Income was $22,203, 48^th in the nation. The state's agricultral outputs are cattle, dairy products, hay, nursery stock, and chilies. Its industrial outputs are electric equipment, petroleum and coal products, food processing, printing and publishing, stone, glass, and clay products, and tourism.

Demographics

As of the 2000 census, the population of New Mexico is 1,819,046. Its population grew 20.1% (303,977) from its 1990 levels. According to the 2000 census, 66.8% (1,214,253) identified themselves as White, 42.1% (765,386) as Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% (173,483) as American Indian or Alaska Native, 1.9% (34,343) as black, 1.1% (19,255) as Asian, 0.1% (1,503) as Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 17% (309,882) as other, and 3.6% (66,327) identified themselves as belonging to two or more races.

7.2% of its population were reported as under 5, 28% under 18, and 11.7% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 50.8% of the population.

Important Cities and Towns The largest city in New Mexico[?] is Albuquerque. Its major cities and towns are:

Education

Colleges and Universities

Miscellaneous Information

Bird: Roadrunner

Flower: Yucca flower

Tree: Piñon Pine[?]

Further Reading

• The Great Taos Bank Robbery and other Indian Country Affairs, Tony Hillerman, University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, 1973, trade paperback, 147 pages, (ISBN 0-8263-0530-X)
• Great River, The Rio Grande in North American History, Paul Horgan, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, reprint, 1977, in one hardback volume, (ISBN 0-03-029305-7)

External Links

• New Mexico Government (http://www.state.nm.us)