Only in Your State | New Mexico | Juliet White
If you’re a fan of trivia and of New Mexico, read on.
Here are some cool facts that’ll give you a new perspective on the place we call gone, and others know as the Land of Enchantment. From stats about one-of-a-kind attractions to little known details about our state history, these nuggets of information should surprise you!
1. New Mexico has 16.68 million acres of forestland. (Approximately the size of the entire state of West Virginia)
2. Santa Fe is at an elevation of over 7,000 feet.
Residents could literally look down on Denver, which is 5,280 feet above sea level. Our state capital is also far higher than the summit of Mount Mitchell (pictured below), which is the tallest peak in the Appalachian Mountains.
3. New Mexico only has 17 people per square mile.
And yes, there are more sheep and cattle than people living here!
4. Las Vegas, New Mexico has more than 900 buildings listed on both the State and National Register of Historic Places.
5. In Red River, it usually snows for 48.2 days a year.
That amounts to an average annual snowfall of 159.5 inches per year. If you combined the average annual snowfall for Chicago (36.7 inches), Boston (43.8 inches), and Minneapolis (54 inches), Red River would still easily come out ahead!
6. Four different flags have flown over New Mexico.
These are the Spanish, Mexican, Confederate, and U.S. flags. The Republic of Texas, which was an independent nation for a decade, claimed some of New Mexico as its territory. However, the Mexican government never ratified the Treaties of Velasco, so it’s not clear if that one counts or if a flag was ever flown here.
7. New Mexico has the best heritage in the country.
Really, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) says so. There are more UNESCO World Heritage Sites in New Mexico than in any other state in the nation.
They are: Taos Pueblo, Chaco Culture, and Carlsbad Caverns.
8. The Sandia Peak Tramway is the longest working aerial tramway in North America.
It is 2.7 miles More than 11 million people have ridden the tram since it opened in 1966 – that’s slightly more than the number of people currently living in Bolivia.
9. When the “Gadget” (first atomic bomb) exploded, it released the same amount of energy as 21 kilotons of TNT.
Yes, kilotons. For reference, one kiloton is equal to 1,000 tons. A single, 18-wheeler weighs approximately 40 tons. So, 21 kilotons of TNT would be equivalent to 525 18-wheelers.
The blast was so powerful that it knocked over George Kistiakowsky, who was watching… from five miles away. The Trinity Test took place on the Alamogordo Bombing Range.
10. Much of New Mexico’s landscape has been shaped by volcanic activity.
Our state experienced over 700 eruptions during the last 5 million years. In the course of the next 100 years, there is about a 1% chance of a volcano erupting in New Mexico.
11. Agriculture began in New Mexico around 2500 years ago, when the Mogollon people started cultivating corn, squash, and beans.
Our state includes 43.9 million acres, or 67,187 square miles, of farmland – a similar amount of land to that occupied by the entire country of Uruguay!
