What do you think New Mexico is like?

Question

I am just curious. I get asked a lot of crazy things when I am in other states and I say I am from NM. People ask if I am enjoying my visit to the United States (I am not kidding!) or they ask if we have grass. To me they seem like really dumb questions, but I just want to know what your perceptions are of New Mexico.

Answer 1

It rocks!

Answer 2

If you live in New Mexico and have lived there all your life and have never left the state then it might be hard to realize how the rest of the inhabitants of the other 48 contiguous states perceive what is called by some and known to others as New Mexico. Now I don't think anybody realizes upon first hearing the word 'New Mexico' that it is a state. When a person first hears the word New Mexico it is tied to the word Mexico and that connection can't be absolved easily. To us New Mexico could itself be its own country.... who knows when we are little kids,( I thought I could realy dig a hole through the earth to get to China.)Now when you first heard the word New Mexico what did you think? This question will have varying results depending on whether you have lived in New Mexico or not because I would find it even more difficult to come to grips with the concept of New Mexico being one of the 50 states having never lived there.
I have the distinct advantage of actually living in the state for longer than a couple of months so I am both an insider and a foreigner ( i am a gringo too) I know exactly what you are talking about. It is ignorance. But ignorance is bliss non? I can tell you that when I was 6 -7 years old I first might have heard the word "New Mexico" so I naturally thought it to be a part of Mexico like Chihuahua a prefecture or state of Mexico, or even greater I might have thought it in itself was its own country. Who knows what it might be... there is a lot of landmass there... I could tell that by looking at the maps but... because I never lived there, it is just a big area on the map underneath the United States actually. I had an advantage when my grandma and granpa lived their I got to stay with them for a half a semester in Santa Fe its capital, only then when I was 16 and having lived there for at least two months did I finally realize that New Mexico is a state of the United States! Wow! It took mind mind a long time to convince itself that New Mexico is really a part of the United States in fact it is one amongst 50 of them. But before my mind accepted that fact was a long time of repeating it over and over by studying its history at school and going to the post office there in Santa Fe and realizing that its just another state not a part of Mexico nor a country of its own. I think that this may be some of the reasons why people have this weird perception of the State of New Mexico. I don't have any Urls but if somebody else has some they probably come from a psychologics perspective I would imagine Very nice question I see this phenomenon taking place because I used to be an outsider to New Mexico but I have lived there and seen it and been to its post office and also it has Mcdonalds so you know its got to be America. Name a state that doesn;t have Mcdonalds. You know it wasn't called New United States because you see, they hear this word which sounds a lot like what it means so we make the connection that its a part of the country of Mexico. Like reading the word blue written in red ink.
A lot of places in the world have New prefixed to their name like New Jersey, New Caledonia, New Hampshire but we associate these type of names with English places so I guess to our American mind it is Ok and can be accepted consciously as a part of the USA but New Mexico !... no way it must be a different place someplace Ive never been before only heard the name once. You know like New York is Newer than York but its different with New York because New york is part of the original 13 colonies. I think our minds set a prejudice to any land claiming that its New and belonging to the United States of America. Left Brain Right Brain theory may have the answer to this New Mexico Name dilemna/

Answer 3

Okay. What I think (and some have seen) there's desert, which makes it hot sometimes and cold at others. High - northern mountains (so some areas get snow, too). Sure there's some grass and trees, but I would think, due to the soil make up they are a bit different than native trees and grasses here in the middle of the country. (For instance, I know my brother's lawn is a lot coarser in Florida than mine in Kentucky.)

Diverse population and large artistic community; lower humidity and dry heat, often with a cornflower colored sky and large, fluffy clouds.

Large city life, but plenty of empty space in between. And yes, unlike Kentuckians, they do wear shoes. Ha!

Answer 4

I live in Maryland and I thought NM was really nice. Being able to see for miles and miles is really nice. The Sandias were particularly beautiful to hike. I also really liked the dry air, it was a little easier to breathe.

Answer 5

The most beautiful sunrises I've ever seen, anywhere: clean, pure, sublime. If you find the desert southwest fascinating and mysterious, if the history of the American west interests you, and if you enjoy southwest cuisine, you will like New Mexico. (I don't live there, so this is an unbiased opinion.)

Answer 6

probably a lot like the Old Mexico. haha jk.

but someone told me that there is a lot of skiing in new Mexico.

i've seen photos of some really nice light-colored stucco churches too.

Answer 7

It's got Mexico,Texas, and Arizona on 3 sides so it probably has a lot of similarities.

Answer 8

I lived there for 8 years. (Abq) I loved it, personally...

I was talking to a guy in NY and He (jokingly) said that He would come visit if I promised not to leave Him at the TIJUANA AIRPORT!!! lol... dumbazz...

But --- as great as Abq was... it had it's (bad) moments... lol
I still remember laughing at the indoor/outdoor carpeting that was used IN PLACE OF grass at a corner gas station...

Answer 9

Like Mexico, but newer.

Answer 10

like mexico.
dirt roads.
old houses.
dirt all over the place.