RateItAll: The Opinion Network

great state. has a special niche that most states dont have.

Perhaps my favorite state. I love the Gila and Pecos Wilderness areas, the Bandelier Indian ruins, the atomic museum in Los Alamos, walking in Santa Fe, the undiscovered northeast around Capulin Volcano and Folsom; the canyons along the Canadian River, the Valle Vidal, the Valles Caldera, Bosque Apache, the Kit Carson museum in Taos, and Carlsbad Caverns. I like the long roads where it's 50 or 100 miles between gas stations.

Like Illegal immigrants who think you should THANK them for breaking into your country?!
Visit NM!

Rarely do you hear English, though this is America.

I lived in NM for about 1.5 years and found it to be an interesting place. There are 2 impressions I got from family and friends when I told them of my decision to move to NM. Most people wanted to know why I chose to move to a place that is 20 years behind the times. The rest wanted to know why I was moving to Mexico. I bought the latter group a geography book and smacked them upside the head with it.
After living in Albuquerque for a few months, the true nature of the state began to reveal itself. First of all, NM is not the desert people make it out to be. There is desert to be sure but there is also high plains, mountains, rolling hills, and a huge variety of different plant species. You can see cacti and evergreen trees within a half hour drive. The scenery is consistently interesting and varied. The people in NM are friendlier than most other states I've lived in. There is a pretty diverse mix of nationalities. I met quite a few people who can trace their lineage back to when NM was a Spanish colony. These people are proud of their heritage and it is evident by the predominant architectural and social conventions. There are a lot of American Indian reservations in NM. Most residents see them as a handy place to go to the casino or buy cheap cirarettes and booze but they offer a lot more to a person interested in different cultures. There are countless ruins and pueblos that are open to the public for free or at a reasonable cost. It is important to keep in mind that Indian reservations have limited national sovereignity and therefore it is prudent to respect the land and people lest you incur the ire of the local governmental authority.
For all it's beauty, NM has a few major problems. The first problem is alcoholism. The people I got to know in NM told me that they had gotten drunk at least once by age 15. The number of DUI's is, according to the DMV worker I spoke to, the highest per capita in the country. As such, everybody under age 25 must take a DWI awareness class in order to get a NM drivers license, even if they have a previous license in good standing from out of state. Crime, especially gang related crime, is a major problem in Albuquerque. I'm not much of a city slicker and only visited downtown once. I didn't notice much evidence of crime except a copious amount of graffiti that presumably marked gang territory. I'm sure the crime exists but I'm equally sure that it won't find you unless you go looking for it. Be alert and don't go to places where you wouldn't be welcome and you'll probably make out ok.
Living in NM surprised me in a few ways. First and foremost, the state has a reputation for being poverty stricken. There are a lot of poor people but if you choose to graduate high school, there are a lot of opportunities. I'm a machinist with a limited college education. I moved to NM for a job and was immediately accosted with several other unsolicited job offers. My employer treated me very well and gave me a very generous compensation package. I like to think that he did it because he respected my work and work ethic but I have a feeling that he did it as a preemptive measure to prevent me from considering working for one of his competitors. There is a lot of industry and high technology businesses in NM, probably drawn in by tax incentives. The cost of living is very low. This is good economics for anybody with a technical or manufactuing education who wants to bank money for long term goals. I loved NM and just may move back if the right offer comes along.

A nice place to visit but, I would hate to live there. Albuquerque is weird and Santa Fe
blows. The rest of the the towns are po' dunk .

New Mexico = Mexico with McDonalds. Las Cruces= Manure farms. Hopefully you won't be passing through anytime soon, if you do bring nose plugs.

New Mexico has some beautiful views and vista's with wonderful skies. However it lacks a good educational system, poor services locally, and it has a crime problem. Quality of life issues rank in the lower quarter of all states. Rated way too high here.

A beautiful state and a great place to just withdraw from society. The comments about Albuquurque are true but I always enjoyed my time hanging out there. I hope they are able to curb the crime problems.

It's nice but too much desert.

boring state

The poorest state in the union, the small towns and communties along I-25 and I-40 are broken down hovels, they resemble many inner city communties. Albuquerque, a city including metro of 700,000 has a crime rate to that of a city with millions, in fact Albuquerque is has grown in popularity with it numerous appearences on the show cops. Santa Fe is over priced and filled with aging hippies that sell mediorce art. New Mexico has some decent scenery, but highly inferior in comparasion to Colorado.

New Mexico is a state of timeless beauty and distinct cultural flavors marred by the modern problems of poverty, crime, urban sprawl, poor schools, and lesser talked-about issues(high incidence of highway deaths, alcoholism, and suicide, especially among the native Indians). Albuquerque is your typically sprawling Sunbelt city with a serious crime problem. Sante Fe is the town I would most prefer to live in, but it has its warts, mainly the yuppies turned new age kooks who sell overpriced wares that try to invoke the spirit of the Old Southwest, but only deplete the wallets of the fruity Californians and Coloradans who gush over the stuff. I must admit, Santa Fe has some interesting art galleries and antique shops, even if the cost of most stuff entails the shirt off your back. At the end of a long, mind-numbing interstate drive, the boomtown bedroom community of Las Cruces is the last real destination before you reach Texas or the real Mexico. Not to say that there's much of anything to do here; it's an up-and-coming town that's just there. New Mexico is fine if you can absorb yourself in its natural beauty and blend of Native American, Mexican, and noveau American cultures. Wanna live life in the fast lane? Jetset elsewhere; but if you're an earthly type, bound to nothing, come check it out.

Some exotic scenary- and some nice towns, especially at Santa Fe and Taos. However the state has a crime problem, and other quality of life issues including poor schools. It also has an inadequate infrastructure in many towns and cities.

A state with many natural wonders and beauty- if you like multi colored stones. Stark vistas are mind engaging. Santa Fe is elegant. Taos is very nice. Better then AZ.But still voted for Bush- a downer.............

No thanks, you would expect the opposite, but the Ancient native american tribes are the most normal people in New Mexico, everyone else is sort of loopy.

My home state. First glances are not enough to understand necessarily the moniker of Land of Enchantment. If you come to NM looking for it to be something it's not, you'll be disappointed. It's not cosmopolitan, super-high-speed-exciting, cutting-edge-cultural-chic whatever. It is what it is and it takes hold on you slowly and steadily. It grows on you; it's a heart thing, a more spiritual thing if you would. The people, native New Mexicans in particular, do not pretend to be anything but who they are--very friendly, laid back, generous, and good-natured, and my experience is that they almost could care less if that makes everyone else out there look upon them almost as museum pieces. Of course, therein is the basic problem with opinions and opinionated people in general--the tendency is to approach something different with one's own biased perspective. If so, you may not likely appreciate New Mexico. You can stop at the Caverns, or Santa Fe(admittedly overrated), or wherever, get the Token T-shirt, and move on. We all know you're really headed for the Grand Canyon anyway. But don't judge NM until you get to know it.

Although I was born in East Los Angeles, my family roots are in New Mexico. My father was born in Albuquerque and raised mostly in Las Cruces. The family goes back a few centuries in New Mexico and I still have a lot of family there. When I was a kid we would vacation there and we had the best time. I have good memories of The Land of Enchantment, especialy the food. Chile reigns supreme in this great state, both green and red chile. My father would buy gunny sacks filled with green chile and he would make his famous Chile Verde. Everything taste better in New Mexico, enchiladas, carne adobada, chile colorado, pozole and menudo. Even the rice and beans seem better. Something in the soil just brings out the heat and flavor in the foods. I have been back a few times as a adult and it has changed a bit. But it still seems like a great place to live. The white, Hispanic and Native American culture seem to have merged into one great culture, while retaining their individuality. Also for boxing fans, New Mexico has turned out a few good fighters. Rocky and Louie Burke (My Cousins) , Johnny Tapia and Danny Romero. I hope to visit again soon.

The Land of Enchantment: Beautiful desert scenery, even on the interstate. I think the most beautiful stretch of intsrstate I know of is I-40 (?) going from NM into AZ (towards Flagstaff). Watch out for cops on both sides of Albuquerque, especially coming in from the east. The best TACO BELL in the world is in one of the towns about 50 miles or so east of ALB. (Moriarity, NM)clean, generous, delicious (authentic Mexicans making American Mexican fast food -- the best).

Hot and dry boring desert area. Even the water in the water fountains was scorching. Insane.

Albuquerque has some great malls and beautiful homes, the Carlsbad Caverns were awesome, Red River is a beatuiful little town...Santa Fe is WAY overrated, and driving through the state is at about the top of my list for "worst drives."

New Mexico is really a beautiful state, the only problem is the people who are moving here are wanting to change it....turning in into what they just left. Unfortunately they are also bringing there rude, aggressive, and egotistacal behavior to. They are looking for enlightenment???You...hoo...maybe you should look at yourselfs in the mirror.... I guess it looks a certain way and they forget that there is beauty in all and comapassion it a key ingredient. So if you want to explore a New Mexico...do, but avoid the usual tourist spots or you will NOT see true New Mexico.