New Mexico Flag on our Flagpole

New Mexico – The Land of Enchantment

The Santa Fe Trail was the 19th-century US territory’s vital commercial and military highway link to the Eastern United States.

Santa Fe Trail
Santa Fe Trail

All with termini in Northern New Mexico, the Camino Real, the Santa Fe Trail and the Old Spanish Trail are all recognized as National Historic Trails.  New Mexico’s latitude and low passes made it an attractive east-west transportation corridor.  As a territory, the Gadsden Purchase increased New Mexico’s land area for the purpose of the construction of a southern transcontinental railroad, that of the Southern Pacific Railroad.  Another transcontinental railroad was completed by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway.  The railroads essentially replaced the earlier trails but brought on a population boom.  Early transcontinental auto trails later crossed the state bringing more migrants.  Railroads were later supplemented or replaced by a system of highways and airports.  Today, New Mexico’s Interstate Highways approximate the earlier land routes of the Camino Real, the Santa Fe Trail and the transcontinental railroads.

Road:

Settlers moving West during the Great Depression and post-World War II American culture immortalized the National Old Trails Highway, later U.S. Route 66.  Today, New Mexico relies heavily upon the automobile for transportation.

Interstate Freeways in New Mexico include: Interstate Highways 10, 25 and 40.

Transportation Map of New Mexico
Transportation Map of New Mexico

Rural and intercity public transportation by road is provided by Americanos USA, LLC, Greyhound Lines and several government operators.

Rail:

The New Mexico Rail Runner Express is a commuter rail system serving the metropolitan area of Albuquerque, New Mexico. It began operation on July 14, 2006.  The system runs from Belen to downtown Santa Fe.

Railrunner Express
Railrunner Express

Amtrak’s Southwest Chief passes through daily at stations in Gallup, Albuquerque, Lamy, Las Vegas, and Raton, offering connections to Los Angeles, Chicago and intermediate points.  The Sunset Limited makes stops three times a week in both directions at Lordsburg, and Deming, serving Los Angeles, New Orleans and intermediate points.

Airports:

The Albuquerque International Sunport is the state’s primary port of entry for air transportation.

Albuquerque SunPort
Albuquerque SunPort

Other airports with limited commercial service in New Mexico include:

Upham, near Truth or Consequences, is the location of the world’s first operational and purpose-built commercial spaceport, Spaceport America.

Spaceport
Spaceport

Rocket launches began in April 2007.  It is undeveloped and has one tenant, UP Aerospace, launching small payloads.  Virgin Galactic, a space tourism company, plans to make this their primary operating base.

Flag of New Mexico:

The flag of the U.S. state of New Mexico consists of a red sun symbol of the Zia on a field of yellow, and was officially introduced in 1925.  It was designed in 1920, to highlight the state’s Native American Pueblo and Nuevo México Hispano roots. The colors evoke the flags of Habsburg Spain (the Cross of Burgundy), Spain and the Crown of Aragon, brought by the conquistadors.

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