When you tell someone you’re from New Mexico, people who’ve been here usually comment on our state’s natural beauty or the specific place they visited. But those who’ve never seen the Land of Enchantment come up with some pretty strange questions. Here are some of the things that outsiders want to know about New Mexico.

1. Where is New Mexico?
Google Maps
There’s this handy thing called Google Maps. Try it!

We usually have to explain that New Mexico is next to Arizona before the puzzled blinking stops.
2. So that's in Mexico, right?
Flickr/Martin D
An alarming number of people don’t seem to grasp that New Mexico is actually part of the United States. I know that I’ve been told by a company that they don’t deliver internationally, once they heard my address.
3. Is it really hot there?
Flickr/Jan
New Mexico is the fifth largest state in the nation so weather conditions vary widely. According to The Weather Channel, the average temperature in Las Cruces in June is 95F. In Chama, which is in the northern part of the state, the average temperature in June is 77F.
4. Does it ever snow in New Mexico?
Flickr/Angi English
Yes. We have a bunch of ski resorts. Each year, Ruidoso receives an average of 29.9 inches of snow, whereas Red River gets a whopping 159.5 inches. We’re ranked 25th in terms of average snowfall by state – we actually have more than Illinois.
5. Have you seen a UFO?
Flickr/Wesley Fryer
Only the ones at the International UFO Museum.

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6. Does everyone in New Mexico cook meth?
Yelp/Larry B.
Last time I checked, "Breaking Bad" wasn’t a documentary.
7. Have you ever seen a body in the desert?
Flickr/Bureau of Land Management
Why? Did you leave one there?
8. Does it ever rain?
Flickr/Granger Meador
Yes, but usually not as much as we’d like.
9. Have you seen a rattlesnake?
Flickr/tom spinker
Some of us have, some of us haven’t. Personally, I’ve seen a few, along with several bullsnakes.
10. Why do you spell chile wrongly?
Flickr/Paul Narvaez
We aren’t the ones spelling it incorrectly.

What are some of the questions that you’ve been asked when people discover that you live in New Mexico?

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