So, you're thinking about attending a college or university in New Mexico?

New Mexico is bordered by Colorado in the north, Oklahoma and Texas in the east, Mexico and Texas in the south, and Arizona in the west. On it's northwestern most corner, it comes together with Arizona, Colorado, and Utah to form the Four Corners area, the only point in the United States where four states meet.

The landscape of New Mexico varies wildly from wide, arid desert areas covered by cacti, yuccas, and desert grass to high, snow-capped mountains with heavily forested mountain wildernesses.

The climate of New Mexico is mostly sunny and dry. In the summer, temperatures in elevations below 5000 feet frequently reach highs exceeding 100 °F while, at the highest elevations, temperatures generally reach only the upper 70's. In the winter, however, the temperature drops dramatically. In lower areas, temperatures average around 55 °F while the higher areas barely average above freezing.

In July and August, the entire state is subject to frequent summer thunderstorms. While these thunderstorms are usually brief, they can be intense, bringing strong winds, hail, and a considerable amount of lightning. During this time, tornadoes are not uncommon, especially in the eastern part of the state.

As of 2005, the population of New Mexico had an estimated population of 1,928,384. Around 10% of the residents of the state were foreign-born with more than 2% being illegal immigrants.

According to the 2000 U.S. Census, 28.76% of the population aged 5 and over speak Spanish at home while 4.07% speak Navajo.

The Democratic Party generally dominates state politics. As of 2004, 50% of registered voters in New Mexico were Democrats while 33% were Republicans. 17% of voters were not affiliated with either of the two primary parties.

As for religious practices in the state, 81% of the population consider themselves Christian while 19% claim no religion. New Mexico has the highest percentage of Roman Catholics of any western U.S. state, with 41% of the population belonging to this religion.

The personal income tax rates for New Mexico range from 1.7% to 5.3%, within 4 income brackets. While New Mexico doesn't have a sales tax, it does have a gross receipts tax of 5% which is usually passed on to the consumer. Beginning on January 1, 2005, however, residents of the state no longer pay taxes on most food purchases and on certain medical services.

The colleges and universities that call New Mexico home include:

• New Mexico State University

• The New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

• The New Mexico Military Institute

To find more information about universities and colleges in this area, visit the Online College Degrees page on this website.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "New Mexico".

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