Why So Many Americans Move To Arizona And Not New Mexico

Everyone is moving to Arizona... or so it seems. The Copper State has grown a huge amount over the last 50 years as Americans flee cold, harsh winters from the north, and the expensiveness of California in the west. But while Arizona has had incredibly growth, New Mexico simply hasn't, at least not relative to its neighbor. Which is a little odd because, from the outside, the two states seem very similar. But there's actual geographic reasons why Arizona has grown so much faster than New Mexico, which used to be the larger of the two states.

[btube]

I'm currently living in NM after living in Phoenix for 30 years. While NM is beautiful and less crowded, the state has pretty poor governance and I feel is greatly mismanaged. The education system is below par which over time affects the state's ability to attract big employers.

[thomasgomez]

There's a few things I'd like to add
While NM is hot during the summer, it's not NEARLY as hot as phoenix. Albuquerque is usually 15-20 deg cooler in the summer with overnight lows in the 60s and 70s in July.

Another thing to mention is arizona's proximity to California and the LA area. It becomes a lot easier to do business with California when you're so close

[yungardnr]

As a Burqueno, one of the biggest reasons people don't move here is literally because they don't know New Mexico exists. I've had my passport/drivers license confused for a Mexican one on several occasions. And when you tell people you're from NEW Mexico, most of them look at you crazy

[EMFDrill]

Albuquerque native here. Just to be clear, it does get cold in winter, but the average temp during the day is between 40-50 degrees and winter tends to only last mid-December through early March. It gets cold but it sure could be worse! The big PLUS we have is it almost never gets into triple digits here in summer. It MIGHT reach 100 occasionally but that's it. So yes, we get cold in the winter but we also don't roast you to death every single day like Phoenix does in spring, summer, and fall.

[SuperRaedizzle]

I’m born and raised in New Mexico, only recently moved out of state… you did amazing with this video!
Here are some additional obstacles my beloved NM faces:
Unfortunately the schooling is ranked one of the lowest in the country, so families looking to get their kids a good education don’t choose NM.
There’s not much industry in much of NM, especially the southwest where I grew up. In fact, not much of anything besides Dairy and oil.
The state is essentially split very heavily between political parties and it’s hard for anything to get done. It’s in a constant state of limbo.
Unfortunately NM is one of the poorest states as well, with a lot of people not having access to basic necessities and that directly leads to higher crimes.
Surprisingly, the housing market is much higher than its neighbors.
But New Mexico is one of the most beautiful places on earth, the people are so welcoming and kind, and the food is worth a trip alone. It’s not the most popular area, but everyone should take a trip to see it at least once- you’ll fall in love!

[whyisthereacitythere]

Being next to California has played a huge role. As of the 2010 census, 600k Arizonans were born in California vs. 100k native Californians in New Mexico. And despite NM's much smaller pop, more native Texans lived in NM than Arizona. I'd also add Phoenix was smaller than Tucson until the Roosevelt Dam on the Salt River was built in the 1910s. Today, metro Phoenix gets 60% of its water from the Salt River.

[Wasserkaktus]

I think geographic proximity is a huge part of Arizona's growth too: It's very close to California, which is why there is such an influx of people between these two states.

While Arizona and New Mexico are historically close to one another, today's Arizona is much closer to California really.

[jamesholbrook]

Grew up in Arizona back in the 70’s & 80’s back then there were orchards and cotton fields separating the suburbs of Phoenix. Now the entire valley of the sun is covered in concrete and asphalt. You couldn’t pay me to go back there now.

[vlachlemnmichail]

If New Mexico hasn't grown that much in the last century it's cause Breaking Bad dropped only in 2008

[brianc]

I lived in New Mexico for 12 years. Visited Arizona many times. Both are great states but I think New Mexico’s slow growth was very appealing to me. It’s not crowded, not polluted and has beautiful scenery and mostly great weather. It’s still affordable to buy a house with great Mountain views.

[sakurahigurashi]

I was born and raised in Albuquerque and trust me nothing beats the sunsets against the Sandias, the Balloon Fiesta in October, having a sense of direction thanks to the mountains, and our own way of speaking (if you know you know). We moved out to the East Valley 2 years ago after my husband losing his job during the pandemic and having our house sold. It was a change for sure but we have had an amazing experience living in Arizona and our kid is thriving. We have been able to do and accomplish more in 2 years then we ever did back home. I will say there is something to be said for those born and raised in either state versus that were born and raised cant wait to leave while those that weren't see the value. NM will always be were I grew up and learned my mindset but AZ is home and honestly I would never go back.

[andrewlacerenza]

I lived in Taos, NM for about 2 years and one of the best things to do there is in the winter. The skiing there is awesome, Northern New Mexico has some really great hiking in the other seasons too. I'm from NYC and many of the people there think NM is all just a desert, not realizing the southern part of the rocky mountains are in NM and they get large snowfall

[mattwales]

I live in fabulous Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. I'm in my 50's and really don't care about the fact that NM rides the bottom of many stats. I have no kids and I'm blue collar. Texas and Arizona can keep their 'fantastic' growth rates. I'll take the low cost of living and two traffic lights in the whole county.

[mikeaustin]

I met a woman who has lived in New Mexico for a couple of decades and told me the state's unofficial motto is, "Come to New Mexico; bring your own job."

[fermageehamilton]

NM is definitely growing. I live just on the outskirts of ABQ and so much building is happening. Houses, houses and more houses are popping up and traffic is starting to build up which is one thing that’s so great about living here, traffic was never much of a hassle . Another noticeable thing is water pressure is dropping. I mean it’s the high desert so water is precious.

[J.Wick.]

NM is absolutely breathtakingly beautiful. Shame the state has been largely mismanaged. And is also in a constant state of political limbo. I grew up in the Los Alamos area and East TN. It's largely much different than the rest of the state. Also had family in Belen. I've always loved NM, but never lived there under my own roof so to speak. NM has some of the best food you'll ever eat. New Mexican fare is so, so good. The fact that Green Chili hasn't seen mass national adoption is mind blowing to me. South of Belen, there's not much going on. Northern NM is beautiful. Albuquerque has its charms, but is a very "scruffy" city. Santa Fe is uniquely...Santa Fe. NM deserves better than it's received. NM has a vibe to it that is all it's own. That vibe is a positive one filled with great weather, blue skies, friendly people, and rich history. More people should experience NM.

[apexone]

I’ve experienced what a Phoenix winter feels like. Back in ‘09, I went to go visit a friend I had served with who was living in Flagstaff. It was decided that he’d pick me and a mutual friend we served with up from Phoenix since it was cheaper to fly there. It was December when the trip was made. The Phoenix weather was great. It was pretty much shorts weather. Very warm. Imagine my surprise when I went to my friend’s truck in the parking deck only to see a bed full of snow. Little kids who were nearby were looking at the truck with amazement.

Finally, once all three of us were heading to Flagstaff, even though it was night by that point, I could tell we were going up in elevation. Needless to say, Flagstaff looked like a Christmas card. The stark differences betwixt the two cities’ weather were tremendous.

[desertfarmer]

As a life long new Mexican, the largest problem besides the crime, economics, culture and climate, is the wind. We get 70mph gusts constantly throughout the spring, in the desert. So if you want to experience 18 degrees at 7 am then get sand blasted at noon when its 95 degrees it's an amazing hell.

[jeremycraven]

I drove through both states to get to Las Vegas from Florida. I absolutely love both states. They have beautiful geography. The food was amazing!! I fell in love with how less crowded Albuquerque is and how many murals there are. Breathtaking!

[brookenigh]

Had the pleasure of living in New Mexico for 6 entirely too short months. The land of enchantment is just that and I've been hard pressed to find friendlier people. Definitely a well kept secret of the US.