Despite the traditionally agrarian nature of the state, New Mexico has become increasingly urbanized. About two-fifths of its residents live in (founded 1706) and the surrounding Bernalillo county. , a much smaller city, was founded in 1610 and is the oldest continuously used seat of government in . It was also the terminus of the , a wagon trail that was a major commercial and migration route from to the Southwest from 1821 to 1880, when the railroad was completed. Area 121,590 square miles (314,917 square km). Population (2020) 2,117,522; (2024 est.) 2,130,256. Land Relief New Mexico(more)New Mexico has some of the flattest land as well as some of the most rugged mountains in the country. Some portions of the state are rich in pine forests, meadows, and fish-laden mountain streams, while other areas are devoid of any water bodies, and even struggle to survive. The eastern third of the state is an extension of the Great Plains that includes the (“Staked Plain”), so named because of its abundance of spiky agaves (century plants). The extend into the north-central part of the state. Southwest of the Rockies is part of the , consisting of mountain ranges running in a north-south direction interspersed with valleys that are indispensable to agriculture and grazing. Northwestern New Mexico, part of the , is characterized by unique volcanic formations that are a result of past lava flows. This region also contains many plains and short mountain ranges. The average elevation ranges from 5,000 to 8,000 feet (1,500 to 2,500 metres) above in the northwest to less than 4,000 feet (1,250 metres) in the southeast. More than four-fifths of the state is higher than 4,000 feet above sea level. The highest mountain peaks, (13,161 feet [4,011 metres]) and Truchas Peak (13,103 feet [3,994 metres]), are in the in the north-central part of the state. The lowest elevation, 2,842 feet (866 metres), lies along Lake in the southeastern corner of the state., New Mexico[a] is a state in the Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona., New Mexico, constituent state of the U.S., which became the 47th state of the union in 1912. It ranks fifth among the states in terms of total area and is bounded by Colorado to the north, Oklahoma and Texas to the east, Texas and Mexico to the south, and Arizona to the west..