New Mexico | Dorky Geeky Nerdy Trivia Podcast

It’s time for our last western state. It’s time for New Mexico Trivia. Join us for another episode of Dorky Geeky Nerdy where we visit the southwestern state’s history, geography, and its place in pop culture.

When you’re done with New Mexico trivia, please take a quick moment to fill out our quick two-question survey at the bottom. It helps me understand how difficult these questions are and if there’s room for improvement. Thanks!

Your feedback helps us create new content, like New Mexico Trivia, for future episodes.

We Need Your Reviews & Support

Extra Credit Podcasts & Videos

Go behind the scenes in New Mexico Trivia with extra podcasts about the state.

Previous Episodes

Episode Transcript/Quiz

Episode Intro

Hola my friends and welcome to episode 208 of the Dorky Geeky Nerdy Trivia Podcast. I’m your host, Brian Rollins, and this week we have our final western state, New Mexico.

As always, we’ve got three rounds of ten questions each. If you’re new, welcome aboard. You can listen to this podcast in any order you like, though we do tease the next show at the end of each episode. If you need rules or scorecards, visit DorkyGeekyNerdy.com.

That covers the basics, so let’s get started.

The Dorky Round

Born in NM in 1973, what actor starred in How I Met Your Mother, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and as the title character in Doogie Houser, MD?
Neil Patrick Harris
Born with the name Henry McCarty, what outlaw (and subject of the two Young Guns movies) died at Fort Sumner in 1881?
William Bonnie (Billy the Kid)
What state borders New Mexico to the West?
Arizona
What New Mexico town became famous for a purported UFO crash in 1947?
Roswell
What TV series, set in NM, ran from 2008 to 2013 and starred Bryan Cranston as Walter White?
Breaking Bad
What founder of Amazon was born in NM in 1964?
Jeff Bezos
What 2011 Marvel movie was set in New Mexico?
Thor
Much to the chagrin of Wile E Coyote, what is the state bird of New Mexico?
The Roadrunner
What National Park, located in Southeastern New Mexico, is home to over 119 caves?
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
What 2017 movie, the 10th X-Men film, was shot in various locations around New Mexico?
Logan

The Geeky Round

What is the capital of New Mexico?
Sante Fe
What 1952 movie, set in the New Mexico Territory, starred Gary Cooper and won four Academy Awards?
High Noon
What is the state’s nickname?
The Land of Enchantment
Spell Albuquerque
A-L-B-U-Q-U-E-R-Q-U-E
The first what occurred in New Mexico on July 16, 1945 at 5:50am?
The first man-made atomic explosion
Every October, Albuquerque plays host to a festival for what type of aircraft?
Hot air balloons
What was the backup landing site for the space shuttle located in New Mexico?
White Sands. It was only ever used once, in 1982 for the third shuttle mission.
The 11:23 song, Albuquerque, was released in 1999 by what artist?
Weird Al Yankovic
What ethnicity makes up 74% of the population of New Mexico?
Hispanic.
New Mexico stood in for Afghanistan in what 2016 Tina Fey movie?
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

The Nerdy Round

Born in NM in 1887, what hotel magnate’s empire is still around to this day?
Paris’ great-grandfather, Conrad Hilton
Born in Roswell, who became the highest-paid actress (at the time) in 1996 when she starred in Striptease?
Demi Moore
What Native American leader was born in NM in 1829, would fight with the Mexican and American militaries, but would also ride in President Theodor Roosevelt’s inaugural parade and attend the 1904 World’s Fair?
Geronimo
What animator, born in Melrose, NM, was the creator of, and initial voice actor for, Tom & Jerry?
William Hanna. Yep, the guy that co-founded Hanna-Barbera.
How many states border New Mexico?
Five
What is the second-largest city in New Mexico?
Las Cruces
What Scouting High Adventure Base is located in New Mexico?
Philmont Ranch. It’s the largest such facility run by the Boy Scouts.
The notch in the SW corner of New Mexico was added to the US with what 1854 land acquisition?
The Gadsden Purchase. It also added the southern quarter of Arizona.
What New Mexico city gets its name from a 1950s radio show?
Truth or Consequences
What two Mexican states border New Mexico?
Sonora and Chihuahua

Episode Conclusion

And that’s it for New Mexico trivia. Want some bonus facts?

New Mexico is the 5th largest state by landmass. It’s just slightly larger than its neighbor, Arizona.
It’s 36th in population. So, when you mix the size with the population, it ranks 45th in population density.
It became a state January 6, 1912, making it the 47th state.
At 13,000 feet, Wheeler Peak is the highest point in the state
Only 64% of the state’s residents speak English-only. The rest are bilingual, speak Spanish or one of the Native American languages like Navajo.

Living in Colorado and having family in Arizona means I’ve driven through New Mexico a lot. It’s a beautiful state and I hope to be able to get down to Carlsbad Caverns at some point. New Mexicans, let me know what else I need to see when I’m there.

A quick bit of business before getting to next week’s teaser. Some people have reached out via the Q&A feature on Spotify. A) Thank you. I love hearing from you. But B) I have no way to respond back to you. It doesn’t give me your contact info nor a way to respond. So, if you’re asking a question or expecting a response from me, please use DorkyGeekyNerdy.com, Facebook, Twitter, or even Reddit. If you want to keep sending me notes via Spotify, please feel free to do so, just know it’s a one-way street.

That’s out of the way, here’s a clue about what you’ll hear next week:

What state gets its name from the French interpretation of a Native American word for “men” or “warriors”?

We only have four states left, so these should be getting a little easier. See you back here next Wednesday.

This has been episode 208 of the Dorky Geeky Nerdy Trivia Podcast. The music has been by Jason Shaw at Audionautix.com.

This podcast was written, produced, and hosted by me, Brian Rollins. Come say hi to me at TheVoicesInMyHead.com. You can check out some of the audiobooks I’ve narrated, including my latest project, 20,000 Kilos Under the Sea: A Modern Retelling of the Jules Verne classic adventure. It’s a blast.

Thanks for listening.