New Mexico lost more service members in World War II than any other state. As a national war bond drive leader, the state had fifty federal installations, including glider and bombardier training schools. Sixty-five thousand young men (and 700 young women) joined the military during the war, where they received a wide range of technical training and experienced the outside world for the first time. There were high wages, jobs for everyone, rationing, and shortages during wartime because of government spending. In the postwar years, federal facilities contributed significantly to the state’s economy. Since New Mexico relied on both the smokestack industry and scenic tourism, it was at the center of debates over clean air legislation, particularly the Clean Air Act of 1967 and its amendments in 1970 and 1977. New Mexico became the first of only four states to adopt the English Plus resolution, which supports the acceptance of non-English languages, in 1989.
Many Californians migrated to the state during the 1990s, resulting in continued population growth. Despite the rapid growth of its population, New Mexico remains one of the poorest states in the country. This is despite increasing exploitation of oil, gas, and other mineral resources and increased agricultural production through improved irrigation. In March 1999, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in southeastern New Mexico opened, becoming the world’s first underground storage facility for radioactive waste.
Here are some fascinating photos of New Mexico in the 1980s and 1990s.
![City Electric Shoe Shop (old Theater?), Cole [i.e. Coal] Avenue, Gallup, New Mexico, 1999](https://www.bygonely.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/New_Mexico_1980s_and_1990s_117.jpg)
Well, that made me feel old.
This whole thing is suspect. The Santa Fe Pizza Hut from 1992 (#31) is sporting a logo that didn’t exist until ’99.
Cool, they have a photo of the old Jack’s Liquor sign. They need one of it lit up at night though. That was always my favorite neon sign, I wonder if anyone saved it. I hate to think it just went into a landfill.
That Ken’s Ice Cream sign brings back memories. My grandpa’s restaurant was right next door and I used to go in there all the time as a kid.
I lived in mountainair from 89 to 91, and I remember going to Las Vegas for away games, and it was the most depressing, boarded-up shit town i had ever seen.
Today, it’s gorgeous. I see pictures of the town square online and I don’t recognize the place. Mountainair is still a hole, tho.
I remember a rodeo in LV in the late 80s and it was awesome, a true one (not like the touristy SF one), with two families squaring off, one with a Hispanic name and another one with an Irish name. I had a lot of fun and people were nice.