Compare and Contrast Essay: Arizona and New Mexico

Is it fair to have two states completely divided between a line and be so different when in proximity to each other? The answer to that question varies. When discussing Arizona and New Mexico, the two have more differences than similarities than one would think, notwithstanding their proximity. Ultimately, there are three topics one would think of when talking about the two states; geographic influence, population, and economic development.

Likewise, both states tend to hold common geographic similarities. The two states are in the sun belts, an area across the United States known for milder weather. Hearing about this should not bring too much surprise when hearing that Arizona and New Mexico are ranked the first and second sunniest states in the United States. The two states also have a common foreign neighbor, Mexico. Mexico has had much influence over the two states, with more Spanish speakers than English speakers in the two states until the 1940s. It resulted in a blend of Spanish and English within the two states, called Chicano English, or as many call it Spanglish.

On the contrary, the two states have a drastic difference in population. As of 2021, Arizona has a population of 7.2 million, with most of that coming from the attraction of Arizona’s capital city, Phoenix. On the other hand, New Mexico only has a third of the population Arizona has, and Tucson has a larger metropolitan population than New Mexico’s largest city, Albuquerque. Arizona has also been experiencing tremendous population growth and is the fourth largest growing state, and Phoenix itself has become the fifth-largest city in the United States. It is a lot slower in New Mexico, with it being the 30th growing state in the country, and they hold a small 0.16 annual population growth in Albuquerque.

Nevertheless, Arizona and New Mexico have differing economic developments. New Mexico’s cost of living has an index of 88.4, lower than the country’s national average. Arizona has an index of around 100 for its cost of living, making new Mexico 12% cheaper to live in than Arizona and most other states. In contrast, Arizona is better with its job growth rate, with there being an annualized growth rate of 5.5%, which puts Arizona in second place when it comes to its job growth rate. It is half of that in New Mexico, which has a 2.5% job growth rate. 

When reading about the differences between the two states, they have many differences between population and economic development, despite their geographic similarities. The line dividing the two states brings out differences through their economic developments, resulting in their current population. It begs the question, judging by their proximity, should it be fair for one state to have an advantage over another because the system gave it to them?