Navajo Mine, one of the largest coal-mining operations in the world, fuels the adjacent Four Corners Power Plant. It lies near the town of Farmington, found in the northwest corner of the state, which has a population of 41,000.

At an elevation of 1 mile, the town sits where the Animas and La Plata Rivers join the San Juan River.

In the late nineteenth century, Farmington was a cattle and orchard area, where peach and walnut trees were grown. It was an area of land disputes and gunplay and of outlaws and card sharks. Today it is the major industrial and retail center of the Four Corners region, where New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah come together.

Some of the finest trout fishing in the state is found here in the San Juan River.

Nearby Durango and Telluride, in southwest Colorado, offer terrific skiing and snowboarding.

Two miles north of town, at Lions Wilderness Park, the Black River Traders present a historical play that shows the culture clash between Mexicans, Indians, and Anglos at the turn of the twentieth century. This is a summer show presented in a sandstone outdoor amphitheater.

Farmington has an Apple Blossom Festival in April, and the Four Corners Hot-Air Balloon Rally in May. The two-day Totah Festival in September celebrates Indian and pioneer contributions to the Four Corners area. Indian dancing, Navajo rug exhibits, and auctions are some of the highlights.

There is bus and air service, including flights to Albuquerque.