Truth or Consequences, New Mexico.
Truth or Consequences, a small town of some 8,000 souls, was first settled in 1882 as Palomas Hot Springs. Early on, it became a popular destination for its many hot mineral springs, long thought to provide numerous therapeutic benefits. Around the turn of the century, several bathhouses were built to accommodate the many visitors who made the town a resort area.
The name was quickly shortened to just “Hot Springs,” but that would not be its final moniker.
Hot Springs New Mexico is now Truth or Consequences.
It all began in 1950 when Hot Springs was just slowly trudging along as a small resort town. Its tourist trade was its main industry, and it competed with hundreds of other “Hot Springs” scattered across the country.
But the small town would get a boost when the popular Truth or Consequences radio program, on its 10th anniversary, wanted to find a town that would change its name to Truth or Consequences. The idea started when Ralph Edwards, the show’s producer, pulled his staff together and said, “I wish that some town in the United States liked and respected our show so much that it would like to change its name to ‘Truth or Consequences.'” When the New Mexico State Tourist Bureau heard the idea, they relayed it to the Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce, and the news spread like wildfire. The chamber and locals liked the idea of free advertising and eliminating confusion with Hot Springs, Arkansas, California, Montana, and more.
The city soon held an election, changed its name, and soon after, Ralph Edwards and his entire NBC production crew arrived in the newly named city, airing the first live, coast-to-coast broadcast of Truth or Consequences from the city of Truth or Consequences. One city official in 1950 said, “It is the truth that we have the health-giving waters here. The consequence is that people get results.” The city’s long-run results have been excellent, as it has received more national publicity via television and radio than any city of its size in the United States.
Today, Truth or Consequences is one of the American Southwest’s best-kept secrets. This unspoiled town still offers its healing springs, breathtaking sandstone bluffs, nearby state parks, hiking in the nearby Gila or Cibola National Forests, rockhounding in the old mining towns of Chloride, Winston, and Hermosa, or attending one of its many regional events.
Truth or Consequences, New Mexico.
Truth or Consequences is just off Interstate 25, between El Paso, Texas, and Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Contact Information:
Truth or Consequences Chamber of Commerce
P.O. Drawer 31
Truth Or Consequences, New Mexico 87901
505-894-3536
©Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated September 2026.
Also See:
New Mexico – Land of Enchantment
See Sources.