Louisiana vs. New Mexico: Which Stretches North?

Neither state truly "stretches north" as a primary geographic characteristic, but their orientations differ significantly.

Louisiana extends predominantly east-west along the Gulf of Mexico, stretching roughly 380 miles from its western border with Texas to its eastern border with Mississippi. Its north-south dimension is comparatively modest at about 240 miles.

New Mexico, by contrast, has a more balanced rectangular shape with a slight north-south emphasis. It spans approximately 370 miles north-to-south (from the Colorado border to the Mexican border) and 340 miles east-to-west.

So while New Mexico has greater north-south extent than Louisiana, neither state is defined by a dramatic northward elongation like Florida or California. The premise of the question reflects a common geographic misconception about these states' shapes.