The City of Roswell, New Mexico, established a Bitcoin strategic reserve with an initial value of $3,000 in January 2025, making it the first U.S. city to do so, as noted in a Roswell Daily Record article; this reserve grew to $2,606.123 by April 2025, reflecting Bitcoin’s market volatility.
Roswell’s move aligns with its history of embracing the unconventional, famously tied to the 1947 UFO incident, which has since fueled conspiracy theories and tourism; the Bitcoin reserve adds a modern layer to its identity as a frontier for innovation.
The initiative, sparked by a donation and supported by local officials like Mayor Tim Jennings, aims to attract Bitcoin tourism with QR codes for donations, potentially positioning Roswell as a hub in a growing U.S. trend where 46 million Americans own Bitcoin, per a 2023 Millis report.
