Just yesterday I commented on how Stephenville Texas has become a “new Roswell” of sorts since the wave of UFO sightings there earlier this year. Now it appears that Roswell is making headlines today with its own recent UFO sighting, allegedly seen in the area on September 15 by several witnesses.

Before I get to this recent sighting, I must point out that this notion of comparing Stephenville with Roswell already capitalizes on the stereotype that, for some reason, more UFOs are seen in and around Roswell, New Mexico than any place else. In reality, what led to Roswell’s famed association with UFOs actually has more to do with a single event which may have occurred there in 1947, rather than a multitude of legitimate sightings. This event, which involved the supposed crash of an extraterrestrial craft on the land of local farmer Mac Brazel, is cited by most researchers and UFO buffs not only as the quintessential “UFO incident,” but also an event which best exemplifies the darker elements of government cover-ups, conspiracy, and other underlying themes which have since bled into American history and politics.

Though Roswell’s reputation as a UFO capital of the US may be a bit stereotypical, what may not be quite such a generalization is how UFO sightings do seem to occur in the Southern United States, Mexico, Latin America, and other areas closer to the equator with what appears to be greater frequency (I say this with caution; many readers of this blog are already familiar with the kinds of UFO reports that stem from South of the US border, a majority of them having to do with strange “flying humanoid” phenomena… and perhaps many more linked to various kinds of hoaxes. Still, I don’t claim to have any genuine statistics I can lay hands on which might reflect any such trend conclusively; rather, the amount of reported UFO incidents from this part of the world only appears to indicate larger numbers of mass-sightings, a greater overall frequency of sightings, etc, based on the available UFO literature).

But keeping our focus within the states for now, whatever reason may lie behind why Southern and Southwestern US states may be focal points for UFO activity escapes me. Still, it was no big surprise when I found that, within hours of my comparing Stephenville, TX with Roswell yesterday afternoon, this report appeared on the web at the UPI News Website:

ROSWELL, N.M., Sept. 17 (UPI) — Several people in Roswell, N.M., have reported spotting an unidentified flying object over the northwest side of the city, a mecca for those interested in UFOs.

Andre Buonaiuto said he and his wife saw a flying saucer Monday night, KOAT-TV in Albuquerque reported Wednesday.

Buonaiuto and his wife described walking outside together, where they both “noticed a glow in the sky.” The UPI story went on to say that, according to Mr. Buonaiuto, “despite the city’s reputation for extraterrestrial activity, it was the first time he had experienced anything resembling a close encounter.” Indeed, here again we see this reference to Roswell having a “reputation” for UFO activity, and again, this is in reality just another nod to the one major UFO event that ever occurred there (which also happens to be the most reputable UFO incident ever to have occurred anywhere in the states). This in mind, one has to wonder how much traffic Roswell may have actually gotten in the way of UFO sightings since 1947.

Also, sources from ABC News affiliate KOAT-TV out of Albuquerque stated early in the piece that the alleged “flying disc” (which, if I read correctly, Mr. Buonaiuto described as merely being “a glow in the sky” rather than anything disc-shaped) was reported by multiple viewers. Where are the other viewers? Is Mr. Buonaiuto the only person who was willing to discuss the incident, or were others not approached or asked about the object’s appearance? Why so few details?

Another report, apparently drawn from CNN News sources for the original piece which appeared at the KOAT-TV website, offered even fewer details, save the occupation of Mr. Buonaiuto. For all we know, indeed there was something seen over Roswell this week; but unfortunately it’s difficult to say what.

Altogether, and in spite of the sparring details we’ve received (save the testimony of the aforementioned Roswell resident and his wife) Roswell is once again making headlines, and for the moment overshadowing its Eastern counterpart, Stephenville Texas. But is it really a matter of which town hosts more UFO sightings, or does the “bigger picture” have more to do with the nature of this phenomenon in Southern extremities of the US (and beyond) as a region, and why UFO sightings may appear there with greater frequency? Is there anything to this idea at all, or do UFOs arbitrarily appear just about anywhere? How could this information be better documented, and how might the results of that documentation better serve our ability to predict where future sightings may occur?