It is also a door to human history with the discovery of artifacts and skeletons of mastodons dating back 11,000 years. Established in the 1800s, irrigation has made agriculture the major industry.
Peanuts are a leading crop along with cotton, wheat, corn, milo, hay and potatoes.
The dairy industry is also a part of the local economy. Cannon Air Force is located fifteen miles north of the city. The third largest university in the state, Eastern New Mexico University is located on a 400 acre campus in the southwestern quarter of Portales. The almost 4,000 students come from the region, all 50 states and 16 foreign countries. Many Cannon Air Force personnel partake in the broad curricula of the classes.