Las Cruces, New Mexico

Las Cruces(/lɑːsˈkruːsɪs/;Spanish:[las'kruses]"the crosses") is thesecond-most populous cityin theU.S. stateofNew Mexicoand theseatofDoña Ana County. As of the2020 census, its population was 111,385,making Las Cruces the most populous city in both Doña Ana County and southern New Mexico.The Las Cruces metropolitan area had an estimated population of 213,849 in 2017.It is the principal city of a metropolitan statistical area which encompasses all of Doña Ana County and is part of the largerEl Paso–Las Cruces combined statistical areawith a population of 1,088,420, making it the 56th-largest combined statistical area in the United States.
Las Cruces is the economic and geographic center of theMesilla Valley, the agricultural region on the floodplain of theRio Grande, which extends fromHatchto the west side ofEl Paso, Texas. Las Cruces is the home ofNew Mexico State University(NMSU), New Mexico's onlyland-grant university. The city's major employer is the federal government on nearbyWhite Sands Test FacilityandWhite Sands Missile Range. TheOrgan Mountains, 10 miles (16 km) to the east, are dominant in the city's landscape, along with theDoña Ana Mountains,Robledo Mountains, and Picacho Peak. Las Cruces lies 225 mi (362 km) south of Albuquerque, 42 mi (68 km) northwest of El Paso, Texas, and 41 mi (66 km) north of theMexican borderatSunland Park.
Spaceport America, which has corporate offices in Las Cruces, operates from 55 mi (89 km) to the north; it has completed several successful crewed, suborbital flights. The city is also the headquarters forVirgin Galactic, the world's first company to offersuborbital spaceflights.
During theMexican–American War, theBattle of El Bracitowas fought nearby on Christmas Day, 1846. The settlement of Las Cruces was founded in 1849, when theUS Armyfirst surveyed the town, thus opening up the area for American settlement. The town was first surveyed as the result of the American acquisition of the land surrounding Las Cruces, which later became theNew Mexico Territory. This land had been ceded to the United States as a result of theTreaty of Guadalupe Hidalgoof 1848, which ended the Mexican-American War.The town was named "Las Cruces" after three crosses which were once located just north of the town.
Initially, Mesilla became the leading settlement of the area, with more than 2,000 residents in 1860, more than twice what Las Cruces had; at that time, Mesilla had a population primarily of Mexican descent.When theAtchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railwayreached the area, the landowners of Mesilla refused to sell it the rights-of-way, and instead residents of Las Cruces donated the rights-of-way and land for a depot in Las Cruces.The first train reached Las Cruces in 1881.Las Cruces was not affected as strongly by the train as some other villages, as it was not a terminus or a crossroads, but the population did grow to 2,300 in the 1880s. Las Cruces was incorporated as a town in 1907.
Pat Garrettis best known for his involvement in theLincoln County War, but he also worked in Las Cruces on a famous case, the disappearance ofAlbert Jennings Fountainin 1896.
New Mexico State Universitywas founded in 1888, and it has grown as Las Cruces has grown. The growth of Las Cruces has been attributed to the university, government jobs, and recent retirees.
The establishment ofWhite Sands Missile Rangein 1944 andWhite Sands Test Facilityin 1963 has been integral to population growth. Las Cruces is the nearest city to each, and they provide Las Cruces' workforce with many high-paying, stable, government jobs. In recent years, the influx of retirees from out of state has also increased Las Cruces' population.
In the 1960s, Las Cruces undertook a largeurban renewalproject, intended to convert the old downtown into a modern city center.As part of this, St.Genevieve's Catholic Church, built in 1859, was razed to make way for a downtownpedestrian mall.The original covered walkways have been removed in favor of a more traditional main-street thoroughfare.
On February 10, 1990, seven people were shot, four fatally, in theLas Cruces bowling alley massacre.  The incident remains unsolved.
The approximate elevation of Las Cruces is 3,908 feet (1,191 m) above mean sea level.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 76.6 square miles (198.5 km), of which 0.2 square miles (0.4 km), or 0.18%, is covered by water.
Las Cruces is the center of the Organ Caldera; theDoña Ana Mountainsto the north and theOrgan Mountainsto the east are its margins.Its major eruption was 32Ma.
Doña Ana County lies within theChihuahuan Desertecoregion, and the vegetation surrounding the built portions of the city are typical of this setting; it includes creosote bush (Larrea tridentata), soaptree (Yucca elata), tarbush (Flourensia cernua), broom dalea (Psorothamnusscoparius), and various desert grasses such as tobosa (Hilaria muticaorPleuraphis mutica) and black grama (Bouteloua eriopoda).
TheRio Grandebisects the Mesilla Valley and passes west of Las Cruces proper, supplying irrigation water for the intensive agriculture surrounding the city.Since the institution of water rights, though, the Rio Grande fills its banks only when water is released from upstream dams, which before 2020 usually occurred at least from March to September.Droughtconditions,exacerbated by climate change, mean that the Rio Grande experiences increasingly short or small flows.
Prior to farming and ranching, desert shrub vegetation extended into the valley from the adjacent deserts, including extensive stands of tornillo (Prosopis pubescens) and catclaw acacia (Acacia greggii). Desert grasslands extend in large part between the edges of Las Cruces and the lower slopes of the nearby Organ and Robledo Mountains, where grasses and assorted shrubs and cacti dominate large areas of this mostly rangeland, as well as the occasional large-lot subdivision housing.
The desert and desert grassland uplands surrounding both sides of the Mesilla Valley are often dissected witharroyos, dry streams that often carry water following heavy thunderstorms. These arroyos often contain scattered small trees, and they serve as wildlife corridors between Las Cruces' urban areas and adjacent deserts or mountains.
Unlike many cities its size, Las Cruces lacks a true central business district, because in the 1960s, an urban-renewal project tore down a large part of the original downtown. Many chain stores and national restaurants are located in the rapidly developing east side. Las Cruces' shopping mall and a variety of retail stores and restaurants are located in this area.
The historic downtown of the city is the area around Main Street, a six-block stretch of which was closed off in 1973 to form a pedestrianized shopping area. The downtown mall has an extensive farmers' market each Wednesday and Saturday mornings, where a variety of foods and cultural items can be purchased from numerous small stands that are set up by local farmers, artists, and craftspeople.This area also contains museums, businesses, restaurants, churches, art galleries, and theaters, which add a great deal to the changing character of Las Cruces' historic downtown.
In August 2005, amaster planwas adopted, the centerpiece of which was the restoration of narrow lanes of two-way traffic on this model portion of Main Street, which was reopened to vehicular traffic in 2012.
In February 2013, Las Cruces MayorKen Miyagishimaannounced during his "State of the City" address that a 700-acre (280 ha) park in the area behind the Las Cruces Dam was under construction, in cooperation with theArmy Corps of Engineers. The area features trails through restored wetlands, and serves as a major refuge formigratory birdsand a key recreational area for the city.
Las Cruces has acool desert climate(KöppenBWk). Winters alternate between colder and windier weather following trough and frontal passages, and warmer, sunnier periods; light freezes occur 69 nights on average. Spring months can be windy, particularly in the afternoons, sometimes causing periods of blowing dust and short-lived dust storms. Summers begin with the hottest weather of the year, with some extended periods of over 100 °F (37.8 °C) temperatures not uncommon, while the latter half of the summer has increased humidity and frequent afternoon thunderstorms, with slightly lower daytime temperatures. Autumns feature decreasing temperatures and precipitation.
Precipitation is very light from October to June, with only occasional winter storm systems bringing any precipitation to the Las Cruces area. Most winter moisture is in the form of rain, though some light snowfalls happen most winters, usually enough to accumulate and stay on the ground for a few hours. Summer precipitation is often from heavy thunderstorms, especially from the late summermonsoonweather pattern.
Since records began in 1892, the lowest temperature recorded at New Mexico State University has been −10 °F (−23.3 °C) on January 11, 1962 – though only 10 nights have ever fallen to or below 0 °F (−17.8 °C) – and the highest 110 °F (43.3 °C) on June 28, 1994. The lowest maximum on record is 16 °F (−8.9 °C) on January 28, 1948, and the highest minimum 83 °F (28.3 °C) on June 8, 2024. The wettest calendar year has been 1941 with 19.60 inches (497.8 mm), although 1905 with 17.09 in (434.1 mm) is the only other year to exceed 15 in (380 mm). The only months to exceed 6 in (150 mm) have been September 1941 with 7.53 in (191.3 mm) and August 1935 with 7.41 in (188.2 mm). The wettest single day has been August 30, 1935, with 6.49 in (164.8 mm) and the driest calendar year 1970 with 3.44 in (87.4 mm).
As of the 2020 census, Las Cruces had a population of 111,385.
Estimates for 2019 indicate that Las Cruces had a population of 103,432. Its demographics were 32.5%non-Hispanic White, 2.8%African Americanor Black, 1.4%Native American, 1.8%Asian, and  2.9% from two or more races: 60.5% wereHispanics or Latinosof any race. The 39,925 households had an average household size of 2.51 people each. Median household income was $43,022, and the level of people in poverty was 23.6%.
As of the 2010, census Las Cruces had a population of 97,618.The ethnic and racial makeup of the population was:
As of thecensusof 2000, 74,267 people, 29,184 households, and 18,123 families were residing in the city. The population density was 1,425.7 inhabitants per square mile (550.5/km). The 31,682 housing units had an average density of 608.2 per square mile (234.8/km). The racial makeup of the city was 69.0%White, 2.3%African American, 1.7%Native American, 1.2%Asian, 0.1%Pacific Islander, 21.6% fromother races, and 4.1% from two or more races.HispanicorLatinoof any race were 51.7% of the population.
Of the 29,184 households, 30.4% had children under 18 living with them, 42.3% were married couples living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.9% were not families. About 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the city, the age distribution was 25.1% under 18, 16.0% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,375, and for a family was $37,670. Males had a median income of $30,923 versus $21,759 for females. Theper capita incomefor the city was $15,704. About 17.2% of families and 23.3% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 30.7% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.
Major employers in Las Cruces include New Mexico State University,Las Cruces Public Schools, the City of Las Cruces,Memorial Medical Center,Walmart,MountainView Regional Medical Center,Doña Ana County,Doña Ana Community College, Addus HealthCare, andNASA.
Movies and TV series shot in Las Cruces include:
Most of Las Cruces's cultural events are held late in the calendar year.
TheNew Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museumis state-operated and shows the history offarmingandranchingin New Mexico. It is located just east of New Mexico State University.
The New Mexico State University Arthropod Museum and Collection contains roughly 500,000arthropodspecimens.The University Museum (Kent Hall) at New Mexico State University focuses onarcheologicalandethnographiccollections and also has some history and natural-science collections.
The Zuhl Museum (located in the Alumni and Visitors' Center) at New Mexico State University focuses ongeologiccollections, including the finest collection ofpetrified woodon display and a largefossilandmineralcollection.
The four city-owned museums include the Branigan Cultural Center, which examines local history through photographs, sculpture, paintings, and poetry. The building is on theNational Register of Historic Places. The Las Cruces Museum of Art offers art exhibits and classes. The Las Cruces Museum of Natural History makes science and natural history more accessible to the general public and has an emphasis on local animals and plants. The Las Cruces Railroad Museum is in the historic Santa Fe Railroad station. It exhibits the impact of the railroads on the local area.
The Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra is an 80-memberorchestra, conducted by Dr. Ming Luke.The orchestra consists of 47% students, 17% NMSU faculty, 20% other local musicians, and 16% professionals from outside Las Cruces.The venue of the orchestra is the NMSU Music Center Recital Hall.The orchestra received attention with the world premiere ofBill McGlaughlin'sRemembering Icarus, a tribute to local radio pioneer Ralph Willis Goddard, performed by the LCSO on October 1, 2005.The performance was taped and broadcast nationally onNPR'sPerformance Todayon December 9, 2005and on July 4, 2007, onPerformance Todayand onSirius Satellite Radio.
Severalwater tanksin Las Cruces have been painted withmuralsby Tony Pennock, including one at the intersection of Triviz Drive and Griggs Avenue.Multimedia artist group Keep Adding has a large mural titledWave Neston Picacho Avenue at the Lion's Park.
TheCathedral of the Immaculate Heart of Maryis the mother church of theRoman Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces.
Las Cruces is the home of Vado Speedway Park, a 3/8th-mile dirt track that host the annual Wild West Shootout.
At the university level, theNew Mexico State Aggiescompete inConference USAfor various sports, such as men's and women's basketball, as well as football. Aggies men's basketball has had a rich history of success. Between 2010 and 2019, the Aggies made theNCAA tournamenteight times. The team also reached theFinal Fourof the tournament in 1970. The 2014-15 NMSU women's basketball team reached the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1988, when it won both the WAC regular season and tournament championships.
The Las Cruces Kings have been a long running semiprofessional football team in the city.
Beginning in the 2010 season, theLas Cruces Vaqueroswere the first professional sports team in Las Cruces. In the 2011 season, the Vaqueros joined the Pecos League of Professional Baseball Clubsagainst the White Sands Pupfish, Roswell Invaders, Ruidoso Osos, Alpine Cowboys and Carlsbad Bats.The Vaqueros played in the Pecos League of Professional Baseball Clubs for the 2011–2013 seasons. The team returned for the 2015 season, but structural damage to their home ballpark in January 2016 forced them to sit out the 2016 season. They planned to return for the 2017 season.
Las Cruces operates 87 city parks, 18 tennis courts, and four golf courses.A list of parks, with facilities and maps, is available.
Las Cruces holds aCiclovía, a citywide event featuring exercise and physical activities, on the last Sunday of each month at Meerscheidt Recreation Center.
The New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum is a 47-acre (190,000 m2) interactive museum that chronicles the New Mexico's 3,000-year history of farming and ranching. The museum is part of theNew Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs.
Las Cruces is acharter city(also called a home rule city) and has acouncil–managerform of government.The city council consists of sixcouncilorsand themayor, who chairs the meetings.The mayor is elected at-large, and each of the city councilors represents one neighborhood district within the city.Each resident of Las Cruces is thus represented by the mayor and by one city councilor. The mayor and city council members serve staggered four-year terms. As of the 2024, the mayor is Eric Enriquez. Councilors are Cassie McClure, Dist. 1; Bill Mattiace, Dist. 2; Becki Graham, Dist. 3; Johana Bencomo, Dist. 4; Becky Corran, Dist. 5; Yvonne Flores, Dist. 6.Live and archived video of city council meetings are available anytime atLas Cruces, NM.In the November 2019 municipal election, ranked-choice voting was used for the first time.
Public schoolsare in theLas Cruces Public School District, which covers the city of Las Cruces, as well as White Sands Missile Range, the settlement ofDoña Ana, and the town ofMesilla. The system has 26 elementary schools, nine middle schools, and six high schools. Of the high schools, Rio Grande Preparatory is analternativehigh school.
Fourcharter schoolsare within the Las Cruces Public Schools. Alma d'arte is a high school with a focus on an integrated arts curriculum. Las Montañas is a charter high school that opened in fall 2007 and caters to at-risk students. New America High School offers schooling for young and older adults who want to go back to school for their diploma or GED. Academia Dolores Huerta Middle School is the only recognizeddual languageprogram in the state.
New Mexico School for the Deafoperates a preschool facility in Las Cruces.
FiveprivateChristian schoolsoperate in Las Cruces.College Heights Kindergarten is a private Christiankindergarten, founded in 1954.Desert Springs Christian Academy,Las Cruces Catholic Schools,Mesilla Valley Christian School, and a small independent Baptist school called Cornerstone Christian Academyare other Christian schools in the area.
Asecularnonprofit private school, Las Cruces Academy offers kindergarten through grade eight, with plans to eventually enroll up to grade 12.
New Mexico State University (NMSU) is a land-grant university that has its main campus in Las Cruces.The school was founded in 1888 as Las Cruces College, an agricultural college, and in 1889, the school became New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. It received its present name, New Mexico State University, in 1960. The NMSU Las Cruces campus had about 18,500 students enrolled as of fall 2012, and had a faculty-to-student ratio of about one to 19. NMSU offers a wide range of programs, and awards associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees through its main campus and four community colleges. For 10 consecutive years, NMSU has been rated as one of America's 100 Best College Buys for offering "the very highest quality education at the lowest cost" by Institutional Research & Evaluation Inc., an independent research and consulting organization for higher education. NMSU is one of only two land-grant institutions classified as Hispanic-serving by the federal government. The university is home to New Mexico's NASA Space Grant Program and is one of 52 institutions in the United States to be designated a Space Grant College. During its most recent review by NASA, NMSU was one of only 12 space grant programs in the country to receive an excellent rating.
The Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine(BCOM), a private osteopathic medical school, opened on the campus of NMSU in 2013. The first class began instruction in August 2016.
Doña Ana Community College is a branch of New Mexico State University. When it first opened in 1973, it had 500 students in six programs.In the 2015–2016 school year, there were 4,997 full-time equivalent credit enrollments and 4,246 non-credit students, served by 136 full-time faculty, 401 part-time instructors, together with 225 full-time staff and 55 part-time staff.
DACC operates centers in Anthony, Sunland Park, Chaparral, and White Sands Missile Range.In Las Cruces, its central campus is at 3400 S. Espina Street, and its East Mesa campus is at 2800 Sonoma Ranch Boulevard. Community Education is available at all centers and campuses and also in Las Cruces at the Mesquite Neighborhood Learning Center at 804 N. Tornillo, and Workforce Center at 2345 E. Nevada Street.
Thomas Branigan Memorial Libraryis the city's public library. It was constructed in 1979and has a collection of about 185,000 items.The previous library building, also called Thomas Branigan Memorial Library, opened in 1935.That building is now the Branigan Cultural Center.and is on theNational Register of Historic Places.
The two university libraries at the New Mexico State University campus, Branson Library and Zuhl Library, are open to the public. Any New Mexico resident can check out items from these libraries.
Las Cruces is part of theEl Paso – Las Cruces Designated Market Area(DMA)as defined byNielsen Media Research. The City of Las Cruces operates CLC-TV cable channel 20, an Emmy award-winning 24-hourgovernment-access television(GATV) andeducational-access televisionchannel onComcastcable TVin Las Cruces. CLC-TV televises live and recorded Las Cruces city council meetings, Doña Ana County commission meetings, and Las Cruces School board meetings. The channel had previously televisedCity Beat, a monthly news magazine, hosted by Jennifer Martinez, with information directly related to the City of Las Cruces. The program is no longer available, but segments can still be found on Youtube.com/Clctv20. Also available for viewing are health news and other government/education related programming, as well as current weather reports and road and traffic information. CLC-TV is not apublic-access televisioncable TV channel. In addition to a 2009Emmy Awardby the Rocky Mountain Southwest Chapter of theNational Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, CLC-TV received a first- and third-place award by theNational Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisorsand five national Telly Awards, four platinum and one gold.
Las Cruces Sun-Newsis a daily newspaper published in Las Cruces byDigital First Media.Las Cruces Bulletinis a weekly community newspaper published in Las Cruces by FIG Publications, LLC. It istabloidsize and covers local news, business, arts, sports, and homes.The Round Upis thestudent newspaperat NMSU. It is tabloid size and published twice weekly.The Inkis a monthly tabloid published in Las Cruces, covering the arts and community events in southern New Mexico and West Texas.
Las Cruces has one television station, thePBSoutletKRWG-TV, operated by NMSU. TheTelemundooutletKTDOis licensed in Las Cruces, but serves El Paso. The city also receives severalAlbuquerque,El Paso, andCiudad Juárezstations. Las Cruces is inNielsen Media Research's El Paso/Las Cruces televisionmedia market.
Las Cruces has one local commercial independent cable television station called "TheLas Cruces Channel" (LCC98). It can be seen on Comcast cable channel 98. LCC-98 is not a public-access television channel. The channel airs programs that are produced locally in their studio facility and by outside producers.
About 10 commercial radio stations broadcast in the Las Cruces area, running a variety offormats. Four of these stations are owned by Adams Radio Group and four are owned by Bravo Mic Communications, LLC, a Las Cruces company. The localNPRoutlet isKRWG-FM, operated by NMSU, which also operates a college radio station,KRUX.KRUCis a Spanish-language station in Las Cruces. ManyEl Pasostations are received in Las Cruces. Seelist of radio stations in New Mexicofor a complete list of stations. Las Cruces is inArbitron's Las Crucesmedia market.
Las Cruces is served by theBNSF Railway'El Paso Subdivision, which provides freight service and extends fromBelen, New MexicotoEl Paso, Texas. Passenger service on this line was discontinued in 1968, due to low ridership numbers on theAtchison, Topeka, and Santa FeRailway's (predecessor to the BNSF)El Pasoantrain.
The city operates a small transit authority known as RoadRUNNER Transit. It operates a total of eight routes, and two Aggie routes running Mondays through Saturdays.
NMDOT Park and Ride's Gold Route connects Las Cruces to El Paso on Monday through Friday during commute hours. The Silver Route connects Las Cruces to White Sands Missile Range.
South Central Regional Transit District's Green Line connects Las Cruces to Hatch, and the Red Line connects Las Cruces toAnthony.
Ztrans connects Las Cruces with Alamogordo.
Greyhound buses departing Las Cruces serve El Paso, Amarillo, Denver, Albuquerque, Phoenix, Tucson, Los Angeles, and San Diego.
The City of Las Cruces provides water, sewer, natural gas, and solid-waste services, including recycling centers.El Paso Electricis the electricity provider,CenturyLinkis the telephone land line provider, andComcastis the cable TV provider.
Memorial Medical Center is afor-profitgeneralhospitaloperated byLifePoint HospitalsInc. The physical plant is owned by the City of Las Cruces and the County of Doña Ana, which signed a 40-year, $150 million lease in 2004 with Province HealthCare, since absorbed into LifePoint.Prior to 2004, it was leased to and operated by the nonprofit Memorial Medical Center Inc.The hospital is a licensed, 286-bed,acute carefacility and is accredited byJCAHO. It offers a wide range of patient services.TheUniversity of New MexicoCancer Center-South opened in 2006 on the MMC campus. It is 5,300 square feet (490 m) and has 9 examination rooms.The original facility was called Memorial General Hospital and was opened in April 1950 at South Alameda Boulevard and Lohman Avenue after the city obtained a $250,000 federal grant. In 1971, the city and county joined to build a new hospital on South Telshor Boulevard. In 1990, it was renamed Memorial Medical Center.
MountainView Regional Medical Center is a for-profit general hospital operated byCommunity Health Systems(formerly Triad Hospitals). It opened for business in August 2002. It is a 168-bed facility with a wide range of patient services.
Mesilla Valley Hospital is a 125-bed, private, psychiatric hospital operated byUniversal Health Services. It is an acute inpatient and residential facility offering a variety of treatments forbehavioral healthissues.
Rehabilitation Hospital of Southern New Mexico is a 40-bed, rehabilitative-care hospital, operated by Ernest Health Inc. It opened January 2005. It treats patients after they have been cared for at general hospitals for injuries or strokes.
Advanced Care Hospital of Southern New Mexico is a 20-bed, long-term,acute carefacility operated by Ernest Health Inc. It opened in July 2007.
Las Cruces has twosister cities, as designated bySister Cities International:
Las Cruces Sister Cities Foundationis responsible for overseeing sister cities activities on behalf of the citizens of Las Cruces. The Foundation was created in 1989 to officially recognize a relationship that began in 1982 with exchanges between Doña Ana Community College and the Centro de Bachilleratio Technológico Industrial y de Servicios Numero 4 of Lerdo, Durango, Mexico.In 1993, a second partnership was established withNienburg, Lower Saxony, Germany, which grew from a school exchange betweenMayfield High SchoolandAlbert Schweitzer School[de].