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48-460: The Doña Ana Mountains are a small, rugged mountain range in the desert a few kilometers north of the city of Las Cruces, New Mexico and just east of the Rio Grande . The range is bounded by escarpments to the east and south. Doña Ana Peak is located in the southeastern part of the range, where it is prominent viewed from Las Cruces, and Summerford Mountain is prominent in the northeast corner of

96-477: A mountain range in Doña Ana County, New Mexico . The highest elevation in the range is Doña Ana Peak at 5,835 feet (1,779 meters), at 32°27′15″N 106°47′18″W  /  32.45417°N 106.78833°W  / 32.45417; -106.78833 . The Doña Ana Mountains are a small, rugged mountain range in the desert a few kilometers north of the city of Las Cruces, New Mexico and just east of

144-513: A household in the city was $ 30,375, and the median income for a family was $ 37,670. Males had a median income of $ 30,923 versus $ 21,759 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 15,704. About 17.2% of families and 23.3% of the population were below the poverty 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 ,

192-410: A key recreational area for the city. Las Cruces has a cool desert climate ( Köppen BWk ). 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

240-544: 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. However, 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 morning, where

288-498: 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, a master plan was adopted, the centerpiece of which was the restoration of narrow lanes of two-way traffic on this model portion of Main Street. Main Street

336-472: Is a charter city (also called a home rule city) and has a council–manager form of government. The city council consists of six councillors and the mayor , 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

384-564: Is available. Las Cruces holds a Ciclovía , 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 the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs . Las Cruces

432-551: Is located just east of New Mexico State University . The New Mexico State University Arthropod Museum and Collection contains approximately 500,000 arthropod specimens. The University Museum (Kent Hall) at New Mexico State University focuses on archeological and ethnographic collections 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 on geologic collections, including

480-636: Is part of the larger El Paso–Las Cruces combined statistical area with 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 the Mesilla Valley , the agricultural region on the floodplain of the Rio Grande which extends from Hatch to the west side of El Paso, Texas . Las Cruces is the home of New Mexico State University (NMSU), New Mexico's only land-grant university . The city's major employer

528-438: Is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico and the seat of Doña Ana County . As of the 2020 census the 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

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576-483: Is the federal government on nearby White Sands Test Facility and White Sands Missile Range . The Organ Mountains , 10 miles (16 km) to the east, are dominant in the city's landscape, along with the Doña Ana Mountains , Robledo Mountains , and Picacho Peak. Las Cruces lies 225 miles (362 km) south of Albuquerque, 42 miles (68 km) northwest of El Paso, Texas and 41 miles (66 km) north of

624-418: 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 large urban renewal project, intended to convert the old downtown into a modern city center. As part of this, St. Genevieve 's Catholic Church, built in 1859,

672-501: The Chihuahuan Desert ecoregion, 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 ( Psorothamnus scoparius ), and various desert grasses such as tobosa ( Hilaria mutica or Pleuraphis mutica ) and black grama ( Bouteloua eriopoda ). The Rio Grande bisects

720-628: The Mexican border at Sunland Park . Spaceport America , which has corporate offices in Las Cruces, operates from 55 miles (89 km) to the north; it has completed several successful crewed, sub-orbital flights. The city is also the headquarters for Virgin Galactic , the world's first company to offer sub-orbital spaceflights . During the Mexican–American War , the Battle of El Bracito

768-526: 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 the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway reached

816-824: The Palm Park Formation , which were erupted about 43 million years ago. The southern part of the range exposes part of the Dona Ana caldera , which formed during the eruption of the Dona Ana Rhyolite about 36 million years ago. Beds of the Dona Ana Rhyolite ash flow tuff are up to 440 meters (1,440 ft) thick. The Summerford Mountain sill was intruded somewhat later, at around 33 million years ago. The mountains contain limited volcanic- epithermal vein deposits. These are minerals deposited in fractures by hot groundwater associated with

864-424: The Rio Grande . The range is bounded by escarpments to the east and south. Doña Ana Peak is located in the southeastern part of the range, where it is prominent viewed from Las Cruces, and Summerford Mountain is prominent in the northeast corner of the range. The range is heavily eroded and largely barren of vegetation, exposing some 130 square kilometers (50 sq mi) of bedrock. The mountains were formed in

912-627: The United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 76.6 square miles (198.5 km ), of which 76.5 square miles (198.1 km ) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km ), or 0.18%, is water. Las Cruces is the center of the Organ Caldera; the Doña Ana Mountains to the north and the Organ Mountains to the east are its margins. Its major eruption was 32  Ma . Doña Ana County lies within

960-501: 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 at Las Cruces, NM . In the November 2019 municipal election, Ranked Choice Voting was used for the first time. Do%C3%B1a Ana Mountains The Doña Ana Mountains are

1008-495: The City of Las Cruces, Memorial Medical Center , Walmart , MountainView Regional Medical Center , Doña Ana County , Doña Ana Community College , Addus HealthCare, and NASA . Movies and TV series shot in Las Cruces include: Most of Las Cruces's cultural events are held late in the calendar year. The New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum is state-operated and shows the history of farming and ranching in New Mexico. It

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1056-450: The Dona Ana Rhyolite about 36 million years ago. Beds of the Dona Ana Rhyolite ash flow tuff are up to 440 meters (1,440 ft) thick. The Summerford Mountain sill was intruded somewhat later, at around 33 million years ago. The mountains contain limited volcanic- epithermal vein deposits. These are minerals deposited in fractures by hot groundwater associated with the Dona Ana caldera. Limited mining of these deposits took place during

1104-535: 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 summer monsoon weather 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 ten nights have ever fallen to or below 0 °F (−17.8 °C) – and

1152-654: The Mesilla Valley and passes west of Las Cruces proper, supplying irrigation water for the intensive agriculture surrounding the city. However, since the institution of water rights, 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. Drought conditions, 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

1200-421: The Mesilla Valley are often dissected with arroyos , 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. This is because in the 1960s an urban-renewal project tore down

1248-715: 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 semi-professional football team in the city. Beginning in the 2010 season, the Las Cruces Vaqueros were the first ever professional sports team in Las Cruces. In the 2011 season the Vaqueros joined the Pecos League of Professional Baseball Clubs against

1296-620: 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 plan 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,

1344-400: 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

1392-563: The city was 69.0% White , 2.3% African American , 1.7% Native American , 1.2% Asian , 0.1% Pacific Islander , 21.6% from other races , and 4.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 51.7% of the population. There were 29,184 households, out of which 30.4% had children under the age of 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 non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.9% had someone living alone who

1440-538: The driest calendar year 1970 with 3.44 inches (87.4 mm). As of the 2020 census Las Cruces had a population of 111,385. Estimates for 2019 say that Las Cruces had a population of 103,432. Its demographics were 32.5% Non-Hispanic White , 2.8% African American or Black, 1.4% Native American , 1.8% Asian , 0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 2.9% Two or more races, 60.5% Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 39,925 households with an average household size of 2.51 people per household. Median household income

1488-538: The early 1900s, producing just $ 5000 in copper, silver, and gold. There is limited potential for lead-zinc, gold skarn , and carbonate-hosted replacement ores at depth below the surface. Marble has been quarried in small amounts for crushed stone from the mountains. 32°28′36″N 106°47′43″W  /  32.47667°N 106.79528°W  / 32.47667; -106.79528 Las Cruces, New Mexico Las Cruces ( / l ɑː s ˈ k r uː s ɪ s / ; Spanish: [las 'kruses] "the crosses")

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1536-530: The finest collection of petrified wood on display and a large fossil and mineral collection. There are four city-owned museums. The Branigan Cultural Center examines local history through photographs, sculpture, paintings, and poetry. The building is on the National 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

1584-444: 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-member orchestra , 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

1632-625: 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 inches (434.1 mm) is the only other year to exceed 15 inches (380 mm). The only months to exceed 6 inches (150 mm) have been September 1941 with 7.53 inches (191.3 mm) and August 1935 with 7.41 inches (188.2 mm). The wettest single day has been August 30, 1935 with 6.49 inches (164.8 mm) and

1680-455: 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 sees increased humidity and frequent afternoon thunderstorms, with slightly lower daytime temperatures. Autumns feature decreasing temperatures and decreasing precipitation. Precipitation is very light from October to June, with only occasional winter storm systems bringing any precipitation to

1728-599: The intersection of Triviz Drive and Griggs Avenue. Multimedia artist group Keep Adding have a large mural titled Wave Nest on Picacho Avenue at the Lion's Park. The Cathedral of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces . Las Cruces is the home of Vado Speedway Park, a 3/8ths of a mile dirt track that host the annual Wild West Shootout. At

1776-568: The late Tertiary as a fault block , which was uplifted on the east side along the Jornada fault and subsided to the west along the Robledo fault. This tilted the block by about 15 degrees towards the west. The northern part of the mountains is underlain by Pennsylvanian and Permian sedimentary rock , with a large syenite sill at Summerford Mountain. The middle section is Eocene lava flows and volcaniclastics (broken volcanic debris) of

1824-408: The mountains is underlain by Pennsylvanian and Permian sedimentary rock , with a large syenite sill at Summerford Mountain. The middle section is Eocene lava flows and volcaniclastics (broken volcanic debris) of the Palm Park Formation , which were erupted about 43 million years ago. The southern part of the range exposes part of the Dona Ana caldera , which formed during the eruption of

1872-677: The orchestra is the NMSU Music Center Recital Hall. The orchestra received attention with the world premiere of Bill McGlaughlin 's Remembering 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 on NPR 's Performance Today on December 9, 2005 and on July 4, 2007, on Performance Today and on Sirius Satellite Radio . Several water tanks in Las Cruces have been painted with murals by Tony Pennock, including one at

1920-403: The range. The range is heavily eroded and largely barren of vegetation, exposing some 130 square kilometers (50 sq mi) of bedrock. The mountains were formed in the late Tertiary as a fault block , which was uplifted on the east side along the Jornada fault and subsided to the west along the Robledo fault. This tilted the block by about 15 degrees towards the west. The northern part of

1968-704: The university level, the New Mexico State Aggies compete in Conference USA for 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 the NCAA tournament eight times. The team also reached the Final Four of the tournament in 1970. The 2014-15 NMSU women's basketball team reached

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2016-492: 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

2064-487: Was $ 43,022, and the percentage 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 the census of 2000, there were 74,267 people, 29,184 households, and 18,123 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,425.7 inhabitants per square mile (550.5/km ). There were 31,682 housing units at an average density of 608.2 per square mile (234.8/km ). The racial makeup of

2112-450: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.05. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.1% under the age of 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 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males. The median income for

2160-686: Was fought nearby on Christmas Day, 1846. The settlement of Las Cruces was founded in 1849 when the US Army first 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 the New Mexico Territory . This land had been ceded to the United States as a result of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo of 1848, which ended

2208-644: Was incorporated as a town in 1907. Pat Garrett is best known for his involvement in the Lincoln County War , but he also worked in Las Cruces on a famous case, the disappearance of Albert Jennings Fountain in 1896. New Mexico State University was 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 of White Sands Missile Range in 1944 and White Sands Test Facility in 1963 has been integral to population growth. Las Cruces

2256-461: Was razed to make way for a downtown pedestrian 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 the Las Cruces bowling alley massacre . The incident remains unsolved. The approximate elevation of Las Cruces is 3,908 feet (1,191 m) above sea level. According to

2304-522: Was reopened to vehicular traffic in 2012. In February 2013, Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima announced 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 the Army Corps of Engineers . The area features trails through restored wetlands and serves as a major refuge for migratory birds and

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