Las Cruces, New Mexico

Las Cruces
—  City  —
City of Las Cruces
Las Cruces from I-10
Nickname(s): The City of the Crosses
Motto: People Helping People
Location in the state of New Mexico
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	New Mexico
County	Dona Ana
Founded	1849
Incorporated	1907[1]:135
Government
- Type	Council-Manager
- Mayor	Ken Miyagishima
- City Manager	Terrence Moore
Area
- City	76.31 sq mi (122.81 km2)
- Land	76.29 sq mi (122.77 km2)
- Water	0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2)
Elevation	4,000 ft (1,219 m)
Population (2009)[2][3]
- City	93,570
- Metro	201,603 (MSA)
Time zone	Mountain (UTC-7)
- Summer (DST)	DST (UTC-6)
Area code(s)	575
FIPS code	35-39380
GNIS feature ID	0899715
Website	www.las-cruces.org

Las Cruces, also known as "The City of the Crosses", is the county seat of Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 74,267 as of the 2000 Census, and was estimated at 93,570 as of July 1, 2009,^[2] making it the second largest city in the state. Las Cruces is the economic and geographic center of the fertile Mesilla Valley, which is the agricultural region on the flood plain of the Rio Grande which extends from Hatch, New Mexico to the west side of El Paso, Texas. Las Cruces is also the home of New Mexico State University (NMSU), New Mexico's only land grant university. The city's major employer is the federal government on nearby White Sands Test Facility and White Sands Missile Range. Recently the city has been home to many of the retired from across the country. The majestic Organ Mountains, ten miles to the east, are dominant in the city's landscape, along with the Doña Ana Mountains, Robledo Mountains, and Picacho Peak.

Contents 1 History 2 Geography 2.1 Layout 2.2 Climate 3 Demographics 3.1 Census 2000 data 3.2 2008 estimates 4 Economy 4.1 Film and television shoots 5 Arts and culture 5.1 Annual events 5.2 Venues 5.2.1 Museums 5.2.2 Symphony 5.3 Other points of interest 5.4 Nearby points of interest 6 Sports 7 Parks and recreation 8 Government 9 Education 9.1 Public schools 9.2 Private schools 9.3 Colleges and universities 9.3.1 Four-year 9.3.2 Two-year 9.4 Libraries 10 Media 11 Infrastructure 11.1 Transportation 11.1.1 Airports 11.1.2 Major highways 11.1.3 Rail 11.1.4 Bus Transit 11.2 Utilities 11.3 Healthcare 11.3.1 Hospitals 11.3.2 General clinics 11.3.3 Urgent care 12 Notable natives and residents 13 References in popular culture 14 Sister cities 15 See also 16 References 17 External links

History

The area where Las Cruces rose was previously inhabited by the Manso people, with the Mescalero Apache living nearby.^[1]:19 The area was later colonized by the Spanish beginning in 1598, when Juan de Oñate claimed all territory north of the Rio Grande for New Spain and later became the first governor of the Spanish territory of New Mexico.^[1]:20–21

The area remained under New Spain control until September 28, 1821 when the first Mexican Empire claimed ownership. The area was also claimed by the Republic of Texas during this time until the end of the Mexican-American War in 1846-48. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 established the United States as owner of this territory and Las Cruces was founded in 1849 when the US Army laid out the town plans.^[1]:36,40

Mesilla became the leading settlement of the area, with more than 2,000 residents in 1860, more than twice what Las Cruces had.^[1]:48 When the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway reached 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.^[1]:58 The first train reached Las Cruces in 1881.^[1]:62 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.^{[1]:135[1]:63}

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.^[1]:68

Growth of Las Cruces has been attributed to the university, government jobs and recently retirees. New Mexico State University was founded in 1888. And as it has grown as Las Cruces has grown. The establishment of White Sands Missile Range in 1944 and White Sands Test Facility in 1963 have both been integral to growth because Las Cruces is the nearest city to each and provide many high paying, stable government jobs. In recent years the influx of retirees from out of state has 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.^[1]:115 As part of this, St. Genevieve's Catholic Church, built in 1859, was torn down to make way for a Downtown Pedestrian Mall.^{[1]:44,75,115} The original covered walkways are now being removed in favor of a more traditional main street thoroughfare.

The origin of the city's name is unknown. In Spanish "Las Cruces" means "the crosses". (Some have claimed an alternative meaning of "the crossroads" but this is grammatically implausible, as "cruce", the singular form of crossroad, is masculine and the phrase would be "Los Cruces".)

Geography

The approximate elevation of Las Cruces is 3,908 feet (1,191 m) above sea level.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 52.2 square miles (135 km²), of which 52.1 square miles (135 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) (0.25%) is water.

Las Cruces is the center of the Organ Caldera, the Doña Ana Mountains and the Organ Mountains are its margins.^[4] Its major eruption was 32 Ma.^[5]

Dona Ana County lies within 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 the Mesilla Valley and Las Cruces proper, supplying irrigation water for the intensive agriculture surrounding the city. 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 with arroyos, which are 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.

Layout

Unlike many cities its size, Las Cruces lacks a true central business district. This is because in the 1960s a large urban renewal project tore down a large part of the original downtown. Most Las Cruceans would agree that the modern "heart" of the city, where most stores and restaurants are located, is the rapidly developing eastside area running north and south along Telshor Boulevard and east and west along Lohman Avenue. Las Cruces' only 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 the "Downtown Mall", a pedestrianized shopping area. The downtown mall has a farmers market each Wednesday and Saturday morning, where a variety of foods and cultural items can be purchased from a few small stands that are set up by local farmers, artists, and craftspeople. It also contains some businesses, churches, art galleries and theaters, which add a great deal to the changing character of Las Cruces by continuing to exist in the historic downtown.

Plans to re-open the whole mall to vehicular traffic besides the completed one-block example have drawn criticism from people who feel the multi-million dollar project is too costly and from others who enjoy the aesthetics, usually quiet, and the ever important shade of the fully covered area of the pedestrian mall. Nevertheless, the mall's north and south entrances have been torn down. Furthermore, in August 2005, a master plan was adopted, the centerpiece of which is the restoration of narrow lanes of two-way traffic on this model portion of Main Street shown to the right.

Las Cruces
Climate chart ()
J F M A M J J A S O N D     0.5   57 26     0.4   62 30     0.2   69 36     0.2   77 43     0.3   85 51     0.7   94 60     1.4   94 67     2.3   91 64     1.4   86 58     0.9   78 45     0.5   66 34     0.7   58 27 average max. and min. temperatures in °F precipitation totals in inches source: Weather.com / NWS
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     13   14 -3     10   17 -1     5.1   21 2     5.1   25 6     7.6   29 11     18   34 16     36   34 19     58   33 18     36   30 14     23   26 7     13   19 1     18   14 -3 average max. and min. temperatures in °C precipitation totals in mm

Climate

Las Cruces is classified as an arid, subtropical climate, with evapotranspiration being over twice the average precipitation. Winters alternate between cool and windy weather following trough and frontal passages, with warm, sunny periods in between; light frosts occur many nights. Spring months are warm and can be windy, particularly in the afternoons, sometimes causing periods of blowing dust and short-lived dust storms. Summers begin with hot weather, with some extended periods of over 100 °F (38 °C) weather not uncommon, while the latter half of the summer seeing increased humidity and frequent afternoon thunderstorms, with slightly lower daytime temperatures. Autumns quickly cool into warm to mild weather, and precipitation decreases.

Precipitation is often light from fall to spring, with some winter storm systems bringing steady precipitation to the Las Cruces area. Most winter moisture is in the form of rain, though some light snow falls most winters, usually enough to accumulate and stay on the ground for a few hours, at most. Warm season precipitation is often from heavy showers, especially from the late summer monsoon weather pattern.

Demographics

Census 2000 data

As of the census^[6] 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 people per square mile (550.5/km²). There were 31,682 housing units at an average density of 608.2/sq mi (234.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 69.01% White, 2.34% African American, 1.74% Native American, 1.16% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 21.59% from other races, and 4.10% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 51.73% 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 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 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.

2008 estimates

Las Cruces and the Las Cruces Metropolitan Statistical Area's July 1, 2008 populations were estimated at 91,865 and 201,603 respectively by the United States Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program.^[7][3]

Economy

Film and television shoots

Movies and TV series shot in Las Cruces include:

• The 2 hour pilot episode for the TV series Cannon was shot in and around Las Cruces.
• In 1970 the movie Up in the Cellar was shot in and around Las Cruces and New Mexico State University. The film features scenes where buildings were destroyed and a radio station transmitter tower is destroyed. (This was actually part of an urban renewal project that removed a large part of "Old" Downtown Las Cruces.) The film stars Larry Hagman.
• The 1964 pilot Calhoun: County Agent, starring Jackie Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck, was filmed in and around Las Cruces, but never aired.^[8] The process of writing and shooting the pilot is the subject of Merle Miller and Evan Rhodes's book Only You, Dick Daring!^[9]
• A scene for the movie Twins was filmed at Las Cruces International Airport, where Arnold Schwarzenegger's character catches a flight to try and catch up to his twin brother, played by Danny DeVito.
• Several scenes from the movie Traffic were filmed outside the Las Cruces International Airport.
• The 1984 movie Raw Courage (Ronny Cox, Art Hindle, and M. Emmet Walsh) was filmed in and around Las Cruces.
• In December 2009, Due Date with Robert Downey Jr was filmed here
• In 2007-08, the movie The Burning Plain by Guillermo Arriaga was filmed in and around Las Cruces.

Arts and culture

Annual events

Most of Las Cruces's cultural events occur late in the year.^[10]

The Border Book Festival occurs the last weekend in April. It features a trade show, readings, workshops, panels, lucha libre, and family storytelling.^[11][12] The festival was founded in 1994 by authors Denise Chávez and Susan Tweit, and Chávez is the Executive Director of the festival.^[13]

The Whole Enchilada Fiesta, held the last weekend in September, is southern New Mexico's most popular festival, with about 50,000 people attending each year. The centerpiece is the making of a large flat enchilada. The fiesta started in 1980 with a 6-foot (1.8 m) diameter enchilada, and it has grown over the years. In 2000 the fiesta's 10+¹⁄₂-foot-diameter (3.2 m) enchilada was certified by Guinness World Records as the world's largest. After the enchilada is assembled it is cut into many pieces and served to the fiesta attendees. The enchilada is the brainchild of local restaurant owner Roberto V. Estrada, who directs its preparation each year. The celebration also features a parade, live music, art and crafts, athletic events, a carnival, and a car and motorcycle show.^[14][15]

The Southern New Mexico State Fair, usually held the first week in October at the fairgrounds west of Las Cruces, promotes traditional agriculture. Boasting one of the largest Junior Livestock Shows in the state, the fair invites youth from six counties in New Mexico and Texas to participate.

The local Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos), originated in Mexico, and is a celebration of the lives of those now dead. It is held November 1–2. Activity is held at the plaza in Mesilla, and the Branigan Cultural Center in downtown Las Cruces.

The Renaissance ArtsFaire, founded in 1971, includes a juried art show and is put on the by the Doña Ana Arts Council each year in November.^[16]

Venues

Museums

The New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum is state-operated and shows the history of farming and ranching in New Mexico. It is located just east of New Mexico State University.^[17]

The University Museum at New Mexico State University focuses on archeological and ethnographic collections and also has some history and natural science collections.^[18]

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. 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. Las Cruces Railroad Museum is in the historic Santa Fe Railroad depot. It exhibits the impact of the railroads on the local area.^[19]

The New Mexico Veterans Museum, a new state-owned museum, was announced in August 2008 and is planned to be constructed in Las Cruces.^[20][21]

Symphony

The Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra is an 80-member orchestra, conducted by Dr. Lonnie Klein^[22] The orchestra consists of 47% students, 17% NMSU faculty, 20% other local musicians, and 16% professionals from outside Las Cruces.^[23] The venue of the orchestra is the NMSU Music Center Recital Hall.^[23] The orchestra received some notoriety with the world premiere of Bill McGlaughlin's Remembering Icarus, a tribute to local radio pioneer Ralph Willis Goddard, was performed by the LCSO on October 1, 2005.^[24] The performance was taped and broadcast nationally on NPR's Performance Today on December 9, 2005^[25] and on July 4, 2007 on Performance Today and on Sirius Satellite Radio.^[26]

Other points of interest

Several water tanks in Las Cruces have been painted with murals by Tony Pennock, including one at the intersection of Triviz Drive and Griggs Avenue.^[27][28]

Nearby points of interest

The following points of interest are within a few miles of Las Cruces:

The town of Mesilla is a suburb of Las Cruces. It avoided the urban renewal that Las Cruces went through in the 1960s^[1]:115 and still has its historic downtown plaza. The Basilica of San Albino and many shops and restaurants are on the town plaza. The Gadsden Museum is dedicated to the family of Albert Jennings Fountain and includes artifacts from the time of the Gadsden Purchase, which made Mesilla a US possession. There is a Visitor Center inside the Town Hall.^[29] The Shalam Colony and Oahspe Museum commemorates the utopian Shalam Colony that existed near Las Cruces from 1884 to 1907 and the Oahspe bible that they used.^[30][31]

The Space Murals Museum in Organ has scale models of the Space Shuttle and Space Station Freedom and some relics of the Space Age.^[32][33]

Fort Selden State Monument is a former United States Army post, active from 1865 to 1891. Buffalo soldiers were stationed here. Douglas MacArthur lived here as a boy (his father was post commander). The fort is located in Radium Springs, New Mexico, 13 miles (21 km) north of Las Cruces on Interstate 25. There is a visitor center.^[34]

White Sands Missile Range, about 20 miles (32 km) east of Las Cruces on US Highway 70, offers tourists a museum and a missile park. There is a refurbished V-2 rocket on exhibit.^[35]

Aguirre Spring Campground is a hiking area in the Organ Mountains. The entrance is on US Highway 70 on the east side of the mountains. Dripping Springs Natural Area is another hiking area, located farther south and on the west side of the mountains. Both areas are managed by the Bureau of Land Management.

Prehistoric Trackways National Monument is the nation's newest national monument and is currently being developed just northeast of Las Cruces in the Robledo Mountains. This national monument protects 280 million year old fossil footprints and trackways discovered by Jerry P. MacDonald. These trackways include tracks from numerous extinct animals such as: Dimetrodon and Edaphosaurus.

Sports

Beginning in 2010 Season the Las Cruces Vaqueros^[36] will be the first ever professional Sports Team in Las Cruces. Andrew Dunn and Ron Baron are responsible for bringing the team to Las Cruces. Games will be played at Apodoca Park from May-August. They will play in the Continental Baseball League.^[37] At the university level, the New Mexico State Aggies, the New Mexico State University teams, compete in the Western Athletic Conference.

Parks and recreation

City of Las Cruces operates 87 city parks, 18 tennis courts, and 4 golf courses.^[38]:41 A list of parks, with facilities and maps, is available.^{[38]:8 [39]}

Las Cruces holds a Ciclovía, a city-wide event featuring exercise and physical activities, on the last Sunday of each month at Meerscheidt Recreation Center.^[40]

Government

Las Cruces is a charter city^[41] (also called a home rule city) and has a council-manager form of government.^[42] The City Council consists of six City Councilors and one Mayor, who chairs the meetings.^{[41]:Article II} The Mayor is elected at-large and each of the City Councilors represents one neighborhood district within the City.^{[41]:Article II} Each resident of Las Cruces is thus represented by the Mayor and by one City Councilor. The Mayor and City Council serve staggered four-year terms. As of the 2009-2011 term, the Mayor is Ken Miyagishima. Councilors are: Miguel G. Silva, Dist. 1; Dolores Connor, Dist. 2; Olga Pedroza, Dist. 3; Nathan P. Small, Dist. 4; Gill M. Sorg, Dist. 5; Sharon K. Thomas, Mayor Pro-Tem, Dist. 6.^[43] Other city officials are: City Manager - Terrence Moore; Assistant City Manager - Robert Garza; Director of Communications - Udell Vigil; City Attorney - Fermin Rubio.

Las Cruces is going through some major construction projects downtown involving government infrastructure. There is construction for a new 6 story federal building and a new 3 story city hall. The new federal building will become Las Cruces' third tallest building upon completion in 2010.

Education

Public schools

Public schools are in the Las Cruces Public School District. The District covers the city of Las Cruces as well as White Sands Missile Range, the settlement of Doña Ana, and the town of Mesilla. The system has 24 elementary schools, seven middle schools, and five high schools. Of the high schools, San Andres High School is an alternative high school, and Mesilla Valley Training Center is a vocational high school.^[44]

There are also three charter schools within the Las Cruces Public Schools. Alma d'arte is a high school with a focus on an integrated arts curriculum. Las Montañas is new charter high school that opened in Fall 2007 and caters to at-risk students. La Academia Dolores Huerta Middle School is the only recognized dual language program in the state.^[45][46]

Private schools

There are three private Christian schools.^[44][47] College Heights Kindergarten is a private Christian kindergarten, founded in 1954.^[48] Las Cruces Catholic School^[49] and Mesilla Valley Christian School are the other two Christian schools in the area. Also, a small independent Baptist Christian school called the Cornerstone Christian Academy located at the Cornerstone Baptist Church was established in 2005.

A secular non-profit private school, Las Cruces Academy, aimed at gifted and academically advanced students, is offering grades K-5 with plans to eventually enroll grades K–12.^[47][50][51]

Colleges and universities

Four-year

New Mexico State University, or NMSU, is a land-grant university that has a campus in Las Cruces, New Mexico. 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 approximately 16,000 students enrolled as of Fall 2008, and had a faculty-to-student ratio of about 1 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.

Two-year

Dona Ana Community College is a branch of New Mexico State University. When it opened its doors 28 years ago, it served 200 students through six programs. Today, over 4,000 students are enrolled in the 25 programs offered in Business and Information Technology, Health and Public Services and Technical Studies. General education courses are also provided.

In addition, ten thousand residents are served in noncredit classes through the Academy for Learning in Retirement, Community Education and Customized Training.

Along with DACC's main location, satellite locations serve outlying areas of the county at White Sands Missile Range, Sunland Park, Anthony and Las Cruces' East Mesa.

Libraries

Thomas Branigan Memorial Library is the city's public library. It was constructed in 1979^[52]:93 and has a collection of about 185,000 items.^[53] The previous library building, also called Thomas Branigan Memorial Library, opened in 1935.^[52]:68-69 That building is now the Branigan Cultural Center.^[52]:8 and is on the National 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.^[54]

Media

The metro area has TV broadcasting stations that serve the El Paso - Las Cruces Designated Market Area (DMA) as defined by Nielsen Media Research. The City of Las Cruces operates CLC-TV cable channel 20, an Emmy award-winning 24-hour government/education TV channel on Comcast Cable in Las Cruces. CLC-TV televises live and recorded Las Cruces city council meetings, Dona Ana County commission meetings and Las Cruces School board meetings. The channel also televises City Beat, a monthly news magazine, hosted by Denise LaFrance-Ojinaga, with information directly related to the City of Las Cruces. Also available for viewing is health news and other government and education related programming, as well as current weather reports and road and traffic information. CLC-TV is not a public cable access channel. In addition to a 2009 Emmy Award by the Rocky Mountain Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, CLC-TV received a 1st and 3rd place award by the National Associaton of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA) and five national Telly Awards, four platinum and one gold. All CLC-TV programming is available for viewing online at clctv.com.clctv

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Las Cruces Sun-News is a daily newspaper published in Las Cruces by MediaNews Group. Las Cruces Bulletin is a weekly community newspaper published in Las Cruces by FIG Publications, LLC. It is tabloid size and covers local news, business, arts, sports, and homes. The Round Up is the student newspaper at New Mexico State University. It is tabloid size and published twice weekly. The Ink is 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, the PBS outlet KRWG-TV, operated by New Mexico State University. The Telemundo outlet KTDO-TV is licensed in Las Cruces but serves El Paso. The city also receives several Albuquerque, El Paso, and Ciudad Juárez stations. Las Cruces is in Nielsen Media Research's El Paso/Las Cruces television media market.

There are approximately ten commercial radio stations in the Las Cruces area, running a variety of formats. Four of these stations are owned by Bravo Mic Communications, LLC, a Las Cruces company. The local NPR outlet is KRWG-FM, operated by New Mexico State University. NMSU also operates a college radio station, KRUX. KRUC is a Spanish-language station in Las Cruces. Many El Paso stations are received in Las Cruces. See list of radio stations in New Mexico for a complete list of stations. Las Cruces is in Arbitron's Las Cruces media market.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Airports

• Las Cruces International Airport - No current regularly scheduled commercial passenger flights since July 25, 2005, when Westward Airways ceased operations. General aviation, private charters and CAP use the airport, amongst others.
• El Paso International Airport - Nearest airport with regularly scheduled commercial flights.

Major highways

• Interstate 10, east-west travel: south-southeast to El Paso, Texas; west to Tucson, Arizona.
• Interstate 25, north-south travel: north to Albuquerque. Las Cruces is the southern terminus for Interstate 25 where it intersects Interstate 10.
• U.S. Route 70, east-west travel: northeast to Alamogordo; to the west it is merged with Interstate 10.
• U.S. Route 180

NM 28 NM 101

NM 185 NM 188

NM 292 NM 320

NM 373 NM 478

Rail

Las Cruces is served by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, via a branch line that extends from Belen, New Mexico to El Paso, Texas. Passenger service on this line was discontinued in 1968, due to low ridership numbers on the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway's (predecessor to the BNSF) El Pasoan train.

Bus Transit

The city operates a small transit authority known as RoadRUNNER Transit. RoadRUNNER Transit operates a total of nine routes running Mondays through Saturdays. There is no Sunday service. An adult fare is $0.50. The active fleet consists of three Nova Bus RTS (2000 model year) and 11 Gillig Advantage (2004 and 2008 model years) transit buses, all of which are 35 feet (11 m) in length and wheelchair-accessible.

Utilities

City of Las Cruces provides water, sewer, natural gas, and solid waste services, including recycling centers.^[38]:34 El Paso Electric Company is the electricity provider, Qwest is the telephone land line provider, and Comcast is the cable TV provider.

Healthcare

Hospitals

Memorial Medical Center is a for-profit general hospital operated by LifePoint Hospitals Inc.. The physical plant is owned by the City of Las Cruces and the County of Doña Ana, who signed a 40-year, $150 million lease in 2004 with Province HealthCare, since absorbed into LifePoint.^[55][56] Prior to 2004 it was leased to and operated by the nonprofit Memorial Medical Center Inc.^[57][58] The hospital is a licensed 286-bed acute care facility and is accredited by JCAHO. It offers a wide range of patient services.^[59] The University of New Mexico Cancer Center-South opened in 2006 on the MMC campus. It is 5,300 square feet (490 m²) and has 9 exam rooms.^[60]

The original facility was called Memorial General Hospital and was opened in April 1950 at South Alameda Boulevard and Main Street 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.^[61]

MountainView Regional Medical Center is a for-profit general hospital operated by Community 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.^[62]

Mesilla Valley Hospital is a 125-bed private psychiatric hospital operated by Psychiatric Solutions. It is a residential facility offering a variety of treatments for behavioral health issues.^[63]

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.^[64]

Advanced Care Hospital of Southern New Mexico is a 20-bed long-term acute care facility operated by Ernest Health Inc.. It opened in July 2007.^[65]

General clinics

Rio Grande Medical Group^[66] Ben Archer Health Centers^[67] La Clinica de Familia^[68] Pinnacle Family Health Care^[69]

Urgent care

Covenant Clinics^[70]

Notable natives and residents

• Jerry Apodaca was the 24th Governor of New Mexico and born in Las Cruces.
• Richard Artschwager is an American painter and sculptor who grew up in Las Cruces.
• Rich Beem is an American professional golfer that played high school and college locally at Las Cruces High School and New Mexico State University and won the 2002 PGA Championship.
• Anwar al-Awlaki, an Islamic spiritual leader and former imam believed to have connections with Al-Qaeda and Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan, was born in Las Cruces.
• Barnard Elliott Bee, Jr. was a career United States Army officer and a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War. Bee spent six years in Las Cruces prior to the Civil War.
• Joseph Benavidez - Mexican-American mixed martial arts fighter
• Billy the Kid - 19th century frontier outlaw
• Baxter Black is an American cowboy, poet, philosopher, former large-animal veterinarian, and radio commentator, that grew up in Las Cruces and attended New Mexico State University.
• Frank Borman - retired NASA astronaut and engineer
• Randy Brown is an American professional basketball player most noted with the Chicago Bulls while winning three NBA titles during 1996-98. Brown played basketball at New Mexico State University.
• Pamela Burford is an American novelist that was born in Las Cruces.
• Denise Chávez - author, playwright, and stage director
• John A. D. Cooper was an American physician and educator, and was the first president of the Association of American Medical Colleges who grew up in Las Cruces.
• Albert Fall - United States Senator from New Mexico and the Secretary of the Interior
• Richard Farrer is a retired South African-American soccer player who grew up in Las Cruces.
• Col. Albert Jennings Fountain - lawyer, Indian fighter, and Republican politician in Texas and New Mexico whose disappearance remains a mystery
• Pat Garrett - American Old West lawman that killed Billy the Kid
• Mimi Reisel Gladstein is a professor of English and Theatre Arts at theUniversity of Texas at El Paso and is a specialist on authors Ayn Rand and John Steinbeck.
• Lou Henson is an American basketball coach who coached the local New Mexico State University and the University of Illinois teams to the Final Four.
• Po James is a former American football running back who played for four seasons in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles. James played collegiately at New Mexico State University.
• Charley Johnson former quarterback in the NFL
• Paul Wilbur Klipsch was an American engineer and high fidelity audio pioneer, known for developing the high-efficiency folded horn loudspeaker. Klipsch graduated from New Mexico State University.
• Kiki Lara is an American soccer player who was born in Las Cruces.
• Kerry Locklin is an American football coach, most recently the defensive line coach for the New York Jets in the National Football League.
• Mireille Marokvia was a French writer best known for her two books about her ordeals during World War II in Nazi Germany, who lived in Las Cruces during her later life until her death in 2008.
• Mark Medoff - Tony Award winning American playwright for Children of a Lesser God
• Rose Marie Pangborn was an American scientist, born in Las Cruces, who was a pioneer in the sensory analysis of food.
• Buck Pierce is a professional Canadian football quarterback that played football for New Mexico State University.
• Bashir Ramzy, an American long jumper in track and field, who won a bronze medal in the 2007 Pan American Games, was born in Las Cruces.
• Patricia Ryan, an American writer of romance, mystery and erotic novels, was born in Las Cruces.
• Mai Shanley a beauty queen who was Miss USA in 1984.
• Tom Smith, playwright and director, resides in Las Cruces, teaching at New Mexico State University.
• Clyde Tombaugh, who discovered Pluto, lived in Las Cruces until his death in 1997.
• Fredd Young, who was a four time pro-bowl football player for Seattle Seahawks and the Indianapolis Colts, played for New Mexico State and currently lives in Las Cruces.

References in popular culture

• In Las Cruces Jail, a song by Two Gallants, the protagonist is awaiting his execution in this city's correctional facility. The duo performed at a coffeehouse several months before its release, possibly inspiring the title.
• San Antonian Doom Metal band Las Cruces derived their name from Las Cruces
• "Crack Up In Las Cruces" a song written by Michael Martin Murphey and Owen Castleman. Recorded on Michael Martin Murphey's "Geronimo's Cadillac" album released in 1972. Essentially about an automobile accident in Las Cruces and the attendant consequences.

Sister cities

Las Cruces has two sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International:

• Lerdo, Mexico
• Nienburg, Germany

Las Cruces Sister Cities Foundation^[71] is responsible for overseeing sister cities activities on behalf of the citizens of Las Cruces.

See also

• Compositions by Bill McGlaughlin

References

External links

• Official website
• Las Cruces Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Las Cruces at the Open Directory Project
• Las Cruces travel guide from Wikitravel

	Hatch	Dona Ana	Alamogordo
	Deming		Organ
		Las Cruces
	Mesilla	University Park	El Paso, Texas

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