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Las Cruces, New Mexico

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Las Cruces
City
City of Las Cruces
Las Cruces from I-10
Las Cruces from I-10
Nickname: 
The City of the Crosses
Location in the state of New Mexico
Location in the state of New Mexico
CountryUnited States
StateNew MexicoNew Mexico
CountyDona Ana
Government
 • TypeCouncil-Manager
 • MayorKen Miyagishima
 • City ManagerTerrence Moore
Area
 • City76.87 sq mi (135.2 km2)
 • Land76.77 sq mi (134.9 km2)
 • Water0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2)
Elevation
4,000 ft (1,219 m)
Population
 (2008)
 • City102,845
 • Metro
202,985
Time zoneUTC-7 (Mountain)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-6 (DST)
Area code575
FIPS code35-39380
GNIS feature ID0899715
Websitehttp://www.las-cruces.org/

Las Cruces is a city in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 86,268. The population was 102,845 as of the 2008 census estimate, making it the second largest city in the state. Las Cruces is the center of an agricultural region irrigated by the Rio Grande, which flows just west of the city. The city of Las Cruces bisects the fertile Mesilla Valley, 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 is New Mexico's only land grant university, citing more than 23,000 graduate and undergraduate students on the main campus and four branch campuses. The Organ Mountains are to the east of the city. Las Cruces has a council-manager form of government. It is the county seat of Doña Ana CountyTemplate:GR.

Las Cruces is home to the annual Whole Enchilada Fiesta. The fiesta's main attraction is the creation of a very large (on average 10 feet in diameter) flat red enchilada by local restaurant owner Roberto Estrada. The fiesta offers live music, rides, food vendors, and other attractions typical of fairs. The fiesta's mascot, "TWEFie" (taken from the abbreviation of the fiesta's name) is a large red chile pepper wearing a sombrero. At the 2004 event, Guinness World Records confirmed that Estrada had made the world's largest flat enchilada (There was a pre-existing record for world's longest rolled enchilada, but not for world's largest flat enchilada). In honor of the chile crop of New Mexico, the state has adopted "Red or Green?" as its official state question to specify which type of chile is preferred by a patron at a restaurant. The Southern New Mexico State Fair is usually held only a few days after the end of the Whole Enchilada Fiesta.

City Government

The City Council consists of six City Councilors and one 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 serve staggered four-year terms. The Mayor is Ken Miyagishima. Councilors are: Miguel G. Silva, Dist. 1; Dolores Connor, Dist. 2; Dolores C. Archuleta, Mayor Pro Tem, Dist. 3; Nathan P. Small, Dist. 4; Gil Jones, Dist. 5; Sharon K. Thomas, Dist. 6. City Manager - Terrence Moore; Assistant City Manager - Robert Garza; Director of Communications - Udell Vigil.City Attourney-Fermin Rubio

Information Resources

The Las Cruces City Council meets the 1st, 3rd and 4th Mondays of each month at 1:00 p.m. Video streaming of live and archive City Council meetings at: http://www.clctv.com/

History

Las Cruces' name as translated by the City of Las Cruces (Spanish for "the crosses") has been a disputed topic among historians. 'Los Cruces' in Mexico and South America is translated as "the crossing(s), crossroad(s)." The words are capitalized in sentences to honor the Trinity. One of the many unverified folklore (folk-etymology) tales is that in 1830, an Apache massacre left dead eight out of a party of nine travelers. Included in the massacred party was a Mexican Army General, a priest, and five (or four) choir boys. Only one choir boy survived the massacre, and went on to bury the others, marking the graves with crosses. Similarly, another unverified folktale suggests that before being known as 'Las Cruces', the area was known as "El Pueblo del Jardín de Las Cruces" ("The Village of the Garden of the Crosses").

The city government did not start displaying three Latin crosses as a symbol for the city until preparation for the 1949 centennial began. The original city seal displayed a bunch of grapes. A lawsuit filed seeking the removal of three crosses from the city's 1948 seal [1] has been dismissed [2]. A historical expert for the Federal Court testified that there was no historical reason for the city to use three Latin crosses as a symbol. The case has been appealed to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals as has the lawsuit against the Las Cruces Public Schools for actively promoting a majority religion.

The city's recent nickname, 'City of the Crosses', is the result of the City Council's approved campaign to display three Latin crosses symbols on all public property and personnel in the city.

Las Cruces, the step-child of Mesilla and Dona Ana, outgrew the other villages after the railroad setup a station in the village in 1881. The nearby village of Mesilla was founded in 1848 by settlers from Doña Ana, a village just north of the newly established U.S.-Mexico border, who wished to stay in Mexican territory after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo that year. In 1853, the region was incorporated into the United States with the Gadsden Purchase. Las Cruces was incorporated as a town in 1907, nearly 45 years after the original village plats were recorded in 1853.

The completion of the Elephant Butte Dam to the north of the city in 1916 provided water for agriculture and electricity for urban development. Since World War II the growth of the nearby White Sands Missile Range and its National Aeronautics and Space Administration facilities added greatly to the local economy.

In 1982, Las Cruces became the scene of the a new Roman Catholic Diocese, "Diocese of Las Cruces", which encompasses the southern half of the state and is a suffragan of Santa Fe.

Geography and Climate

Las Cruces as seen from space

Las Cruces is located at 32°19′11″N 106°45′55″W / 32.31972°N 106.76528°W / 32.31972; -106.76528 (32.319693, -106.765157)Template:GR. Approximate elevation 4000 ft or 1219 m above sea level. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 52.2 square miles (135.2 km²), of which, 52.1 square miles (134.9 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (0.25%) is water.

Dona Ana County lies within the Chihuahuan Desert ecoregion, and the vegetation surrounding the built portions of the city are typical of this arid natural 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) and Black Grama (Bouteloua eriopoda).

The Rio Grande dissects the Mesilla Valley and Las Cruces proper, supplying irrigation water for the intensive agriculture surround 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 and 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.

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 100F 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 censusTemplate:GR 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.

New development on Las Cruces' east mesa.

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.

2006 estimates

Las Cruces's and Doña Ana County's July 1, 2006 populations were estimated at 86,268 and 193,976 by the United States Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program. [1] [2]

Notable natives and residents

  • Billy the Kid resided in Las Cruces during some of his short life.
  • Pat Garrett, who is most famous for killing Billy the Kid, lived in Las Cruces.
  • Tony Award winning writer Mark Medoff resides in Las Cruces. Medoff is most famous for writing the play Children of a Lesser God, which became a hit movie.
  • Clyde Tombaugh, who discovered Pluto, lived in Las Cruces until his death in 1997.
  • Frank Borman, the famous astronaut, lived in Las Cruces after retirement. He bought a car dealership that still bears his name.
  • 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.
  • Charley Johnson played quarterback at New Mexico State. He later played a 15 year career for several NFL teams. He is currently leading the Chemical Engineering department at New Mexico State.
  • Albert Fall, a famous New Mexico Senator during the early 20th Century, lived in Las Cruces.
  • Col. Albert Jennings Fountain, 1838-1896. See: The Life and Death of Colonel Albert Jennings Fountain, 1965, by A.M.Gibson, Univ. of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Okla; Murder on the White Sands 2007 by Corey Recko, Univ. of North Texas Press, Denton, TX, Pat Garrett, 1973, by Leon Metz, Univ. of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Okla.

Education

Public Schools

Public schools in Las Cruces are part of the Las Cruces Public School District.

Las Cruces Public Schools is the second largest school district in New Mexico. Located 45 miles north of the Mexican border, it encompasses the City of Las Cruces, the villages of La Mesilla and Doña Ana, and covers the middle third of Doña Ana County.

The district has 35 schools: 24 elementary schools (grades pre-K-5), seven middle schools (grades 6-8) and four high schools (grades 9-12). The district also has one vocational high school providing career technical education (CTE) to 8th - 12th grade students.

Student enrollment is nearly 24,000 students. Las Cruces Public Schools is the third largest employer in Doña Ana County with more than 3,600 employees, which includes about 2,200 classroom teachers and educational assistants.

Private Schools

Colleges & Universities

Four-Year

New Mexico State University, or NMSU, is a land-grant university that has its main 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. NMSU has approximately 26,400 students enrolled as of Fall 2005, and has 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

When Dona Ana Community College 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 at 3400 S. Espina St., 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, located downtown at 200 E. Picacho, is the city's public library. It was constructed in 1979 [3] : 93  and has a collection of more than 200,000 items. [4] The previous library building, also called Thomas Branigan Memorial Library, was located at 106 W. Hadley (now 501 N. Main Street) and opened in 1935. [3]: 68–69  That building is now the Branigan Cultural Center. [3]: 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. [5]

Downtown

Downtown Las Cruces.

Unlike many cities its size, Las Cruces lacks a true central business district. This is due to the fact that in the 1970s a large urban renewal project tore down a large part of the original downtown. Most Las Crucens 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 inportant 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.

Miscellanea

  • 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.
  • The 2 hour Pilot episode ;lite bulb for the TV Series "Cannon" was shot in and around Las Cruces.
  • In the first season of "Mc Cloud" Dennis Weaver claimed he grew up in Las Cruces and in an episode claimed he lived in Las Cruces and worked in Taos, New Mexico (an over 300 mile commute each way)
  • 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 (Dallas).
  • In the early 60's a failed Pilot was shot for CBS in and around Las Cruces. The pilot starred Glenn Ford and Barbara Stanwick in a show about a county agent. The show was never aired.
  • During World War II, both German and Italian POWs were kept at a Prisoner of War facility in Las Cruces.
  • During the late 60's, a Church built in the 1800s around which Las Cruces was formed was torn down by the archdiocese.
  • Tony-winner Mark Medoff resides here and premiered many of his works.
  • Several scenes from the movie Traffic (film) were filmed outside the Las Cruces International Airport.
  • The 1984 movie "Raw Courage" (Ronny Cox, Art Hindle & M. Emmet Walsh) was filmed in and around Las Cruces.
  • Alternative Country band, Son Volt, mentions Las Cruces in their song "Highways and Cigarettes."
  • San Antonian Doom Metal band " Las Cruces " derived their name from Las Cruces, NM

Transportation

Airports

Major highways

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.


Transit

The city operates a small transit authority known as RoadRUNNER Transit. RoadRUNNER Transit operates a total of nine routes, with all routes running on weekdays, and eight routes running on 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 eight Gillig Advantage (2004 model year) transit buses, all of which are 35 feet in length and wheelchair-accessible. RoadRUNNER Transit also operates a backup fleet of non-accessible buses consisting of three Orion I (1986 model year, 30 feet) and two TMC RTS (1989 model year, 35 feet) buses.

Media

Las Cruces Hospitals

Newspapers

Online Media

Radio Stations

  • AM
  • FM
    • 88.9 KRUC (Spanish Christian)
    • 89.3 KELP-FM (Christian, licensed to nearby Mesquite, New Mexico)
    • 89.7 KMBN (Christian)
    • 90.7 KRWG (New Mexico State University/NPR Affiliate)
    • 91.5 KRUX (New Mexico State University College Radio)
    • 93.1 KSII (Hits of today and yesterday)
    • 95.5 KLAQ (Rock)
    • 96.3 KHEY (Country)
    • 98.7 KKVS (Regional Mexican)
    • 99.5 KXPZ (Active rock)
    • 99.9 KTSM (Soft Rock)
    • 101.1 KVLC (Oldies)
    • 103.1 KHQT (Top 40)
    • 103.9 KGRT-FM (Country)
    • 104.9 KMVR (Adult Contemporary)

Television Stations

In New Mexico, a majority of the State is served by the Albuquerque Media Market. However, because of Las Cruces' size and close proximity to El Paso, Texas, Dona Ana County is part of the El Paso/Las Cruces Media Market. Las Cruces has one station in the city, KRWG, which is a service of NMSU.

Others

Points of interest

Sister cities

Las Cruces has two sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):

  • China Shijiazhuang,Hebei,China - Las Cruces is in the process of becoming a sister city to build upon educational exchanges already in place.

References

  1. ^ "Population Estimates for All Places: 2000 to 2006". US Census Bureau, Population Division. 2007-06-29. Retrieved 2008-06-24.
  2. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Population for Counties: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2007". US Census Bureau, Population Division. 2008-03-20. Retrieved 2008-06-24.
  3. ^ a b c Harris, Linda G. One Book at a Time: The History of the Library in New Mexico. Albuquerque, NM: New Mexico Library Foundation. ISBN 9781887045032. OCLC 38324662.
  4. ^ "Library History". City of Las Cruces. Retrieved 2008-05-21.
  5. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions about the NMSU Library". New Mexico State University. Retrieved 2008-05-21.
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