Las Cruces is the second largest city in the state of New Mexico. Located in the Mesilla Valley which is located in the southern part of the state. In 2007, Las Cruces ranked eighth for Best Small Places for Business and Careers in Forbes Magazine. Las Cruces is a Spanish word that translates to “the crosses.” 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.

The city of Las Cruces has enjoyed it’s fair share of celebrity residents…

• Billy the Kid lived and worked in Las Cruces during part of his short life.
• Pat Garrett — most famous for killing Billy the Kid, lived in Las Cruces.
• Tony Award winning writer Mark Medoff also makes Las Cruces his home. Medoff is most famous for writing the play Children of a Lesser God, also a hit movie.
• Clyde Tombaugh, discoverer of Pluto, lived here 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 today.
• Fredd Young, 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 currently leads the Chemical Engineering department at New Mexico State.
• Albert Fall, a famous New Mexico Senator during the early 20th Century, lived in Las Cruces.

With its mild high-desert climate and breathtaking views of the Organ Mountains and Rio Grande Valley, Las Cruces is the ideal place to live, work, and raise a family. Las Cruces is one of the best kept secrets of the American Southwest and is rated as a “Best Place to Retire” by several associations and publications.

With more than 350 days of sunshine, it seems like there’s always something going on in the city of Las Cruces… The following attractions are within an hour’s drive of Las Cruces:

• White Sands National Monument
• Historic Village of Old Mesilla
• White Sands Missile Range
• Holloman Air Force Base
• El Paso, Texas
• Juarez, Mexico
• City of Rocks State Park
• Elephant Butte Lake State Park
• Historic villages & small towns
• Farms & dairies
• Largest pecan orchard in the world
• Rio Grande river

Despite its rapid growth and its rank as New Mexico’s second-biggest city, Las Cruces still maintains a relaxed pace and affordable prices. Las Cruces Real Estate prices are climbing; the median home price in 2005 was $168,000 but they’re still a far cry from those in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, where the median house price is right around $470,000 and $208,000 respectively.

With plenty of public schools and its very own home University, Las Cruces is a great place to live.

LCA