Las Cruces, New Mexico
Las Cruces is a city in Doņa Ana County, New Mexico, with a population over 83,000, making it the second largest city in the state. The city serves as the county seat. The median income for a household in the city is $30,375, and the median income for a family is $37,670. Las Cruces is the center location of an agricultural region irrigated by the Rio Grande, which flows through the city. The Organ Mountains are to the east of the city. The completion of the Elephant Butte Dike to the north of the city in 1916 has since then provided the necessary water for regional agriculture and electricity for the city's urban development.
Since World War II the growth of the nearby White Sands Missile Range and its National Aeronautics and Space Administration facilities have added greatly to the city's local economy. Interestingly, unlike many cities its size, Las Cruces lacks a true central business district. Most Las Crucens would agree that the modern "heart" of the city, where most stores and restaurants are located, is the area running down Telshor Boulevard and 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 small stands that are set up by local farmers, artists, and craftspeople. It also contains many businesses, churches and theaters, which add a great deal of character to Las Cruces by continuing to exist in the historic downtown.
Las Cruces is the home of New Mexico State University (NMSU). NMSU is New Mexico's only land-grant institution, citing more than 23,000 graduate and undergraduate students on the main campus and four branch campuses. Las Cruces is also 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. At the 2004 event, the Guinness Book of Records confirmed that Estrada had made the world's largest flat enchilada. Besides this, the fiesta offers live music, rides, food vendors, and other attractions typical of fairs. In fact, the Southern New Mexico State Fair is usually held only a few days after the end of the Whole Enchilada Fiesta. The fiesta's mascot, "Twefie" (taken from the abbreviation of the fiesta's name) is a large red chile pepper wearing a sombrero. With all its attractions, the city is very popular with tourists.
