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Las Cruces

Stage Coach on the Butterfield Trail Settled in the 1840s, the verdant Mesilla Valley has seen Spanish colonists and merchants plying the El Camino Real-Chihuahua Trail (1598-1880), and stagecoaches clattering on the Butterfield Trail (1858-61). Billy the Kid had good reason to steer clear of nearby La Mesilla. He figured he'd encounter a hostile district court judge, a staged trial, and a quick murder conviction (he was right). Founded in 1850, La Mesilla's still got the look and feel of the Mexican village the Kid might've remembered from his 16 days in jail (and two-day trial) there in March and April, 1881. Las Cruces, the City of Crosses (elevation 3,896 feet or 1,188 meters), was founded in 1849. Today the agricultural hub of the state, the second largest city in New Mexico is home to thriving New Mexico State University (check out its world renowned chile institute), several wineries, and various fiestas and festivals (the best of them combine the bottling of the nouveaux wines with the Fall harvest). La Mesilla's charming historic district is a photographer's and shopper's paradise. The Las Cruces metro area has 38 hotels and motels, four bed and breakfasts, five private recreational vehicle campgrounds, over 120 restaurants, nine museums, and three historic districts. El Paso is 42 road miles (67.6 kilometers) away, Silver City 112 miles (180.2 km) away, Alamogordo 68 miles (109.4 km), Ruidoso 114 miles (183.4 km) away, and Santa Fe 307 miles (494.1 km) away.

Las Cruces
City of Las Cruces. P.O. Box 20000
Las Cruces, NM 88004
Phone: (575) 541-2000
Email: cvb@lascrucescvb.org
web site: www.las-cruces.org