Las Cruces...? (Santa Fe, Silver City, Ruidoso: condominium, purchase, high school)

[NathanCarson]

What can people tell me about Las Cruces?

I'm from D.C./Northern Virginia. However, from age 18-21 I lived in Santa Fe, NM. I really loved it, but I burnt out real quick. I was having a really hard time. Eventually I decided to leave and come back to the D.C. area.

As much as I love D.C., I've got to go. It's just too big, too expensive, too cold.

I'm about to move back to Santa Fe, but I'm considering Las Cruces. I know people that know people. I could be set up rather nicely down there. However, I've never even been. The idea of no Santa Fe winter (+ winter time poverty) sounds nice.

What are the ups and downs of Cruces? The only thing I know about it is it's 4 hours from everyone I know in Santa Fe and I once met a cute girl from there. Plus it's close to Texas (ugh!)

[LLD]

LOL about that Texas comment and I'm from Texas. I was just in DC since my son is there and I lived there over 10 years but wow is it getting so crowded and crazy. I can see why you want to move. Even though I love many things about that area, don't think I can move back.

Now as to Las Cruces, there have been several threads and comments about the city. Try doing a search in this forum and I think you will get some hits on threads with some good information.

[ontheroad]

I believe I wrote about my visit to Las Cruces, but a brief update, I compare it favourably with Santa Fe but smaller, warmer and perhaps more manageable.

I particularly liked the area around the University in La Mesilla. It has an old square, several good cafes, restaurants, and some interesting housing. It also seemed to have a good mix of old-young residents.

Too hot for me, but very pleasing town for sure.

[tito]

I just bought a condominium in Las Cruces in spite of having been warned about the hot summers there. Fortunately, there is a swimming pool at my condo's complex and I think that it will help me to stay cool. I presently live in Illinois and believe me, I don't want to spend another winter here. I have lived in Arkansas, Texas and Alabama in the last several years and summers in those places are atrocious, much worse in the areas of high humidity. Las Cruces impressed me as being a picturesque, medium size city with many conveniences and not far from interesing mountain areas like Ruidoso and Silver City to escape from the heat. I prefer the hot weather in Las Cruces than the ice winters and crazy traffic of the Midwest. Besides in Las Cruces it cools off in the evenings, not like in Dallas/Forth Worth, Alabama or Hot Springs where it remains hot 24 hours a day.

[6 FOOT 3]

Second largest city in New Mexico. Population is about 85,000 to 90,000 and metro is about 140,000 with the East Mesa exploding in New housing and retail and schools. In fact they have their own Freeway (U.S.70) The new Space Port is being built just north about 30 miles along with Richard Branson as an investor (virgin records billionare). White Sands Missle Range is there and also New Mexico State University at about 17,000 students. 2 major interstates I-10 and I-25 and downtown redevelopement at full speed and just broke ground on a new federal courthouse downtown. Will be breaking ground soon on a fourth high school. Has an Arizona desert feel with lots of Ocotillos and Yucca cactuses and Mesquite and Creosote bushes that smell like fresh rain and an hour from the largest body of water in NM (Elephant Butte Reservoir) with watersking and jetsking. The town of La Mesiila is right next to it where the Gadsen Purchase was signed by Mexico giving the U.S. new lands after the Mexican/American War of 1848 and also the jail is still there where Billy the Kid broke out (1881) and escaped to Ft. Sumner where he was killed by Las Crucean sheriff Pat Garrett..

Anyway there's a few things about Cruces.....