Located just north of the United States-Mexico border, Las Cruces is an innovative city with a rich cultural heritage. Bestboomertowns.com ranked Las Cruces on its 2009 list of Best Places to Thrive, which is a testament to the city's low crime rates, small town ambiance, good weather and access to education. Las Cruces has a large population with close to 100,000 residents who contribute to the local initiative of "People Helping People." Look for Las Cruces apartments for rent, and find the distinctive flavors of the American southwest.
Spanish explorers under Coronado first came to the area in the early 1500s. The city was named after an ambush on settlers that led survivors to bury the dead in graves marked with crosses, or "las cruces" in Spanish. The local Pueblos overthrew the Spanish oppression, and in 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo added the New Mexico land as United States' territory. Fort Selden was built here in 1865 to protect against the Apache, and in 1972, became a state monument portraying the life of a frontier soldier. Today, Las Cruces is one of the fastest growing urban areas in the United States. The unique environmental conditions in New Mexico have made the city a popular location to film movies and music videos throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. As the second largest city in the state, Las Cruces has a strong sustainability program to help maintain the beautiful natural resources of the southwest.
Las Cruces is home to the Space Murals Museum, a water tower mural and museum honoring the U.S. space program. There are many other attractions here that preserve the history of New Mexico, including the Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum, Historic Old Mesilla, Bataan Death March Memorial and Veteran's Park. The annual Frontier Days Festival also celebrates local heritage with living history demonstrations and military re-enactors. Other local favorite events include the Southern New Mexico Wine Festival, Border Book Festival and The Whole Enchilada Fiesta.
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