Las Cruces is the economic and geographic center of the Mesilla Valley, the agricultural region on the floodplain of the Rio Grande, which extends from Hatch to the west side of El Paso, Texas.

Spaceport America, which has corporate offices in Las Cruces, operates from 55 mi (89 km) to the north; it has completed several successful crewed, suborbital flights.

The town was first surveyed as the result of the American acquisition of the land surrounding Las Cruces, which later became the New Mexico Territory.

[1]: 135 [1]: 63 Pat Garrett is best known for his involvement in the Lincoln County War, but he also worked in Las Cruces on a famous case, the disappearance of Albert Jennings Fountain in 1896.

In the 1960s, Las Cruces undertook a large urban renewal project, intended to convert the old downtown into a modern city center.

[12] Doña Ana County lies within the Chihuahuan Desert ecoregion, and the vegetation surrounding the built portions of the city are typical of this setting; it includes creosote bush (Larrea tridentata), soaptree (Yucca elata), tarbush (Flourensia cernua), broom dalea (Psorothamnus scoparius), and various desert grasses such as tobosa (Hilaria mutica or Pleuraphis mutica) and black grama (Bouteloua eriopoda).

The Rio Grande bisects the Mesilla Valley and passes west of Las Cruces proper, supplying irrigation water for the intensive agriculture surrounding the city.

[14] Drought conditions,[15] exacerbated by climate change, mean that the Rio Grande experiences increasingly short or small flows.

These arroyos often contain scattered small trees, and they serve as wildlife corridors between Las Cruces' urban areas and adjacent deserts or mountains.

Unlike many cities its size, Las Cruces lacks a true central business district, because in the 1960s, an urban-renewal project tore down a large part of the original downtown.

[16] This area also contains museums, businesses, restaurants, churches, art galleries, and theaters, which add a great deal to the changing character of Las Cruces' historic downtown.

Winters alternate between colder and windier weather following trough and frontal passages, and warmer, sunnier periods; light freezes occur 69 nights on average.

[54] The four city-owned museums include the Branigan Cultural Center, which examines local history through photographs, sculpture, paintings, and poetry.

[57] The orchestra received attention with the world premiere of Bill McGlaughlin's Remembering Icarus, a tribute to local radio pioneer Ralph Willis Goddard, performed by the LCSO on October 1, 2005.

[60] Several water tanks in Las Cruces have been painted with murals by Tony Pennock, including one at the intersection of Triviz Drive and Griggs Avenue.

[61][62] Multimedia artist group Keep Adding has a large mural titled Wave Nest on Picacho Avenue at the Lion's Park.

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces.

Las Cruces is the home of Vado Speedway Park, a 3/8th-mile dirt track that host the annual Wild West Shootout.

At the university level, the New Mexico State Aggies compete in Conference USA for various sports, such as men's and women's basketball, as well as football.

In the 2011 season, the Vaqueros joined the Pecos League of Professional Baseball Clubs[64] against the White Sands Pupfish, Roswell Invaders, Ruidoso Osos, Alpine Cowboys and Carlsbad Bats.

[67]: 8 [68] Las Cruces holds a Ciclovía, a citywide event featuring exercise and physical activities, on the last Sunday of each month at Meerscheidt Recreation Center.

NMSU offers a wide range of programs, and awards associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees through its main campus and four community colleges.

The Ink is a monthly tabloid published in Las Cruces, covering the arts and community events in southern New Mexico and West Texas.

Passenger service on this line was discontinued in 1968, due to low ridership numbers on the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway's (predecessor to the BNSF) El Pasoan train.

[99] NMDOT Park and Ride's Gold Route connects Las Cruces to El Paso on Monday through Friday during commute hours.

[101] Greyhound buses departing Las Cruces serve El Paso, Amarillo, Denver, Albuquerque, Phoenix, Tucson, Los Angeles, and San Diego.

[102] The City of Las Cruces provides water, sewer, natural gas, and solid-waste services, including recycling centers.

The physical plant is owned by the City of Las Cruces and the County of Doña Ana, which signed a 40-year, $150 million lease in 2004 with Province HealthCare, since absorbed into LifePoint.

[104][105] Prior to 2004, it was leased to and operated by the nonprofit Memorial Medical Center Inc.[106][107] The hospital is a licensed, 286-bed, acute care facility and is accredited by JCAHO.

[109] The original facility was called Memorial General Hospital and was opened in April 1950 at South Alameda Boulevard and Lohman Avenue after the city obtained a $250,000 federal grant.