Las Cruces was recently ranked the number one college town in New Mexico and the number four ranked college town in the U.S. for cost of living. The city is the home of New Mexico State University and as such gets the benefits of the culture, bars/restaurants, energy and youth population other cities its size do not. Smaller cities can be great for affordability but lack the social firepower of a college town. College towns can have the firepower but be pricey. With Las Cruces you get the best combo. 

Here's a local pointing out what they love:
*The sunsets and sunrises are priceless. The smell of the desert after it has rained is very unique here. For me the scent is very calming. Don't be surprised to see the Rio Grande all dried up. During certain parts of the year the water is being route to other areas for irrigation purposes.*


College Living On A Budget

The Best Thing About Las Cruces? 

We get that if you’re considering moving to a city that is at the southern end of New Mexico, basically a long two-iron from the border, you probably know that it is going to be toasty. But just a reminder, this is a desert town. The heat is unrelenting (as is the dry climate and dust storms), so please visit in the summer before making the call, unless you’re moving from a comparably roasting city. 

Here's a local on the weather:
*It’s hot, Especially around this time. With monsoon season in full swing right now. It’s hot and sometimes rainy. My phone says it’s 91° right now.*

Stupidly Hot 

The Worst Thing About Las Cruces?

Las Cruces has a lot going on for a small city and the university plays a big role in providing those opportunities. There are surprisingly good eats and entertainment options both downtown and near the school. While it isn’t the only cuisine, Mexican restaurants are particularly good. There are year round festivals and art shows, as well as talks and performances nine months a year on campus. Perhaps more important to some are the outdoor experiences of hiking and mountain biking that are available just outside the city. You get a nice mix of in-town social experiences and outdoor activities for such a small city. 

If you want to know what people do in Las Cruces check out the calendar of events: https://www.lascrucescvb.org/las-cruces-events/


Lifestyle of Las Cruces

If you don't have a job all set up in the education or health systems then it is safest to move here if you can work from home. The economy is built around the schools, the health system for the locals and lower-paying service jobs supporting students, locals and tourists. WFH’ers or retirees will do fine here but otherwise its a tough economy for white-collar workers. 


Worklife of Las Cruces

If you’re looking to maximize your retirement or WFH bucks in a small college town this city can work. Live here and travel when you need to escape and locals say you can pull it off. You absolutely have to understand the severity of the weather but if you’re considering south Texas, Arizona or southern New Mexico then you’re presumably sufficiently warned. 


Retirement Cookie Jar

Why You Should Move Here Now?

Downtown is the starting point for any young professional or couple that wants to be within walking distance of the greatest concentration of restaurants, bars, cafes and activities (including skating). There aren’t many homes but plenty of apartments and condos. If you work downtown you get the double-benefit of walking to work. You’re about 4 miles to the university from here so you get the action but not the college student shenanigans. 

If you’re a student, or want to be in the midst of the madness then look at the University neighborhood or just south of that in Mesilla Park. University has the greatest density of off-campus students and plenty of affordable rentals. Mesilla Park also has students but they tend to be more graduate students looking for a bit more quiet but still walkable/bikeable to campus. 
- Downtown
- University
- Mesilla Park


Young Professionals/College Students 

Downtown

One of the favorite neighborhoods for families is the Elks area. It’s near the Three Crosses hospital so you get excellent, close care for yourself and the little ones. It’s extremely safe but also known as affordable for those just starting out or looking for reasonable prices. You’re near great hiking and biking trails and also have several parks so the kiddos and the doggos have plenty of room to play. 

If you want to be close to the action check out Mesilla Park. Older, historic homes and walking distance to a big fun commercial district. You do get some students, but mostly graduate students as this isn’t the dense University neighborhood. Mesilla Park kind of works as its own city, with parks and schools and restaurants/bars and all just a few minutes from downtown if you want to hit a bigger scene on weekends or whenever. Mesilla is also close to Arrowhead ECHS (in University Park right next door), one of the best high schools in the city, in case you’re ready for that or want to keep it in mind for later years. 
- Elks
- Mesilla Park
- Picacho Hills
- Northeast


Families

Elks

Las Cruces

**Hello r/LasCruces. I am moving to your city in August. I will be making 80k/year. Is this enough for las cruces? Also, what are your pros/cons for living in the area?**

80k is more than enough. Both Las Cruces and El Paso have a low cost of living. I've lived in El Paso between 10 to 15 years. My Wife and I go to Las Cruces periodically. My Wife is from El Paso, I'm from the Northern Midwest.

There are plenty of nice areas to live. We really like the homes that are in the far East side of Las Cruces near the Organ Mountains. We like window shopping for our future new home.

As some others have stated, it does get hot and dust storms do happen from time to time.

Depending on what you enjoy doing, there are plenty of nice places to visit. Definitely recommend visiting Ruidoso and Silver City. If you like hiking and mountain biking then you'll love it here. Old Mesilla is also nice to visit. There's some nice homes and apartments around that area.

You'll be able to try different varieties of Mexican cooking. Mexican food isn't the only cuisine available. There's plenty of other things you can try while you are here.

The sunsets and sunrises are priceless. The smell of the desert after it has rained is very unique here. For me the scent is very calming. Don't be surprised to see the Rio Grande all dried up. During certain parts of the year the water is being route to other areas for irrigation purposes.

It's hard for me to point out the bad because I have an open mind. All places have good and bad things associated with them.

There are plenty of Wineries in the surrounding area and Pecan farms.

Can't forget the different festivals that are held both in Las Cruces and El Paso and the surrounding area. My Wife and I just went to a Cherry Festival in La Luz, NM. I think it's about an hour and a half drive from Las Cruces.

White Sands to me is a must to see.

There's also a lot of historical stuff to see. If you are familiar with the story of Billy the Kid, then you will be in his old stomping grounds.

For the most part, people are friendly here.

Do you research about the crime rates in the area. Depending on where you are coming from, it might not be that bad for what you are accustomed to.

All in all... it's not as bad what some may think. But, then it all depends on what you like and don't like.

**Hello r/LasCruces. I am moving to your city in August. I will be making 80k/year. Is this enough for las cruces? Also, what are your pros/cons for living in the area?**

Depending on where you’re coming from, the climate can be a serious adjustment. Very dry, thin air with lots of wind. The winds can create occasional dust storms that tear through your yard and can cause a mess if you’re not prepared. You can usually see them coming though. It’s warm as hell, but that goes without saying. Oh, and static electricity will shock the shit out of you at first. Keep your hands hydrated and don’t wear rubber soled shoes in the house to avoid the worst of it. I wish someone had mentioned that to me

Aside from climate, it’s pretty much just like any small city in the US. The food is a big deal here too. I’m vegetarian so I mostly indulge in just the sauces. People love it. You can decide whether living near El Paso and the US border is a pro or a con on your own. I find it fascinating. El Paso has most of what Cruces doesn’t. That goes both ways.

80k sounds like a pretty decent income around here for a single person. Very comfortable. Cost of housing is just a little lower here than other places. Plus, New Mexico just got last place in a Most Desirable Places To Live study. That probably keeps out some of the predatory real estate developers descending on everywhere else too.

I dunno, it’s a nice place. I’m still getting used to it. I keep finding reasons to like it though. Good luck

**Hello r/LasCruces. I am moving to your city in August. I will be making 80k/year. Is this enough for las cruces? Also, what are your pros/cons for living in the area?**

80k is way more than enough. Unless you splash on expensive cars or other luxuries, you should be able to put a LOT in savings/investments.

CoL is generally cheap in New Mexico and in the El Paso borderplex region. If you want to really save, you can cross the border in El Paso to the safe downtown part of Juarez for more affordable dentistry, some types of medicine, contact lenses and shopping.

Both Las Cruces and El Paso have excellent Thai food(Thai Delight, Renoo’s) and decent Chinese food (Oriental Palace & Wok’nWorld). Of course Mexican and New Mexican are the local specialities.

There is fantastic outdoor sightseeing spots within a couple hours drive: White Sands, Carlsbad Caverns, Guadalupe Mountain, Hueco Tanks, Gila River Wilderness, Ruidoso, Cloudcroft, Ski Apache, and the hot springs at truth or consequences. And you’re less than 4 hours drive from Tucson.

I don’t know which parts of the country you’ve lived in but the LC/EP area is a lot safer than most major cities in California, East Coast and Midwest. It’s overall quite a bit safer than abq, which imo, is a not as bad as portrayed. I’ve lived in nyc, Chicagoland and around the Bay Area, and I feel so much safer in abq - or anywhere in New Mexico. Property crime, particularly car break ins and grand theft auto, are the biggest concerns here. Lock your home+car doors, don’t leave valuables in the car and buy a Club to lock the steering wheel if parking on the street overnight. With that you’ll be fine as long as you aren’t involved in the criminal underworld. There’s very little risk of totally random violence in New Mexico. Most violence is between gang members or domestic violence. In contrast, violence in nyc, the Bay Area or Chicago, is very often unpredictable, random and/or racially motivated - getting pushed into subway tracks, shot, stomped, beaten or stabbed without provocation by complete strangers.

Such as this... https://nypost.com/2021/04/24/wife-of-asian-man-stomped-on-nyc-street-pleads-for-justice-2/

...and this... https://nypost.com/2021/05/06/video-shows-random-stabbing-of-two-asian-women-in-san-francisco/

Sorry for veering way off topic, but this is a long way of saying that Las Cruces is an awesome, affordable and safe place to live with easy access to gorgeous natural wonders and less than an hour to a major metropolis. Your salary is more than enough and you’ll be able to afford a high quality of life. And I’d say this applies to most of New Mexico, El Paso and much of Arizona. Just don’t forget to support the local economy by buying/shopping local as much as you can! Gotta love the southwest!

**Favorite Neighborhoods**


Personally, I think the nicest area to live in is the Elks area (where you were talking about with the three crosses hospital). It’s a really nice, established, safe neighborhood but also affordable. It’s in town so close to everything, but doesn’t fit your criteria of being within walking distance to much.

The perfect area for you guys re: watering hole, comics, skating, cute-fun-neighborhood vibe is smack in the middle of downtown, off main/water streets. But there’s not many houses actually right in that area, and I’m assuming the ones that are there are not for sale or very expensive. The closest neighborhood would be alameda, which depending on exactly where you are could be walking distance to downtown but might be a bit of a stretch depending on how far you want to be walking.

You don’t want to be near young’s park, and probably not the university either.

Sonoma Ranch will have nice looking houses, but be aware that it’ll be within walking distance to absolutely nothing. For your lifestyle, I wouldn’t go with anything off hwy 70.

Mesilla park would probably work pretty well but just from my own experience, honestly as a kid I probably would’ve been very bored living there. It’s kind of removed from the rest of town (it’s its own town actually if I’m not mistaken), and it very much has the old-people-tourist-vibe.

Overall, keep in mind that in general Las Cruces is not a walking city. It’s very much a driving city and it’s not super common to have neighborhoods where business are mixed in with houses. It’s a lot of housing areas broken up by various shopping areas, and mostly you need to be using a car to get from one to the other.

Las Cruces, New Mexico

Three Crosses

Looklyloo Score: 69

Downtown

Young Professionals/College Students

Elks

Families