History of Las Cruces, New Mexico in Timeline

Las Cruces, New Mexico, is the second-largest city in the state and the county seat of Doña Ana County. Its population was 111,385 as of the 2020 census. It's the most populous city in southern New Mexico. The Las Cruces metropolitan area had an estimated population of 213,849 in 2017. Las Cruces is the principal city of a metropolitan statistical area encompassing all of Doña Ana County, and it forms part of the El Paso–Las Cruces combined statistical area, the 56th-largest in the United States.

1905: Second wettest year

1905 was the second wettest year with 17.09 inches of rain.

1907: Incorporation of Las Cruces

In 1907, Las Cruces was officially incorporated as a town.

August 1935: Another of the wettest months

August 1935 was one of the wettest months, with 7.41 inches of rain.

August 30, 1935: Wettest single day on record

August 30, 1935, was recorded as the wettest single day with 6.49 inches of rain.

1935: Opening of previous Thomas Branigan Memorial Library

In 1935, the previous library building, also called Thomas Branigan Memorial Library, opened.

September 1941: One of the wettest months

September 1941 was one of the wettest months, with 7.53 inches of rain.

1941: Wettest calendar year on record

1941 was the wettest calendar year, with 19.60 inches of rain.

1944: Establishment of White Sands Missile Range

In 1944, the establishment of the White Sands Missile Range became integral to population growth in Las Cruces.

January 28, 1948: Lowest maximum temperature recorded at New Mexico State University

On January 28, 1948, the lowest maximum temperature of 16 °F was recorded at New Mexico State University.

April 1950: Memorial General Hospital opened

In April 1950, Memorial General Hospital opened at South Alameda Boulevard and Lohman Avenue after the city obtained a $250,000 federal grant.

1954: College Heights Kindergarten founded in 1954

In 1954, College Heights Kindergarten, a private Christian kindergarten, was founded in Las Cruces.

1960: New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts renamed

In 1960, the New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts received its present name, New Mexico State University.

January 11, 1962: Lowest temperature recorded at New Mexico State University

On January 11, 1962, the lowest temperature of -10 °F was recorded at New Mexico State University.

1963: Establishment of White Sands Test Facility

In 1963, the establishment of the White Sands Test Facility became integral to population growth in Las Cruces.

1968: Passenger service discontinued

In 1968, passenger service on the BNSF Railway's El Paso Subdivision was discontinued due to low ridership on the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway's El Pasoan train.

1970: Driest calendar year on record

1970 was recorded as the driest calendar year with only 3.44 inches of rain.

1970: Aggies reach Final Four

In 1970, the Aggies men's basketball team reached the Final Four of the NCAA tournament.

1971: New hospital built

In 1971, the city and county joined to build a new hospital on South Telshor Boulevard.

1973: Opening of Doña Ana Community College

Doña Ana Community College, a branch of New Mexico State University, first opened in 1973.

1973: Downtown pedestrian mall created in 1973

In 1973, a six-block stretch of Main Street in the historic downtown of Las Cruces was closed off to form a pedestrianized shopping area.

1979: Construction of Thomas Branigan Memorial Library in 1979

In 1979, the current Thomas Branigan Memorial Library was constructed.

1982: Relationship with Lerdo, Durango began

In 1982, a relationship began with exchanges between Doña Ana Community College and the Centro de Bachilleratio Technológico Industrial y de Servicios Numero 4 of Lerdo, Durango, Mexico.

1988: Previous NMSU Women's Basketball Tournament Appearance

In 1988, the previous time that the NMSU women's basketball team had reached the NCAA tournament.

1989: Las Cruces Sister Cities Foundation created

In 1989, the Las Cruces Sister Cities Foundation was created.

February 10, 1990: Las Cruces Bowling Alley Massacre

On February 10, 1990, a shooting occurred at a Las Cruces bowling alley, resulting in seven people being shot, with four fatalities. The incident remains unsolved.

1990: Hospital Renamed

In 1990, Memorial General Hospital was renamed Memorial Medical Center.

1993: Partnership with Nienburg established

In 1993, a partnership was established with Nienburg, Lower Saxony, Germany.

June 28, 1994: Highest temperature recorded at New Mexico State University

On June 28, 1994, the highest temperature of 110 °F was recorded at New Mexico State University.

2000: Las Cruces population in 2000

As of the census of 2000, Las Cruces had a population of 74,267, with a certain ethnic and racial makeup.

August 2002: MountainView Regional Medical Center opened

In August 2002, MountainView Regional Medical Center opened for business.

2004: Lease signed with Province HealthCare

In 2004, the City of Las Cruces and the County of Doña Ana signed a 40-year, $150 million lease with Province HealthCare for the physical plant of Memorial Medical Center.

January 2005: Rehabilitation Hospital opened

In January 2005, Rehabilitation Hospital of Southern New Mexico opened.

August 2005: Master plan adoption in August 2005

In August 2005, a master plan was adopted for downtown Las Cruces.

October 1, 2005: World premiere of Remembering Icarus

On October 1, 2005, the Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra (LCSO) gave the world premiere of Bill McGlaughlin's "Remembering Icarus", a tribute to local radio pioneer Ralph Willis Goddard.

December 9, 2005: Remembering Icarus broadcast on NPR

On December 9, 2005, the LCSO's performance of Bill McGlaughlin's "Remembering Icarus" was taped and broadcast nationally on NPR's Performance Today.

2006: UNM Cancer Center-South opened

In 2006, the University of New Mexico Cancer Center-South opened on the Memorial Medical Center campus.

July 4, 2007: Remembering Icarus broadcast on Performance Today and Sirius Satellite Radio

On July 4, 2007, the LCSO's performance of "Remembering Icarus" was broadcast on Performance Today and Sirius Satellite Radio.

July 2007: Advanced Care Hospital opened

In July 2007, Advanced Care Hospital of Southern New Mexico opened.

2007: Las Montañas High School opening

Las Montañas, a charter high school in Las Cruces, opened in the fall of 2007.

2009: CLC-TV received Emmy Award

In 2009, CLC-TV received an Emmy Award by the Rocky Mountain Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

2010: Las Cruces population in 2010

As of the 2010 census, Las Cruces had a population of 97,618.

2010: Start of NMSU Aggies basketball success

Beginning in 2010, the New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball team had a run of success, making the NCAA tournament eight times between 2010 and 2019.

2010: Inaugural season for the Las Cruces Vaqueros

In 2010, the Las Cruces Vaqueros became the first professional sports team in Las Cruces.

2011: Las Cruces Vaqueros join Pecos League

In the 2011 season, the Las Cruces Vaqueros joined the Pecos League of Professional Baseball Clubs.

2012: Main Street reopened to vehicular traffic in 2012

In 2012, Main Street in Las Cruces was reopened to vehicular traffic after restoration.

2012: NMSU enrollment as of 2012

The NMSU Las Cruces campus had about 18,500 students enrolled as of fall 2012.

February 2013: New park construction announced in February 2013

In February 2013, the construction of a 700-acre park behind the Las Cruces Dam was announced.

2013: Opening of Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine

In 2013, the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine (BCOM) opened on the campus of NMSU.

2013: Las Cruces Vaqueros final year in the Pecos League

The Las Cruces Vaqueros played in the Pecos League of Professional Baseball Clubs for the 2011–2013 seasons.

2014: NMSU Women's Basketball makes NCAA Tournament

In 2014, the 2014-15 NMSU women's basketball team reached the NCAA tournament.

2015: Las Cruces Vaqueros return to Pecos League

In 2015, the Las Cruces Vaqueros team returned for the season.

2015: Doña Ana Community College enrollment data

In the 2015-2016 school year, Doña Ana Community College had 4,997 full-time equivalent credit enrollments.

January 2016: Las Cruces Vaqueros forced to sit out the season

In January 2016, structural damage to their home ballpark forced the Las Cruces Vaqueros to sit out the 2016 season.

August 2016: First class at Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine

In August 2016, the first class began instruction at the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine (BCOM).

2016: Doña Ana Community College enrollment data

In the 2015-2016 school year, Doña Ana Community College had 4,246 non-credit students.

2017: Metropolitan area population in 2017

In 2017, the Las Cruces metropolitan area had an estimated population of 213,849.

2017: Las Cruces Vaqueros planned return

The Las Cruces Vaqueros planned to return for the 2017 season.

November 2019: Ranked-choice voting used for the first time

In November 2019, ranked-choice voting was used for the first time in a municipal election in Las Cruces.

2019: End of NMSU Aggies basketball success

Ending in 2019, the New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball team had a run of success, making the NCAA tournament eight times between 2010 and 2019.

2019: Las Cruces Population Estimate for 2019

Estimates for 2019 indicated that Las Cruces had a population of 103,432 with certain demographics.

2020: Las Cruces population in 2020

As of the 2020 census, the population of Las Cruces was 111,385.

2020: Rio Grande's decreasing flow in 2020

By 2020, due to drought conditions, the Rio Grande only filled its banks when water was released from upstream dams and drought conditions meant the flows were increasingly short or small.