Geography of Las Cruces
Las Cruces, New Mexico, the seat of Dona Ana County. The city is 42 miles (68 km) northwest of El Paso, Texas. Las Cruces processes and ships the products of the Mesilla Valley, chiefly cotton. Silver, lead, and fluorspar are mined in the area. New Mexico State University is in Las Cruces. White Sands Missile Range, a weapons test site, is in the desert to the northeast; the first atomic bomb was exploded here. The missile range completely surrounds White Sands National Monument, an area of high dunes. Las Cruces was settled in 1848 and incorporated in 1907.
Population: 74,267.