New Mexico has experienced record growth in recent years with Doña Ana County and the city of Las Cruces at the forefront of that growth.
Southern New Mexico
Economic growth in Southern New Mexico is highly driven by science, technology, and federal aerospace research at White Sands Missile Range and the Johnson Space Center. Situated just 40 miles north of the Mexican border, the region receives economic benefit that flows from the border’s industrial boom supported by NAFTA, without experiencing the negative social issues of a border city. The State of New Mexico has made a major investment in infrastructure at the Santa Teresa Border Crossing, south of Las Cruces in Doña Ana County. The continued development of the Santa Teresa Border Industrial Complex is important to the economic development of the region. Foxconn, a Taiwan-based electronics company, has completed the first million square feet of a major manufacturing campus just across the border from Santa Teresa, New Mexico, 25 miles south of Las Cruces. The facility, which manufactures the iPhones and Apple computers, is expected to eventually employ as many as 30,000 workers.
Unique geographic benefits, a temperate climate, and a strong tradition in space leadership have now come given birth to the Spaceport America. The Spaceport is not only bringing new companies to the area, it will also become a driving force in local tourism. The region is well situated within close proximity to tourism destinations and multiple recreational activities that make it attractive:
- El Paso, Texas
- Ruidoso, New Mexico
- Truth or Consequences Hot Springs Resort
- Lincoln National Forest and Ski Apache
- Inn of the Mountain Gods Casino & Resort Hotel
- Elephant Butte State Park and Caballo Lake
- White Sands National Park
- Spaceport America
- Gila Wilderness National Park
- Old Mesilla historical plaza
- Dripping Springs National Park
- Historic Silver City, New Mexico
- Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Santa Fe, New Mexico
- Historic Missions along the Santa Fe Trail
