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I have limited experience in Las Cruces but while there I talked to some architecture people and drove around the town and the campus and "Old" Mesilla. The city got caught up in the urban renewal craze some years ago (decades) and it seems like they might have shot themselves in the foot and never recovered. It is maybe too close to El Paso and getting closer. I heard people say it was like Albuquerque 40 years ago -- but I don't think they were saying it was on the same trajectory.
I have limited experience in Las Cruces but while there I talked to some architecture people and drove around the town and the campus and "Old" Mesilla. The city got caught up in the urban renewal craze some years ago (decades) and it seems like they might have shot themselves in the foot and never recovered. It is maybe too close to El Paso and getting closer. I heard people say it was like Albuquerque 40 years ago -- but I don't think they were saying it was on the same trajectory.
That's all true. In 2007 when that blog was written, there was still only a walking area in lieu of Main Street being present. However, by 2014, the 7 block stretch of Main Street was restored. The city then went one step further: Water Street and Church Street, which were concocted as the outer perimeter streets around the mall, were formally one way streets. Church went north, and Water went south. By 2018, the city (once again a good thing in my view) changed both streets to two way roads, so now anyone can go in either direction in that same 7 block area. This confused a lot of the old timers at the time. Also roundabouts were installed at the south and north end of the 7 block area where Water and Church collide with Main St. That is still a very confusing situation to those that don't understand the basic premise of failure to yield to the right. Growing up in New Jersey, I remember old traffic circles.
Its March 2023 and I have now lived in Las Cruces since October 2021. I noticed that this city really seems to be a mystery to people unless they live here. My opinion is you have to live and drive and shop in a city for at least a year or so to understand what goes on. The crime in this town is not visible when you drive through here like to grab a good meal or take in the views. The insane types of assaults on people who are just trying to shop at walgreens or go to a dollar tree will probably not be on the news but those of us living here are well aware of these. The only way you can know what really goes on here is to drive around El Paseo Street at night and/or join Las Cruces Community Watch on Facebook. While some tourist is having their double latte at the Bean Cafe in adorable Mesilla, there are violent robberies occurring 2 miles away at the Circle K gas station. Las Cruces has high crime and we all see it and witness it every day. If you are wealthy and you bought a remote isolated home up in the outskirts of town, you wont be as affected by these things obviously. But if you move here and you are a working person who rents, you should be very careful what neighborhood you move into. Do not go to Walmart at night off Valley especially if you are a single female. The drug runners, human traffickers and gang members dont mess around and you must be on your guard in this town. I know this post will annoy and/or anger some but I am telling you what I have seen so far. If you want current day to day postings of crimes here the FB community watch is where you get it - people post videos of car jackings, police raids on crack houses and everything else. Can you live here and enjoy yourself? That depends on how much money you have and where you live and shop. I imagine if I lived in the hills in a fancy home and only drove down to starbucks for a coffee and had my groceries delivered I might think Las Cruces is fabulous. For us working folks who must interact in and around criminals, its a different story. If I knew a better place to relocate to, I would be there.
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