The Las Cruces NM MSA (Dona Ana County, NM), located in the southern most part of the state of New Mexico, shares its border with the state of Texas and the state of Chihuahua, Mexico. The region, comprised of the Las Cruces NM MSA, the El Paso TX MSA and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico is the largest metropolitan area along the U.S.-Mexico border. This dynamic area is home to more that 2.5 million people and offers unlimited opportunities for business location and expansion.

Southern New Mexico is ideally situated to take advantage of a number of new business opportunities. Dona Ana County, being “next door” to the manufacturing powerhouse of the maquila industry in Juarez, is home to one of the newest Ports of Entry into Mexico. Newly constructed highways on both sides of the border connect with major freeway systems on both the U.S. and Mexican sides of the border. On the U.S. side of the border, the Union Pacific and Burlington Northern – Santa Fe railroads connect with the Mexican Ferromex system into central Mexico.

With a long history in space-exploration research and development, southern New Mexico is poised to be at the forefront of the next generation of spaceflight. Spaceport America, the world’s first, purpose-built commercial spaceport, is under construction in the high-desert 45 miles north of Las Cruces. It will take advantage of an average 340 days of sunshine per year and airspace that is un-congested, easily scheduled, and locally controlled by White Sands Missile Range (WSMR). For more information about the Spaceport America, please visit the “The Right Space - Spaceport America.”

White Sands Missile Range is one of the largest military facilities in the United States, covering an area of about 4,000 square miles. It is a test range whose primary function is to support missile development and test programs for the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, NASA, and other government agencies and private industry. In addition to supporting new commercial space launches at Spaceport America, WSMR will also be the primary test and evaluation site for the Army’s Future Combat Systems (FCS) development. 

These activities are supported by some of the most advanced research labs and universities in the nation. Advanced research takes place in the Rio Grande Technology Corridor which includes Los Alamos and Sandia National Labs, the University of New Mexico, New Mexico Tech and New Mexico State University.