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City earns retirement honor: Magazine gives nod to Cruces as college town

By Brook Stockberger SUN-NEWS BUSINESS EDITOR

October 22, 2005

More accolades are about to be bestowed on Las Cruces.

Money magazine's November edition, set to come out next week, names the city as one of the "Best College Towns to Retire," the Las Cruces Convention & Visitors Bureau announced Friday.

"It's beautiful here, it deserves to be ranked," said real estate agent Jesse Alvarez, who works with Realty Associates de Las Cruces. "I've been here 18 months; I came here from Roswell and I talk to people all the time who want to move here."

He said that he has heard from people who have discovered Las Cruces because they became aware of one of the several honors that the city has garnered.

Las Cruces was ranked by Money as one of "The Best Places to Retire" in 2002. That was also the same year that the city was honored by the Forbes/Milken Institute as the "Best Small Metro Area for Business and Careers."

In addition, Where to Retire magazine named Las Cruces to its top 100 retirement towns in 2001.

"It feels good to again be recognized by a publication like Money magazine," said Las Cruces Convention & Visitors Bureau Executive Director Ken Mompellier in a news release. "I hope everyone will now come visit us and find out what we have known for a long time."

The Money magazine articles cites, "Las Cruces' great weather, amazing views, New Mexico State University, local health care facilities, the cultural scene and hospitality," as reasons for the city's inclusion in the rankings.

According to its publisher, Time Inc., Money is the largest financial management publication in the world with a circulation of 1.9 million and a total readership of nearly 8 million.

We're honored

Awards and Recognition for Las Cruces
-One of the Best College Towns to Retire -- Money Magazine, Nov. 2005
-Top 50 Motorcoach Destinations in the United States -- National Bus Association, 2004 and 2005
-Top 10 Cities for Hispanics to Live -- Hispanic Magazine, 2002 and 2003
-Best Small Metro Area for Business and Careers -- Forbes/Milken Institute, 2002, 2003 and 2004
-Best Place to Live -- Family Digest, Fall 2002
-One of the Best Places to Retire -- Money Magazine, June 2002
-Top Destination -- Facilities & Destinations Magazine, 2001, 2002 and 2004
-One of America's Top 100 Retirement Towns -- Where to Retire Magazine, Fall 2001