Downtown

Downtown Las Cruces is the original center of the city. The Original Townsite was laid out in 1849, and its grid of streets around Main Street holds some of the oldest homes in Las Cruces, among them historic adobes in the Mesquite Street Original Townsite Historic District.

Main Street is the heart of it. The Las Cruces Farmers and Crafts Market sets up along it on Saturday and Wednesday mornings, and the Branigan Cultural Center, the city’s museums, theaters, restaurants and the Rio Grande Theatre are all within a few blocks.

Homes here are mostly small and older, many from the 1930s to the 1950s and some much older, on lots of about an eighth of an acre. Downtown is one of the more affordable parts of the city, with most homes offered below $250,000; a restored historic home can reach $500,000.

Homeowner associations are rare. In the historic district, building and remodeling may be subject to the city’s review, and on any older home roofs, wiring and plumbing are worth checking.

Interstate 10 and Interstate 25 are both a few minutes away.