Archive for the 'Real Estate' Category
Thursday, April 5th, 2007
Pat Garrett Marker
The city of Las Cruces is considering the approval of a 1,703.9 acre subdivision on the East Mesa south of Hwy 70 called “The Vistas at Presidio II.”
Unknown to virtually everyone in Las Cruces, this block contains a marker built by Jarvis Garrett to memorialize the spot where his Dad was shot. Jarvis Garrett is the youngest son of Pat Garrett. Pat Garrett is the lawman who is most famous for having shot Billy the Kid.
A local organization called Friends of Pat Garrett has been formed “to ensure that the site where the death occurred is set aside for a memorial to Pat, and that the marker set up by Jarvis is retained and protected.” Their web site is:
Here’s what the marker looks like:
Pat Garrett was shot February 28, 1908. You can see “Feb 1908” carved in the marker in this closeup:
Photos courtesy of Friends of Pat Garrett.
See also:
Billy the Kids’s Grave – New Book
Did Billy the Kid Stay at La Posta in Mesilla?
Saturday, March 24th, 2007
200,000 — Coming Soon
Las Cruces and Doña Ana County continue explosive growth. US Census Bureau estimates just released for 2006 put the number of people in the county as of July 1, 2006 at approximately 194,000.
This reflects a 2.4% growth for the year, the second highest for the state.
The effects of this growth are everywhere: new housing, new subdivisions, new roads — more traffic — commercial development, real estate price increases, multiplying resource demands.
A lot of the effects of growth are cultural. There is a clear clash between the traditional — one could say organic — ideas and values of this area and the ideas and values being imported. There is a distinct “California mindset” that is almost brutally in conflict with local culture.
Here are the population estimates in thousands for the last five years for Doña Ana County:
2002 – 179,000
2003 – 182,000
2004 – 185,000
2005 – 189,000
2006 – 194,000
In 1990, the population was 136,000.
Here’s the fact sheet for Doña Ana for 2005, the latest posted on the Census Bureau site. Among other things, it shows the medium age to be 31.7 years, the median family income to be $34,168, and the average time required to get to work as 17.3 minutes.
Tags: Las Cruces, Real Estate, Population, Average Income
Saturday, December 16th, 2006
Las Cruces Housing Market
For about a decade, Las Cruces has been an extremely attractive place to move to — housing costs were significantly below the national average and the climate and natural beauty made this area a wonderful place to live.
As a result, a lot of people have moved here.
And they have driven up housing prices enormously.
Here’s the Real Estate Industry data for the average selling price of a house in Las Cruces for the last 6 years:
2001 – $126,000
2002 – $134,000
2003 – $143,000
2004 – $168,000
2005 – $199,000
2006 – $216,000 (10 month average)
As you can see, the average cost of a house has increased by $90,000 since 2001.
This rapid run-up in prices has caused a lot of disquiet in long-term Crucens. The cost of living is going up, traffic is getting worse, and resource demand is growing exponentially.
Tags: Las Cruces Housing Costs, House Prices, Home Sales
Thursday, November 9th, 2006
Stairs First
How often are stairs built first?
From the top landing:
When the building catches up with the stairs, this will be the view:
Tags: Stairs
Monday, October 23rd, 2006
Las Cruces Real Estate
Las Cruces has seen huge growth in the last few years. The population of the city has increased 8.5% since 2000, to an estimated 83,000. There are an additional 40,000 to 50,000 people living in the surrounding valley, and a total of about 190,000 in the county (Doña Ana).
Real Estate and housing prices have doubled during that period. The local paper reports that the average closing price of a house in Las Cruces last month was $221,000. A year ago it was $176,000.
I think the growth of Las Cruces is just beginning. Las Cruces offers attractions and advantages that are no longer available in states such as Colorado, Arizona, and Nevada. I predict a huge influx of relatively wealthy people, most from the West Coast.
This is going to continue to change Las Cruces in unfortunate ways.
Tags: Real Estate, House Prices, Population, Las Cruces
