Article courtesy of Las Cruces Sun-News
By Brook Stockberger
LAS CRUCES – The economy may not be great, but compared to other parts of the country, the Las Cruces area has fared well. For the second straight year, the Las Cruces area has been placed in the top 10 of the Milken Institute’s 2010 Best-Performing Cities list.
Las Cruces is ranked No. 8 this year on the Smallest Metros list. Last year the city was No. 9. The Milken Institute reports that, “Researchers found that metros whose economies are heavy on service industries such as health care and on large government employers like military bases have been shielded from the job losses suffered by cities more closely tied to the housing and financial sectors.”
Fargo N.D. topped the list. Farmington was ranked No. 106 and Santa Fe was 110. In the Largest Metro list, El Paso was ranked No. 9 and Albuquerque was ranked 64th.
Davin Lopez, president and CEO of the Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance, said such lists do not necessarily bring in new business, but they do help with recognition. “What it does show is our sustainability; we have a nice mix of private and public sector (business),” Lopez said.
Amanda Olivarez Cruz, executive director of the Hispano Chamber of Commerce de Las Cruces, said, “This is a big deal for Las Cruces. The way the economy has been going, we still have businesses opening.”
To read more, go online to bestcities.milkeninstitute.org.
Brook Stockberger can be reached at (575) 541-5457.
