Mesilla, NM

Month Year visit:  March 2023

Small Town Vibe blog article link: Mesilla, NM: where rich history and culture meet small-town charm (smalltownvibe.org) 

Observations: Intending to base ourselves out of Las Cruces to enjoy day trips to the surrounding sites, it was purely an accident that we ended up staying at an airbnb guest house in Mesilla, located on the southwest edge of Las Cruces metro area. While we eventually learned that the locals almost look at Mesilla as a local neighborhood.  Super neat place to visit! It has a beautiful historic plaza with well-established restaurants and shops and was easily walkable from our guest home.

Online Research

Walkability score and AARP Liveability scores are surprisingly low (mid-30s).  When i looked the metrics behind the numbers, they didn't resonate with what we had experienced during our visit - or the online research i did afterwards. i suspect some kind of algorythm error, given Mesilla is somewhat of a suburb to las cruces.

How have Mesilla and its historic Plaza have thrived for so long? i looked at nearby Dona Ana for historical comparison. For example, he Dona Ana Village also has a restored Plaza, but far from the same vibrancy associated with having nearby businesses and dining. Certainly, Mesilla is a terrific example of long-term community resiliency.... why is that?

• Mesilla Plaza - Google Maps

• Doña Ana Village Plaza public park - Google Maps

From a placemaking perspective, I admired the fact that the Mesilla Plaza neighborhood maintains its business density, which makes walking around such a pleasure.  From a pragmatic perspective, the town has convenient parking lots outside of the main business district to entice area neighbors to drive to this community. That is to say, easy parking enables non-locals to spend their eating, drinking, and shopping budget in Mesilla.

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