Dona Ana

Formed January 9, 1852 (2^nd county)

Dona Ana County (219,567), Las Cruces (111,392)

The Modern School style courthouse replaced a 1937 Spanish Mission style courthouse.  The facility is on Pichaco Avenue and Alemeda Boulevard.  United States Highway 70 is Pichaco Avenue in this part of the city.  There was also an earlier 1880 structure.  This 1927 structure was originally a high school with Lehmann & Wuehrmann providing the building designs.  The building was renovated and converted in 2006 to the courthouse and an Administration Building was also constructed.  An original county (2^nd county,) Dona Ana County was formed on January 9, 1852.  Mesilla was the first county seat until 1882 when Las Cruces assumed the position.  The county was named for a local community.  A nearby battle graveyard of crosses inspired the county seat’s name, Spanish for “the crosses”.  Dona Ana County was the birthplace for 1 New Mexico Governor, Raymond S. Apodaca. 

Dona Ana County government consists of a manager, a sheriff, a treasurer, an attorney, an assessor, and a clerk (executive).  It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.)  Eight District Court Judges serve Dona Ana County (judicial.)  The county is on the south central border with Texas and Mexico.  El Paso, Texas is directly south of the county.  The Rio Grande runs through the heart of the county.  The county center is 14.5 miles North-Northeast of Las Cruces nearer Butterfield.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Sierra and Otero counties and Texas and Mexico and Luna County. 

The area of the county is 3807 square miles.  It is 16 out of 33 in the state.  It ranks 2 out of 33 in population in the state.  It has a density of 57.7 persons per square mile making it 5 out of 33 in the state.  Dona Ana County has 63.8% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 10 comes from Texas, south, and turns at Las Cruces to go into Luna County, west.  Interstate Highway 25 comes from the north and terminates at Las Cruces.  United States Highway 70 enters from Otero County on the east, joins Interstate Highway 10 at Las Cruces, and exits into Luna County on the west.  United States Highway 180 is joined with Interstate Highway 10 from Texas to Luna County.  The county is shaped like a plow pointing to the northeast and having a cutout in the southeast.  Las Cruces is near the center of the county.  Las Cruces is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 50.7% of the county population.  The county is pronounced DOE-NYA ANN-A.  The seat is pronounced LAS KRUE-SES.  This county is in the Las Cruces MSA.