Sunland Park, New Mexico

B ordering both the American state of Texas and the Mexican state of Chihuahua, is the picturesque city of Sunland Park. Despite being officially incorporated in 1983, its history dates to the 1880s and the Old West. The municipality is situated at the base of the Sierra del Cristo Rey (Mountain of Christ the King), which at its summit has a stunning 29-foot-tall limestone statue of Cristo Rey. The mountain and surrounding area are even mentioned in Marty Robbins’ iconic song, “El Paso,” as “the hill” the cowboy protagonist rides down “out to the badlands of New Mexico.” Even though the ballad makes the place, now Sunland Park, sound lonely and desolate, current reality is completely different. A border city, it’s one of the largest with a fast-growing population in New Mexico. It’s also one of the state’s safest communities and even has the best weather. “We now have an estimated population of 18,000, up 1,000 from 2019,” Javier Perea, Mayor of Sunland Park reports. “In terms of demographics, it’s a mixture. We’re getting retirees from El Paso because of our cheaper property taxes, but we’re also seeing lots of young families move closer to job opportunities at the Santa Teresa Industrial Park. I’m curious to see what the 2020 census reveals. Then we’ll have a better understanding where we’ll be moving forward.” Currently, the biggest growth is in the northern section of Sunland AT A GLANCE SUNLAND PARK, NEWMEXICO WHAT: Fast-growing binational community; population approximately 18,000 WHERE: On the border of El Paso, Texas and Chihuahua, Mexico WEBSITE: www.sunlandpark-nm.gov rk, exico Manifesting the land of enchantment