Partner Cities
The Las Cruces, New Mexico Sister Cities chapter has two affiliations, learn about them below.
The City of Las Cruces joined Sister Cities International in 1989.
The Foundation was then created to officially recognize a relationship that began in 1982 with exchanges between Dona Ana Community College and the Centro de Bachilleratio Technológico Industrial y de Servicios Numero 4 of Lerdo, Durango, Mexico.
In 1993, a second partnership was established with Nienburg, Germany which grew from a school exchange between Mayfield High School and Albert Schweitzer Schule.
During this time of nearly 30 years, community members and elected officials from all three interests have traveled as delegates of the program and experienced the culture and hospitality of one or more of our partner cities. This has paved the way for the many student, professional and personal exchanges that have allowed Las Crucens, Lerdoans and Nienburgers to live, work and study in a foreign culture and language where their new friends are more like family they have just met.
Lerdo Durango, Mexico
The Lerdo-Las Cruces relationship began in 1982, seven years before the actual affiliation with Sister Cities International. The initial reciprocal agreement between the two city governments was followed almost immediately by an educational exchange between Dona Ana Community College (DACC) and the Centro de Bachilleratio Technológico Industrial y de Servicios Numero 4 (CBTis4) of Lerdo Durango, Mexico.
Located approximately 600 miles south of Las Cruces, Lerdo’s population is nearly 100,000. The city is sited near the Nazas River, which flows much like our Rio Grande. It is surrounded by orchards and vineyards. Lerdo is well known as an agricultural community, growing alfalfa, corn, tomatoes, pecans, chile, sorghum and wheat, as well as poultry. Each July, there are cotton and wine festivals. Other natural resources include silver, lead and marble. With its beautiful architecture , city square, quiet streets and lush parks , Lerdo offers a heaven of relaxation for its citizens and visitors.
Nienburg/Weser, Germany
As with Lerdo, education brought Nienburg and Las Cruces together. For several years before the formal Sister Cities affiliation, students from Las Cruces’ Mayfield High School and Nienburg’s Albert-Schweitzer-Schule, participated in student exchanges. Las Cruces and Nienburg officially became Sister Cities on July 3, 1993.
Nienburg/Wesser is situated on the banks of the Weser River in northwestern Germany in the state of Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony), a short distance from Hannover. It is a county seat and cultural center with a population of about 33,000. Nienburg is home to about 30 schools including a technical college several manufacturing plants, including a glass recycling plant, which serves northern Germany.
The earliest official mention of Nienburg/Weser dates from the year 1025, when Milo, the Canon of Minden, apparently made a gift of his property in Nienburg to the Minden church. Since this early mention spoke of Nienburg (= new castle), some kind sort of fortress must already have existed there for some time, perhaps in order to protect the crossing of the Weser. Under the protection of this fortress the initially insecure settlement became permanent, and was first officially referred to a “civitas” (a town) in 1215.
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