@ David "ZZyZX" Stienberg- I am currently a student at NMSU and I think you would be happy to know that Las Cruces (and especially Messilla for that matter) is not nearly as conservative a town that it once was. The local markets (and pride in buying locally) has really taken off in this town as well as the art community making a big push. Although I still have plans of my own to make it to the great pacific northwest someday to reside permanently I thought that you may enjoy knowing that even small town conservative New Mexico is progressing with the times and moving in a positive direction