Roswell: Highway 285 to Berrendo Road -Econony

 

Pecan orchard on Montana Road

When Mr. Jaffa drilled his deep well in his back yard at Richardson Avenue, he set the stage for what Roswell would become, an agricultural community.

On my 1.7 mile hike from home into town, I pass the large pecan orchard above (There's another about two miles away) and one ranch with cows and sheep. There are a handful of ranches with horses. I think that some of the farms I see on my hikes are raising forage.

Farm field with irrigation

It's a mistake to think that all desert areas are barren. I've said before that Roswell is an oasis, so there is water available from the deep aquifer, but the soil is also rich in some areas. Those pecan orchards are in places where Berrendo Creek has laid down a layer of soil and the soil it's laid down is from areas of past volcanic activity. Volcanic soil tend to contain significant amounts of potassium and phosphorus with trace elements, like sulfur and magnesium. It's fairly easy to add nitrogen.

For the same reason, the Pecos River Valley has rich soils 

Pecans are popular crops in the area. So are pistachios. We have a pistachio tree in our year that bears voluminously in the spring.

Surprisingly, one of the largest producers of mozzarella cheese in the world is in Roswell. That's the Leprino Foods factory, established around 1996.

Of course, after the UFO crash in 1947, Roswell had another source of revenue.....aliens  Roswell is not at all an expensive vacation destination and it has gotten out that there are other reasons to visit here but you really can't forget the aliens.

Main Street is packed with hotels, motels, and places to eat....including some surprisingly good places to eat 

Aliens

Another reason to come to Roswell is to go to school. Both the New Mexico Military Institute and the Eastern New Mexico University, Roswell campus are here.

And, of course, Roswell is a considerable distance from anywhere, so people living here and in outlying areas across a wide range come here to shop.

What are the reasons for people to visit your area?