At one time Las Vegas, New Mexico was the Southwest’s largest town. The advent of the Santa Fe trail brought thousands of wagon train emigrants passing through the region en route to the promised land in west.

The advent of travel by rail routed the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railroad through town, spurring a boom in businesses. Even though the Amtrak serves Las Vegas today, main east-west railroad routes diverged through Albuquerque long ago.

Today, the physical legacy of Santa Fe’s boom times is poignantly preserved by a plethora of stunningly beautiful stone and brick Victorian era businesses and homes. There remains more than 900 historic buildings in town listed on the National Historic Register.
The historic old Harvey House--The Hotel Castañeda, a metaphoric anchor, located adjacent to the Amtrak train depot, remains as an iconic symbol of the town’s historic significance.

From food to culture and living history, Las Vega is a must do for anyone planning an exploration of Northern New Mexico.

Join correspondent Tom Wilmer for a conversation with three modern day immigrants who left big city life on the East Coast and West Coast to happily hunker down in an under the radar paradise.

Jan and Frank Beurskens and Cindy Collins share their stories of discovery and settling in the real Las Vegas in the heart of Northern New Mexico.
Las Vegas is just a 67 mile drive from Santa Fe and two hours from Albuquerque.

You are invited to subscribe to the seven-time Lowell Thomas Award-winning travel podcast, Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer, featured on the NPR Podcast Directory, Apple Podcast, and more than twenty other podcast hosting sites including iHeartRadio and Spotify