Famous for its leading role in America's space research and military technology industries, Alamogordo (pop. 35,582) achieved worldwide fame on July 16, 1945, when the first atomic bomb was exploded at nearby Trinity Site. Today, it is home of the New Mexico Museum of Space History, White Sands National Monument, and Holloman Air Force Base. Twenty miles east and twice as high, the resort village of Cloudcroft (elevation 8,650 ft.) attracts vacationers to the forested heights of the Sacramento Mountains.
