Cloudcroft, NM

Cloudcroft sits at 8,676 feet in the Sacramento Mountains within the Lincoln National Forest. Its history began with a railroad search for timber: in the 1890s, the El Paso and Northeastern Railroad reached Alamogordo and sent a survey crew into the mountains, and an excursion train later carried visitors uphill. The timber supply route helped turn a high-country work site into a village and seasonal destination. The village's 2020 population was 750, and the high elevation places the school, businesses, festivals, and forest access in a distinct mountain setting for a year-round community.

The elevation still organizes present-day Cloudcroft. Zenith Park hosts recurring May Fair, July Jamboree, and Oktoberfest gatherings, while the village's compact business area includes shops, restaurants, a general store, and the Cloudcroft Museum. Cloudcroft Municipal Schools is headquartered here and serves nearby communities as well. Tourism remains central to the local economy, with the forest, park events, and historic railroad setting supplying the context for the visitor trade.