By Melissa Voelker
Roswell, New
Mexico is a city infamous for its part in UFO sightings and a legendary alien crash in the late 1940s. Because of this notoriety and its pleasant weather year-round, Roswell is a popular tourist attraction in the Southwest.
Location
Roswell (elevation 3,573 feet) is located in the southeastern part of New Mexico in the United States of America.
Size
Roswell is only a moderately sized city covering about 30 square miles. The population is around 45,000 people, as of 2007.
History
The first settlement was made in the Roswell area back in 1869. The town got its name in 1871, after the father of professional gambler Van C. Smith. The town was incorporated in 1903.
Considerations
Temperatures in Roswell stay fairly warm throughout the year, with winter highs in the upper 50s and lows in the upper 20s. During the summer the temperature can get up into the 90s or even above 100, with lows that usually don't dip below 60 degrees. This is also a fairly dry area, with the most (if any at all) precipitation falling in the summer months.
Fun Fact
Roswell became famous (or infamous) in July of 1947 when an aircraft crashed in the area that was believed to have been a flying saucer. The Air Force cleared up the crash and reported that it had been a weather balloon, but residents and the press continued to believe that a UFO had landed and that aliens had actually been taken away from the crash site.
About the Author:
Melissa Voelker has been a professional writer since 2002. She works full time at a TV station in the commercial traffic department and also writes for Paperbackreader.com and Pinkraygun.com. Her articles have appeared in "Listen," "The Spokesman Review" and "Freepress Houston."
