Socorro, NM

Socorro sits along Interstate 25 in New Mexico's high desert, about 75 miles south of Albuquerque. This college town of 8,500 hosts the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology and serves as a gateway to the Very Large Array radio telescope. The intersection of I-25 and US 60 makes Socorro a natural stopping point for cross-country travelers. The city is famous for its 27 massive radio telescope dishes that scan deep space from the nearby Plains of San Agustin.