“Coming to NMMI has helped me to develop my skills as a leader. Also, I love to practice in a group and my team is just awesome to train with. It really motivates me and helps me to get better every day. I also want to become a doctor, and the academics here challenge and help prepare me for this future path.”
The New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI) was established in 1891 as a public military High School and Junior College in Roswell, New Mexico. Known as “the West Point of the West,” NMMI operates under the auspices of the State of New Mexico, under a dedicated Board of Regents that reports to the Governor of New Mexico. The school enrolls nearly 1,000 cadets at the junior college and high school levels each year from 45 states, 2 U.S. territories (Puerto Rico and American Samoa), and 35 foreign nations.
VISION
New Mexico Military Institute is a globally recognized, secondary and post-secondary learning institution for young men and women that instills excellence in leadership, academics, and physical development within a structured environment empowering students to thrive in a dynamic world.
MISSION
To educate, train, and prepare young men and women to be leaders capable of critical thinking and sound analysis, leaders who possess uncompromising character, and leaders able to meet challenging physical demands.
The overarching values that are inherent in the NMMI Vision and Mission shape the institution, the faculty, staff, and, most significantly, its Cadets. They represent an enduring commitment to duty, honor, and achievement.
New Mexico Military Institute was founded as the Goss Military Institute in 1891, later changing to the current name in 1893 as a result of becoming a territorial school. While previously located in the downtown McDonalds area, NMMI relocated to it’s current location in 1895 with a land donation from James John Hagerman. In 1899 NMMI officially became an all male boarding school. In 1915 NMMI formally became a junior college. 1977 saw women readmitted to NMMI for the first time in 78 years with 15 female college cadets and 10 female high school cadets. To read more about NMMI’s long history, visit the NMMI Historical Timeline.
Roswell, NM was founded in 1871 and named after the father of the town’s first postmaster, Van C. Smith, and is the county seat of Chaves County. Robert H. Goddard, the American engineer and inventor, called Roswell home while developing his rocketry work in the 1930’s. From the 1940’s through the 1960’s Roswell was home to the Walker Air Force Base and saw a significant military presence. After the closing of Walker Air Force Base in 1967, Roswell morphed into a retirement destination. The main tourism in Roswell comes from the The Roswell Incident which took place when a mysterious craft was said to have crashed in rural Lincoln County roughly 86 miles away. The city currently holds a summer festival commemorating the incident as well as asci-fi convention in conjunction with the event. Roswell is also home to several museums including the Roswell Museum, the UFO Museum, the Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Historical Society for Southeast New Mexico.
Roswell, NM is located on the High Plains of the Chihuahuan Desert in the Southeast portion of the state of New Mexico in the Southwest United States. The city center is located a few miles east of the Pecos River and about 40 miles west of the Sierra Blanca mountain range. Roswell’s geographic location gives it a cold semi-arid climate. Winter is cold and sunny, though snow is known to occur; Spring is mild with some wind; Summer sees extreme heat followed by a monsoon season in July and August; Autumn is cool and windy with foliage changing in late October/early November with an occasional chance of snow.
Airline flights are available from Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) to and from Roswell, NM (ROW) via American Eagle Airlines. For flight information and reservations visit www.flyroswell.com or use your favorite travel booking service. The Roswell Airport (ROW) at the Roswell Industrial Air Center is approximately 8 miles from NMMI; therefore, a rental car is needed (see below for rental car options.) Public transportation is available, but you may have a lengthy wait period.
Lyft rideshare is available. Shuttle Ruidoso offers services to and from the Roswell Air Center. Roswell Transit offers bus service 7 days a week to and from the Roswell Air Center into the city of Roswell. Weekdays the first bus is scheduled at 6:28am and the final bus is scheduled at 8:27pm. Weekends the first bus is scheduled for 9:29am and the last bus is scheduled for 4:49pm.
If you need to rent a car for your visit to NMMI, please visit the Enterprise Rent A Car page at https://www.enterprise.com/en/home.html and use the Corporate Class ID 34A1091 with the Pin # NEW. Through a deal with Enterprise, NMMI is able to offer its corporate discount rate to prospective cadets and their families for their personal rental car needs. Other local rental car companies include Avis Rent A Car, Budget Rent A Car, and Hertz Rent A Car. Please contact these companies directly for more information or use your preferred travel services provider to book your rental car reservations.
Bus service is provided through Greyhound out of the downtown bus terminal (Roswell Pecos Trails Transit) at 515 N. Main St., approximately four blocks south of NMMI. Click on the link to make travel arrangements to and from Roswell: https://www.greyhound.com/bus/roswell-nm/roswell-pecos-trails-transit.
From Albuquerque, New Mexico (Albuquerque International Sunport, ABQ) to NMMI – 203 miles
Take I-40 east to Clines Corners, NM. Merge onto US 285 South at Clines Corners, NM. Stay on 285 through the town of Vaughn, NM and onto Roswell, NM. US 285 becomes Main Street in Roswell. NMMI is located on the corner of North Main Street and College Blvd. Turn west off Main Street onto College Blvd. Turn right onto Colt Ave. Take Colt Ave., through the parking lot until you reach a circle turn around area. Visitor parking is located just behind the turn around. Exit your car and head towards the right, following the signs which will point you to the Enrollment and Development Center.
From Lubbock, Texas (Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport, LBB) – 182 miles
From the airport take N. Martin Luther King Blvd. and turn onto US 62/82 West. Take US 62\82 to Brownfield, Texas. In Brownfield, TX turn right onto US 82/380 West.Take US 82-380 from Brownfield, TX to Plains, TX. Stay on US 380 to Roswell, NM. US 380 becomes 2nd Street in Roswell. Stay on 2nd Street/US 380 to Main Street. Turn right on Main St. and go 15 blocks to College Blvd. NMMI is located on the corner of North Main and College Blvd. Turn left off Main Street onto College Blvd. Turn right onto Colt Ave. Take Colt Ave., through the parking lot until you reach a circle turn around area. Visitor parking is located just behind the turn around. Exit your car and head towards the right, following the signs which will point you to the Enrollment and Development Center.
From El Paso, Texas (El Paso International Airport, ELP) – 204 miles
Take Airport Rd. north and merge right onto US 54 East and continue north. Stay on US 54 to Tularosa, NM. In Tularosa merge right onto US 70 East to Ruidoso, NM. From Ruidoso, NM take US 70/380 to Roswell, NM. US 70/380 turns into 2nd street in Roswell. Take 2nd Street to Main Street. Turn left onto Main Street and go 15 blocks to College Blvd. NMMI is located on the corner of North Main and College Blvd. Turn left off of Main Street onto College Blvd. Turn right onto Colt Ave. Take Colt Ave., through the parking lot until you reach a turn around area. Visitor parking is located just behind the circle turn around. Exit your car and head towards the right, following the signs which will point you to the Enrollment and Development Center.
Roswell, NM has many great restaurant options available throughout the city including many national chains such as Texas Roadhouse, Red Lobster, Panda Express, and Taco Bell. Restaurants located closer to NMMI include:
| Dining in | Phone Number | Address | Fast Food | Phone Number | Address | |
| Cattle Baron | 1-575-622-2465 | 1113 N Main St | McDonald’s | 1-575-622-4752 | 720 N Main St | |
| Pasta Cafe | 1-575-624-1111 | 1208 N Main St | Buffalo Wild Wings | 1-575-622-9464 | 747 N Main St | |
| Amigos | 1-575-623-3293 | 1300 N Main St | Dunkin’ Donuts | 1-575-208-0454 | 800 N Main St | |
| Farley’s | 1-575-627-1100 | 1315 N Main St | Sonic | 1-575-623-5800 | 808 N Main St | |
| Los Cerritos | 1-575-622-4919 | 2103 N Main St | Arby’s | 1-575-622-8710 | 1013 N Main St | |
| Denny’s | 1-575-622-9960 | 2200 N Main St | Wendy’s | 1-575-623-7950 | 1101 N Main St | |
| Applebee’s | 1-575-627-9606 | 2212 N Main St | Starbucks | 1-575-622-1358 | 1309 N Main St | |
| IHOP | 1-575-625-6767 | 2304 N Main St | Burrito Express | 1-575-627-7893 | 209 E College Blvd | |
| Chill (Ice Cream) | 1-575-755-2445 | 2417 N Main St | Little Caesars | 1-575-291-5095 | 1701 N Main St | |
| Burger King | 1-575-623-9894 | 1805 N Main St | ||||
| Dairy Queen | 1-575-622-0002 | 1900 N Main St | ||||
| Whataburger | 1-575-625-1633 | 2110 N Main St | ||||
| Domino’s | 1-575-623-3030 | 2424 N Main St |
See more dining options at the link below.
Roswell, NM has a variety of shopping options throughout town. The downtown area features a variety of locally owned businesses from antique shops to souvenir shops. The north end of Roswell, NM provides a selection of chain stores such as Target and Walmart. Roswell also has main cell phone carrier branch locations such as AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile throughout the city. Grocery stores such as Albertsons and Farmers Country Market are also located throughout the city. See below for a brief selection of the wide array of shopping establishments:
| Store Name | Phone Number | Address |
| Walmart | 1-575-623-2062 | 4500 N Main St A |
| GameStop | 1-575-624-7853 | 4504 N Main St B |
| Sam’s Club | 1-575-627-9852 | 4400 N Main St |
| Hibbett Sports | 1-575-622-4502 | 4531 N Main St Unit A |
| JCPenney | 1-575-622-2942 | 4501 N Main St Suite 9 |
| Bath & Body Works | 1-575-622-9350 | 4501 N Main St |
| Hobby Lobby | 1-575-627-1160 | 4501 N Main St Suite A |
| Marshalls | 1-575-622-9638 | 4501 N Main St |
| Farmers Country Market | 1-575-623-4552 | 2800 N Main St |
| Big 5 | 1-575-623-8047 | 2801 N Main St |
| Office Max | 1-575-627-9777 | 2755 N Main St |
| Target | 1-575-623-0445 | 2725 N Main St |
| Big Lots | 1-575-627-1004 | 2513 N Main St |
| The Home Depot | 1-575-622-2026 | 2350 N Main St |
| Walgreens (North) | 1-575-624-0423 | 1835 N Main St |
See more shopping information at the link below.
