The small village of Santa Clara in central Grant County has a long history and shares deep ties to the mining economy of Grant County.  Once home to several hundred miners, the village's fate has sometimes risen and fallen with the price of copper and the business conditions at mines nearby. Today, it is home to the new Fort Bayard Medical Center being built just noth of the historic Fort Bayard site.

Once named Central, the village of Santa Clara is a community with quiet streets, beautiful churches and a few businesses. City leaders are working with their new Santa Clara Industrial Park to bring more business to the area, and the state-run medical center promises to bring even more growth to this small community.