Looking for info about New Mexico

[Tiger]

Is there anyone that can tell me about living in New Mexico? My first two choices of areas to move to when my wife retires are Las Cruces & Albuquerque and I would appreciate to hear any pros or cons about living there.

 

[mountaintosea]

I had a boss that retired to Silver City, New Mexico in 2000. I think it has become quite popular as a retirement spot. I understand there is a small college. He sold his house in California for $600,000 and bought a bigger one on horse property for $150,000. But that was then, this is now. I believe its in northern New Mexico. Supposed to be good weather year round. Might get a little snow. Just a thought...

 

[dgalbraith100]

I have lived in NM since I was 3 years old, for the record, Silver City (which I lived in until I was 12) is in the southern part of the state . Its a bit to small for my tastes, but could be a nice place to retire "rural".

Las Cruces isn't to bad (also southern part of the state). Weather in both of those is warm to hot and very dry. I'm not a fan of Las Cruces, to much Desert weather for me. Albuquerque can be nice (Still will be warm and dry, just not as bad as the southern half of the state). We sold a 2300SF 2.5 acre house in the Sandia Mountains (east of Albuquerque) 2 years ago for $300K and bought a little 1200SF house in the city for 150K. (Older 1950's houses)

We are in a decent neighboorhood, someplace I feel safe letting my kids play out in the front yard... if they were a bit older, I'd let them wander the streets alone. If you are looking to spend alot of money on a house, you can get to about $600-800K, but much beyond that, and your getting into 'speciality houses'. (Down by the river or up in the foothills, 5000SF+ types of houses). You can get a very nice house for $250K-300K in a great neighborhood.

The other option if you don't have to travel into Albuquerque for a job, is the "west side" the city of Rio Rancho which is west of Albuquerque (across the Rio Grande river) has good housing costs and would be a nice place to live if you don't have to drive into Albuquerque every day.

Albuquerque is in my opinion the "right size city". Not to big, not to small. You can get across it in 30 minutes or less (usually less). Weather is nice, you can mountain bike almost year round, and when you can't Mountain bike, usually you can get onto the road bike with out to much weather trouble. There is also a real (10K) mountain that has a ski area right next to the city, so in the winter, you can Ski, summer you can MTB there (or the 200+ miles of trails around the area). So you get alot of outdoors activities that are with-in 20 minutes.

Hope that gives you a flavor.

Laters,
-d.

ps.
Actually it sucks, and nobody should move here.

 

[kramer]

I have only been to New Mexico once for any length of time, for a friend's wedding and then a vacation moving north from Albuquerque. Northern New Mexico is the only place in the US where I have felt unsafe from a personal security standpoint. I was paranoid enough that I was afraid at one point to be at a rest stop with only one other car there in the middle of the day because of previous situations that I had encountered. I talked to different friends there about this who had moved from California, and they both agreed that this is an issue for living there.

It gets coooollllddd at night in that desert climate. Even southerly Las Cruces has three months where the average low is below freezing. I hate cold weather. Of course, some like it. I would like the coldest night of the year to be above 60!! I dislike the cold nights here in San Jose, California, too, and it is not nearly as cold as NM.

I noticed that the health insurance market is not as well developed (fewer choices) in NM as in some other states, presumably due to lack of population. So make sure you know what your options are in that department.

With all that said, I found a lot to like about NM. It is an awesome place to explore nature. And I like what the previous poster said about Albuquerque (although I couldn't believe how many people just ran red lights there, many after stopping and thinking about it -- one of them rear ended my rental). Albuquerque is the nation's highest capital, even higher than Denver.

Then again, NM was the only place that I thought that I might possibly want to move to which my current health insurance is NOT portable to -- I would have to undergo underwriting again with a different health insurance company.

Kramer

 

[Tiger]

Thanks for the replies, I really appreciate it.

I will have to check to see if our health insurance has providers in NM.

Silver City is third on our list.

According to weather charts I have seen average high temps during summer in Las Cruces is in the mid 90's which with the low humidity. I'm aware it gets pretty cold there during the winter but since no place is ideal I would make that concession although I do prefer it a lot warmer.

As for crime, every city has it's bad areas and you have to be smart enough to stay away from them. I was born and raised in very rough part of New York City and I still have the street smarts to be aware of my surroundings.

 

[2B]

I lived in Albuquerque/Bernallio for several years when much younger and I have visited/traveled through the state a number of times. Most of the state is supported by the government. That includes research, military and Indian reservations. When you get outside of Albuquerque, there are LOTS of Indian reservations and Indians drive a number of city economies.

Albuquerque is growing west and the west side is prone to dust storms. I would personally never live there again if I had an alternative. If you are ERing I'd suggest the east side of town or even on the east side of the Sandias. I'd suggest looking into Ruidoso, Santa Fe or Taos. There is a significant income tax but very low property taxes. Housing costs are reasonably high but that depends on where you are coming from.

 

[Tiger]

2B,

Ruidoso is too touristy and gets too much snow for my liking. The cost of housing in Taos & Santa Fe is too expensive for us.

I hope to take a trip to NM to check it out for myself. I have heard about the winds in various parts of the state.

The original place we wanted to move to is Prescott, AZ but the influx of retirees & Californians have driven the cost of housing there through the roof.

The desire for low humidity and milder winters limits our options.

 

[PPT]

This is a great site for that type of research:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/

 

[2B]

Ruidoso is too touristy and gets too much snow for my liking. The cost of housing in Taos & Santa Fe is too expensive for us.

I hope to take a trip to NM to check it out for myself. I have heard about the winds in various parts of the state.

The desire for low humidity and milder winters limits our options.

If "too touristy" is a major objection, forget New Mexico.

Depending on how mild a winter you want, you might consider NW Arkansas or SW Missouri. The humidity isn't real low all of the time but when it rains you don't get a dust cloud like I've seen in Albuquerque.

It can get real cold in Albuquerque. Farmington is probably a lot cheaper than Albuquerque but still very touristy.

 

[Tiger]

This is a great site for that type of research:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/

Thanks. I've been going to City Data for a long time, it's a great site.

2B,

AK & MO are not for me. I don't want to head south or to tornado territory. As I said I will go to NM and see what it's like. Outside of San Diego I know of no places that have ideal temperatures all yea round.

 

[kevink]

My wife and I have traveled in NM for many years now, and tried living in Silver City for the better part of 2005. Of course we knew Taos and Santa Fe well already, but ruled them out due to high costs of living and (to our taste) harsh winter temperatures. Summers in Silver are high 90's but bone dry and cool off into the 50's at night; January highs are are around 53 with lows around freezing.

Silver is a love-it-or-hate-it kind of place. Small (~12,000) but bustling, as it is actually the "big city" for a huge surrounding area of very small towns. It is above all REMOTE - which will likely keep it from ever being spoiled, but which also causes some major logistical headaches, should you ever need to leave to do ANYTHING. It is 3 hours to the nearest airport - either El Paso or (better) Tuscson. And it is much closer to those cities than to Albuquerque or Santa fe - 4 and 5 hours away, respectively. For us the remoteness and cultural issues made us leave, but we still think it is a great town and know many people who are very happy there.

The weather, if you like sunshine, warm summers and mild winters, is excellent, and the hiking and bicycling is the best I have seen anywhere in the U.S. (I've lived in Boulder, Colorado for the better part of 3 decades and Silver's outdoor resources make Boulder look like Detroit, just to give you an idea). There's a small but strong progressive community, gay community, and alternative religious options (Sufis, etc.) are big there.

Silver has lots of art galleries and some very cool people, but the dominant cultural backdrop against which the relatively few but very visible early retirees, artists, etc. show is basically working class miners and ranchers, with a strong Hispanic influence. There is a lot of poverty, NM has the biggest drunk driving problem in the nation, is one of the poorest states overall. I mention all this because too many people's impressions of NM are based on brief visits to places like Santa Fe, which are in no way representative of the state as a whole.

Silver has been thoroughly discovered and real estate has gone up dramatically in the past few years, but it still affordable for "equity refugees." A decent house in a good part of town would be $180,000-250,000 now.

Food wise, hope you like green and red chili - hot! - 'cause other than burgers that's what there is to eat there. There is a great specialty food store and wonderful co-op, but the restaurant scene could be a bit of a shock. It is high desert - not good soil for growing much, so here as elsewhere in NM nearly all food comes from far away, which affects freshness, quality and prices.

Las Cruces is HOT and physically not very attractive in my opinion, and though it is only 1.5 hours from Silver has so little going on culturally that you're pretty much forced to drive to Tuscson and spend and overnight when you want a big city hit.

Hope this helps.

 

[califdreamer]

I had a work assignment in NM and have visited the state a number of times. In general, I thought the upside was access to some unspoiled natual beauty and the arts and culture of Santa Fe. On the downside, it's just too cold for me (even Las Cruces which, though is in southern NM, is at a pretty high elevation and is cold in winter... for me anyway) and I couldn't quite shake the sense of being somewhere a bit behind the times and isolated.

I did some research on relocating there for ER but it's just too chilly and isolated IMO. Tucson, for instance, would be a better match for my tastes.

Other random thoughts.... enjoyed the chilis and Mex food, many areas of Abq seemed visually very unattractive, Abq has a nice airport with good selection of Southwest flights.

 

[Tiger]

Uh oh it's starting to sound as if I'm running out of options. Well maybe in four years I'll be able to find some alternatives. I'm still going to visit there to see for myself. What we find suitable may not appeal to other people and vice versa.

 

[Orchidflower]

Also, go to Sperling's Best Places (.com) and citytowninfo.com. Those, along with city-data.com, should do it.

 

[Mwsinron]

I drove through Albuquerque as the sun was setting coming from the east. Man it sure made the whole city look beautifully. Its one of those cities that stuck in my mind driving cross country.

 

[chrisjul]

Just returned last night from Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Taos. 39 degrees, snow and hail in May....no thanks! Housing looked reasonable, depends on the climate you need/like. Beautiful, high desert terrain...lots of outdoor activity.
Good Luck,
Chris

 

[Tiger]

Chris,

Today's 6:00 news said the temp in Santa Fe was 70.

I just checked Albuquerque's temp and it is 79 and in Taos it's 69.

 

[chrisjul]

Yes, they said it was unusually cold last weekend, especially in the higher elevations....supposed to be in the high 80's this weekend....very unpredicatable. It was actually in the low 30's last Sat evening and snowing hard. Sunday was a hard hail storm, by the time we got back down to Albuquerque (lower elevation), the temp was upper 50's.
Chris

 

[Traveler]

I've spent a lot of time in New Mexico for work over the past couple of years and haven't been overly impressed. The people are generally pretty friendly but much of New Mexico is rather depressed economically. Las Cruces has a few nice areas and is close to the El Paso Airport in case you need to fly somewhere. But you'd better like deep, scrubby desert.

Santa Fe is expensive, kind of snooty, and the traffic problems going into the center of town have become worse over the years. And you'd better like snow. Lots of it.

CalifDreamer is right--Tucson and environs offer more for the money, overall weather is better, the saguaro cactus makes for beautiful desert scenery. But choose your neighborhood carefully. Summers are hot, no doubt, but winters are magnificent. Wonderful from mid-October through May. Rest of the year, crank up the AC and sit in the pool.

 

[Tiger]

Hi Travler,

Thanks for the info. I've been told that there are some places in and around Las Cruces that are green and I have seen photos to back it up.

What do you think about the Albuquerque area?

Norm

 

[Traveler]

Hi Norm (Tiger):
Albuquerque is okay. A big city with all the problems (and some of the pluses) of living in a metropolitan area. I'd rather be in Las Cruces given the choice.

Again, there are some pretty nice neighborhoods especially on the bluffs to the west of town. I had a business dinner recently with staff from New Mexico University (which offers a number of cultural events in Las Cruces). We were at someone's house in one of the "bluff" neighborhoods. Beautiful southwestern place on an acre with a pool, custom kitchen, high end tile and woodwork. About 3,000 square feet. Cost under $300K. That same house in Sedona (where I live) would easily be $800K. So I'd look at Las Cruces.

(If you like road trips, there are some of the best in the country not far from Las Cruces around southwestern Texas--Big Bend National Park, dude ranches near Fort Davis, national chile cookoff in Terlingua, etc.)

Hasta luego,
Traveler

 

[Tiger]

Right now our short list is:

Las Cruces
Albuquerque
Reno
Grants Pass, OR

 

[bright eyed]

i went to albuq for a conference last winter - it was cccoooold! 16 degrees - i imagined sunny skies and was glad i checked the weather before i left!

the people were super friendly - but i tend to think everyone is friendlier as soon as i leave california.

the food was good - but super spicy! and i like spicy but i was doing a bit of panting during my meal! peppers are to NM what cheese is to WI.

the locals said it only gets that cold for a couple weeks a the most - there was some ice on the floor and snow from the nite before when i landed.

old town was like an old west cartoon. they do have a huge artist community and that seems to be a big part of the culture in that part.

if you love the pueblo look/feel than that is definitely the place for you! heard a lot of californians are invading there too raising prices, but not as much as parts of AZ.

not sure where you come from, but coming from a bigger metropolis, it is very small for one of the biggest cities in the state. but that again is usually the case if you grow up near SF, LA or NYC...

 

[Danny]

Right now our short list is:

Las Cruces
Albuquerque
Reno
Grants Pass, OR

Hey Tiger,
We also have thought of NM (& AZ) - this thread has helped me to have a clearer view of the weather (Minnesotans define cold differently than San Joseans by the way) , culture, etc.

We just got back from Austin TX - (not Austin MN - home of Spam!) and were very happy there...not sure what the weather is like in winter, but when I look at a map - it's below San Diego - ok so no Pacific ocean moderating breezes, but still it sounds promising for us when we want to escape the long winters here in the land of Hiawatha. If you don't mind living with texans you might consider - understand there is no income tax but they do have a 8.5 sales tax...

 

[Tlynn]

Las Cruces has a lot to offer

I moved to Las Cruces a year and a half ago from San Diego for work. In my opinion San Diego is one of the best places on earth, but I really don't miss it that much. I love to go back to visit, but I'd never move back. There is way too much traffic and too many people. About the only thing I miss are a few stores and restaurants, but that's easy to adapt to.

In my opinion, Las Cruces is the perfect size city. Albuquerque has gotten too large, and it is too cold in the winter (I’ve never been to Reno or Grants Pass). Las Cruces can have cold days, but overall the winters are pretty mild. I've found that a lot of my neighbors chose Las Cruces because it has a lot of the amenities and things they like about Phoenix and Tucson, without the super high prices and extreme heat in the summer. I meet people here all the time from California, New York, and Florida who retired here because the great weather and low cost of living.

If you like the outdoors, you won't find a better place. Walking, mountain biking, hiking, rock climbing, horseback riding, ATV riding, astronomy and more. There is a really active retired population here so there are tons of clubs, groups and organizations. I absolutely love the desert. Yeah, it’s not the same as having an ocean view, but it has an amazing beauty all it’s own.

Picacho Hills is the area to live if you come to Las Cruces, it is on the west side of town. There are some great places on the other side of town, but there are fewer people in Picacho Hills. The East side of town feels more crowded. I do the advertising for a company called Picacho Mountain. It’s an amazing community in Picacho Hills. You won’t find better views. The other nice areas of town are the Pueblos at Alameda Ranch & Tierra Escondida. Sonoma Ranch used to be the best place in town, but feels to crowded to me now.

There are some great links on the Picacho Mountain web site at
http://www.picachomountain.com/links.php