Retirement: Arizona or New Mexico?

[Dave C.]

My wife and I will retire within 3-5 years. We plan to move from Illinois (Chicago area) to Arizona or New Mexico, somewhere in the valley in AZ or Albqueque in NM. We have enjoyed visiting the Mesa area in AZ for a number of years, but have only been to NM once.

We would welcome any comments on those locations, for relocation, from any ER members.

 

[tjscott0]

I would suggest at first renting in a prospective areas [in your case Mesa & Albuquerque] that you wish to retire.
And I would stay there at less 6 months in each place. You would then have a solid basis of comparison between the two.
In this day of declining real estate values; it behooves you to avoid making a mistake by buying a house in an area that doesn't fit your needs.

I would stay in Mesa during the summer to see how you handle 100 degrees days. And stay in ABQ during the winter to see how you like the 45 degree high/ 20 degree low temperatures & the spring windy season.

Coming from Chicago the ABQ temps will feel mild at first. But you should consider as you age if those temps still feel mild.

I grew up in Ohio & eventually ended up in Las Cruces NM. I loved the 55 degree highs/ 25 degree lows for years. I noticed as I passed age 60, I don't feel that the temperatures are so mild now. Perhaps my blood has "thinned" out. And thus have given some consideration of relocating to a milder climate.

Of course is only one of the factors in choosing a retirement location. That's why living in a place for a significant period of time can allow you to find any negative factors that one would miss during short vacations.

 

[FinanceGeek]

Definitely spend some time on web research talking to people who actually live in these places: City-Data.com Forum: Relocation, Moving, Local City Discussions is quite useful.

 

[W2R]

I would suggest at first renting in a prospective areas [in your case Mesa & Albuquerque] that you wish to retire.
And I would stay there at less 6 months in each place. You would then have a solid basis of comparison between the two.

+1 In my opinion, this would be a sensible approach. One option that might make this easier, would be to put most of your belongings in storage while you rent a furnished apartment for six months in each of the two places.

 

[Ronstar]

I would suggest renting as well, certainly at least 6 months at each place that you are considering. But include the months of May through September in your rental in Mesa or anywhere in the valley. If you can handle the heat of these months, you can handle the entire year. I live in the Chicago area and take about 8 trips to Scottsdale per year. I find that I can handle the heat of Az summers for only so long before I have to come back to Il. Of course, the opposite is true in the winter. But like mentioned above, weather is not the only factor - you have to experience the culture for a while before you know if you can live there. I find the culture of the Phoenix northeast valley to be similar to the western suburbs of Chicago. And there are a ton of ex-Chicagoans living there.

 

[zinger1457]

I lived in Mesa for 2 years while I was still working but I couldn't handle the summer heat so moved to the high desert in Arizona. Can still golf year round but it's 20 degrees cooler than Phoenix during the summer. Some people need/want the big city lifestyle (night life, shopping, pro sports, etc.) but I live close enough to Tucson and Phoenix that I can drive to either to get my 'big city' fix when I need it. As the others suggested you need to spend a summer there to see if you can handle it. There are still a lot of good real estate deals in the Phoenix area because of all the foreclosures. Need to be aware that your electric bills can be very high during the summer time in Phoenix, your AC will be running 24/7.

 

[PaddyMac]

We live just east of Albuquerque in what they call the East Mountains in a pinyon juniper forest. There are quite a few microclimates around ABQ, including of course Santa Fe an hour north. We love it here, and after visiting Sedona, Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tucson, we'd still move here from California. Personally, I wouldn't be able for the heat in some parts of AZ or even southern NM, so we traded slightly cooler temperatures in the East Mountains (more like Santa Fe temps). But you do have to visit all these areas and decide for yourself.

 

[mountaintosea]

I would choose New Mexico. I had a boss who retired to Silver City, New Mexico in the late 90s. Apparently they get some snow in the winter but not much or at least that is what they said.

 

[Tiger]

Having visited cities in both state looking for a place to retire to my suggestion are #1 Prescott, AZ #2 Albuquerque.

 

[check6]

I Some people need/want the big city lifestyle (night life, shopping, pro sports, etc.) but I live close enough to Tucson and Phoenix that I can drive to either to get my 'big city' fix when I need it.

Trying to think where the high desert (besides Prescott or Sedona) is between PHX and TUS. Would that be Miami/Globe?

 

[zinger1457]

Trying to think where the high desert (besides Prescott or Sedona) is between PHX and TUS. Would that be Miami/Globe?

I live in SE Arizona near Sierra Vista, at the base of the Huachuca Mtns, my house is at ~5000' elevation. We see some snow during the winter but it's usually melted by noon. It is a long drive to Phoenix so when I go it's usually a weekend trip or more.

 

[Dogman]

I retired at 56 to Sun Lakes, AZ near Mesa from San Diego. This was the worst I have ever made. If you move here you have got to leave here for at least three months of the year. It just to damm hot! This summer was one of the hottest on record with many plants dying. This is a nice place for a winter home, but year around living sucks.

Secondly, people in the Phoenix area are more unfriendly, and rude than New Yorkers or Californians, I lived for 25 years in CA.

Thirdly, did you watch the national news this summer about the dust storms. You can taste the dust in your mouth even when sitting on the couch. Almost daily you need to spray off the patio from the dust.

New Mexico i.e. Alb is not much better, cold and windy.

There has got to be a better place than Phoenix or New Mexico. Happy hunting....

 

[Packman]

Though we won't move for a couple of years, we are considering Prescott as one of our top options. DW likes Phoenix, but I can't imagine living in that summer heat and it's getting hotter each year (do they have enough water?). I've traveled to Alb quite a bit on business and that is a city that could be in our top 5 as well. Overall NM taxes are lower, but I'm sure that localities in each area can change those calculations.

Just another suggestion, if you are interested in Alb, would be Colorado Springs. A little more snow, a little cooler in summer, but closer to a big city and, of course, the great mountains.