weather in the southwest.... (Grand Junction: real estate, high crime, schools)

[dolphins]

Hi, we are from NY (Long Island) and we are looking to leave due to overpopulation, unaffordable housing, and poor quality of life. I would like to find a nice city in the southwest. I am considering Colorado, northern Arizona and northern New Mexico. I am looking at the southwest because I would like to be near the mountains and for the low humidity. Does anyone know of any area in these three states where there are seasons (fall leaves), but not too long of a cold snowy winter? Definitely the fall season with the leaves but a very very mild winter??
Thank you!

[Charles]

Tough to answer your question without thinking of forty other things first (your job, affordability, kids, schools, etc.) But based on weather alone, it seems natural that the further south you go the more mild the winters are. Therefore, that is NM of your candidates. (I've never lived in NM.) Colorado doesn't have short winters but they are usually "outdoorable" for most of them. Last year was a brutal exception. Colorado does have low humidity, diversity of affordable housing, multiple job industries, and in general, sunny cheerful winter weather. Along the Front Range the average winter highs are in the 40s. OK you won't be outdoor swimming, but you will be cycling, walking/jogging, and playing outdoor tennis and basketball on many days. I'm from LA and though this past winter sucked, I still did a lot of outdoor things, even cycling in shorts in February. I've been to Long Island ("da Grum", Grumman in Bethpage), I can't believe how expensive it is there too. And it is Long Island, not Southern California.

[tfox]

I doubt Colorado really has what you're looking for. I think many of us enjoy our winters, but I wouldn't categorize them as "very, very mild," particularly not in the mountains. The closest we have to a "mild winter" is probably Grand Junction due to the fact that it receives little winter precipitation, but even there periods of Arctic cold are not uncommon.

You may want to confine your search to New Mexico or points beyond, but I wouldn't characterize anything north of Albuquerque as "very, very mild" either, particularly not in New Mexico's mountains. In fact, the climate in New Mexico's mountains is very much similar to that of Colorado's mountains. Even in Albuquerque, which I personally think has a delightful climate, it is not unheard of to have a foot or more dumping of snow at a time (it did happen twice this last winter) To have a truly mild climate in New Mexico, you would really have to head further south to Las Cruces or Alamagordo, though even there occasional snow is not unheard of and wintertime nightly lows still average in the twenties.

I do like the western U.S. climate, but you have to understand that our dry air has dramatic temperature swings. You'll rarely find a place that isn't either extremely hot or extremely cold, sometimes both in the same year. It is true that the dry air doesn't feel as hot or as cold as temperature would indicate, but it's something to keep in mind.

[dolphins]

thank you both very much. i know i need to do more research, but i really appreciate your feedback.

[vegaspilgrim]

Originally Posted by dolphins

Hi, we are from NY (Long Island) and we are looking to leave due to overpopulation, unaffordable housing, and poor quality of life. I would like to find a nice city in the southwest. I am considering Colorado, northern Arizona and northern New Mexico. I am looking at the southwest because I would like to be near the mountains and for the low humidity. Does anyone know of any area in these three states where there are seasons (fall leaves), but not too long of a cold snowy winter? Definitely the fall season with the leaves but a very very mild winter??
Thank you!

I think I know your area-- the southeastern corner of Arizona in Cochise County-- a variety of towns including Sierra Vista, Benson, Wilcox, Bisbee, Tombstone. This area has exactly the kind of weather you are talking about, relatively affordable real estate, and mountains. Thing is, these are all towns, not cities. Of the ones I mentioned, Sierra Vista is the biggest and growing the fastest-- it's actually considered a metropolitan area now by the US census. Still, this area is the REAL southwest, with REAL cowboys. The closest "big" city would be Tucson (which, for having a hot desert climate, is not too bad compared to Phoenix or Las Vegas). You are close to the Mexican border in that area, so I don't know if that would freak you out or not.

[jazzlover]

I have a friend who has family in southern Arizona, not far from Bisbee, Sierra Vista, etc. I would have to agree that the climate you seek probably is there, not in Colorado or northern New Mexico. Unfortunately, almost all of southern Arizona has pretty severe crime problems, most of it perpetrated by illegal aliens, many with involvement in drug smuggling. Until the U.S. wakes up and recognizes that it must STOP, not just curtail illegal immigration, I don't think the situation is going to improve with regards to crime anywhere in the Southwest. No one should interpret this as a racist point of view. I know many honest hard-working Hispanics, but the fact is that a large number of criminals and thugs are entering this country from Mexico every day. The people who live in states bordering Mexico (whether they are Anglo, Hispanic, or any other ethnicity) should not have to put up with that kind of lawlessness under any circumstance.

As a result, some areas of the Southwest that otherwise would rate a "thumbs-up" as places to live are not very desirable at all these days.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

I have a friend who has family in southern Arizona, not far from Bisbee, Sierra Vista, etc. I would have to agree that the climate you seek probably is there, not in Colorado or northern New Mexico. Unfortunately, almost all of southern Arizona has pretty severe crime problems

If you had stopped here, it would have been fine.

I don't think anybody asked for your surprisingly knowledgeable views on crimes being committed by illegal aliens...

most of it perpetrated by illegal aliens, many with involvement in drug smuggling. Until the U.S. wakes up and recognizes that it must STOP, not just curtail illegal immigration, I don't think the situation is going to improve with regards to crime anywhere in the Southwest. No one should interpret this as a racist point of view. I know many honest hard-working Hispanics, but the fact is that a large number of criminals and thugs are entering this country from Mexico every day. The people who live in states bordering Mexico (whether they are Anglo, Hispanic, or any other ethnicity) should not have to put up with that kind of lawlessness under any circumstance.

As a result, some areas of the Southwest that otherwise would rate a "thumbs-up" as places to live are not very desirable at all these days.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by dolphins

Hi, we are from NY (Long Island) and we are looking to leave due to overpopulation, unaffordable housing, and poor quality of life.

In a mellow defense of jazzlover's comments the OP did preface his post with the above.

[jazzlover]

Thank you, Charles--my point exactly. I think a place like the southern Arizona highlands would be climatically ideal in many respects. Mild winter, summer with the southwest monsoon, pleasant falls, etc. But, if you live in a place where you are afraid to leave for a few days for fear your possessions will disappear, or drug-runners are running around unchecked, or you can't go to the backcountry without being armed to protect yourself--well, the perfect climate may not count for much in terms of quality of life. Admittedly, that may not be universally the case in all of southern Arizona, but it is in enough of it to give a person pause.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Charles

In a mellow defense of jazzlover's comments the OP did preface his post with the above.

As I said, he could have stopped at mentioning the crime problem, instead of going on about how "most of it [is] perpetrated by illegal aliens, many with involvement in drug smuggling" and giving us his views on the immigration issue. I fully support jazzlover pointing out the high crime rate. It's the addendum I don't think is relevant here.