El Paso or Las Cruces (Reno: school, universities, income)

[norm]

My wife and I will be moving from the New York City area in 2 years and want to move west. by that time she will be joining me in retirement. We were considering Reno and Albuquerque but people have suggested El Paso and Las Cruces to us also. I was wondering if someone could tell us what the main difference are between them.

Our list of priorities are:

Low humidity
Not too much snow, if any. (if it snows and melts quickly that's fine)
Good shopping in close proximity
Good hospitals & doctors
Good restaurants near by
Not too far from a college (for cultural events)

We do not golf, hunt or fish.

[WildWestDude]

They are so close together that you can enjoy both if you live in one of them
The main difference is property taxes, income taxes and housing costs.
Texas has no state income tax but higher property taxes and lower housing costs.
Both have a university. If you want something smaller go for Las Cruces. El Paso is only a 45min drive away.
They both meet your stated criteria
Reno and Abq might be cold for you.

[El Passeaux]

For retirement, I would definitely choose New Mexico just for the property tax benefit. You can live in the El Paso suburbs on the New Mexico side like Santa Teresa.

[norm]

Thanks for the replies. We will be visiting the area in a few months and we'll checjk out both cities and get a feel for them ourselves.

[eptex]

Since you will be retired I may suggest Las Cruces to you. There is a beautiful area close to the new golf course. The University is not too far. Las Cruces has good restaurants too.

[graduate]

I'm considering attending RMCAD. Looking to hear from current or past students who can tell me if it is a good art school.

[holmes]

Las Cruces has become pretty popular with retirees lately, but I think both cities could be nice places for retirees. El Paso is obviously much bigger.. If I was retiring from NYC I'd probably opt for the smaller town.

[WildWestDude]

Las Cruces is rated very high for retirement, see here:

Las Cruces awards and recognition

[malamute]

Yes --- I think Las Cruces would be better for retirement -- a lot of people from El Paso are leaving to retire in Las Cruces for some reason.

You might check both universities for the cultural events they offer if that's important.

[WildWestDude]

Originally Posted by malamute

Yes --- I think Las Cruces would be better for retirement -- a lot of people from El Paso are leaving to retire in Las Cruces for some reason.

You might check both universities for the cultural events they offer if that's important.

yet another way El Paso is losing out