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Old 05-25-2010, 10:41 AM
 
94 posts, read 273,965 times
Reputation: 37

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I'm retiring in August, my husband wants to work for about 10 more years, we're both in our 50's .
What does this area have to offer us?

We're nature lovers. My husband used to be a big whitewater canoeist, but now has back problems and can't do the big stuff anymore (he taught it for 3 years at William and Mary and 7 years at Wild River Outfitters)
We love to bird watch also and our backyard here in VA has a lot of feeders and birdbaths, etc.

How are home prices there? And is it possible to get something nice that isn't "cookie cutter" and might actually have a nice view?

What is there to look out for there? Are there areas we should shy away from?

I know it gets very hot there in the summer, what's the rest of the year like? And in the summer, does it cool off at night? ie: can you get outdoors without drying up and blowing away ?

How is the shopping? I'm hoping there's some kind of recreation/shopping/resteraunts, etc ??

any info you can give me would be great appreciated!!

Thanks for your help!
Meenie and Ytwater
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Old 05-25-2010, 11:22 AM
 
Location: Austin, Texas
729 posts, read 2,062,945 times
Reputation: 465
Quote:
Originally Posted by Meenie View Post
I'm retiring in August, my husband wants to work for about 10 more years, we're both in our 50's .
What does this area have to offer us?

We're nature lovers. My husband used to be a big whitewater canoeist, but now has back problems and can't do the big stuff anymore (he taught it for 3 years at William and Mary and 7 years at Wild River Outfitters)
We love to bird watch also and our backyard here in VA has a lot of feeders and birdbaths, etc.

How are home prices there? And is it possible to get something nice that isn't "cookie cutter" and might actually have a nice view?

What is there to look out for there? Are there areas we should shy away from?

I know it gets very hot there in the summer, what's the rest of the year like? And in the summer, does it cool off at night? ie: can you get outdoors without drying up and blowing away ?

How is the shopping? I'm hoping there's some kind of recreation/shopping/resteraunts, etc ??

any info you can give me would be great appreciated!!

Thanks for your help!
Meenie and Ytwater
Meenie, One or more locals will answer your question by the end of the day. I used to live there for 33 years and it was a different city then. There are so many changes that I am not qualified to answer all of your questions.

I know there is whitewater canoeing about 6 hours towards Big Bend National Park. Two hours north you have Ruidoso and Cloudcroft for some great Nature walking. Great place to visit all year long especially if you like skiing. There is some good nature trails around the Organ Mtns too. Shopping is plentiful but be prepared to get spanish speaking sales people. I would suggest finding a good home in the west side on the slopes of the mountain or near the New Mexico border (Santa Teresa Country club area). Nice views all year long. Summer gets real hot but the summer nights are the best. It gets cool around 6pm. Humidity has been on the rise but it is tolerable.

Hope this helps.
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Old 05-25-2010, 01:40 PM
 
4,246 posts, read 12,002,869 times
Reputation: 3150
If I could pick I would go 2 hrs north to either Cloudcroft or Ruidoso. And home prices on the West side in a decent location is ABSURD along with the property taxes. Small home with small yard = High dollar with high property taxes. Honestly I'd move elsewhere.

Summers are great. Get in the shade and you're ok. It's does cool down at night, it's the desert afterall. Get a 55 gallon drum of lotion so you can just dip into it every morning. And always carry lip balm with you. If not you'll be sorry.



The weather is hard to beat and in my opinion is unbeatable in the state of Texas.
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Old 05-25-2010, 05:08 PM
 
Location: Ruidoso, NM
1,643 posts, read 4,907,573 times
Reputation: 670
Quote:
Originally Posted by Meenie View Post
I'm retiring in August, my husband wants to work for about 10 more years, we're both in our 50's .
What does this area have to offer us?
If you have to ask these kinds of questions about the place you are thinking of spending the rest of your life living in (retirement), you are NOT READY FOR RETIREMENT! I can't imagine anyone not actually experiencing a place they are going to retire to.

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Old 05-25-2010, 07:02 PM
 
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
507 posts, read 1,656,687 times
Reputation: 455
Quote:
Originally Posted by Meenie View Post
I'm retiring in August, my husband wants to work for about 10 more years, we're both in our 50's .
What does this area have to offer us?

We're nature lovers. My husband used to be a big whitewater canoeist, but now has back problems and can't do the big stuff anymore (he taught it for 3 years at William and Mary and 7 years at Wild River Outfitters)
We love to bird watch also and our backyard here in VA has a lot of feeders and birdbaths, etc.

How are home prices there? And is it possible to get something nice that isn't "cookie cutter" and might actually have a nice view?

What is there to look out for there? Are there areas we should shy away from?

I know it gets very hot there in the summer, what's the rest of the year like? And in the summer, does it cool off at night? ie: can you get outdoors without drying up and blowing away ?

How is the shopping? I'm hoping there's some kind of recreation/shopping/resteraunts, etc ??

any info you can give me would be great appreciated!!

Thanks for your help!
Meenie and Ytwater
Well by the sounds of it, I think you guys would be better off living in Ruidoso, NM a smaller town about a 2 hour drive north of El Paso.

Naturewise, it's your basic average desert. There are hiking trails and all, but it's arid and scarce. It does get hot, but it's a dry hot and the nights cool off alot.
El Paso has 2 decent sized malls, alot of strip malls, and a nice outlet mall. You can also find restaurants galore.
But unfortunately, El Paso has basic homestead cookie-cutter housing except in probably the Westside where the price of home are alot higher than the rest of the city. The homes aren't California expensive though.
As for areas, the only thing you honestly have to stay away from is Mexico. The rest of the city is fairly safe (2nd safest large city in the country). The city is not very diverse though. over 80% of the city is Hispanic, but as someone who was born and raised in El Paso with no Hispanic background whatsoever it really isnt a problem.

But reading what you have posted, Ruidoso would probably be a place you would love. It is a great town that many people from El paso and surrounding areas visit year round. Ruidoso is up in the mountains of New Mexico and is really nice, but is somewhat of a smaller town. There isn't really the shopping aspect that you want, but El Paso isnt that far away.

So I suggest yuo should check out Ruidoso, NM.
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Old 05-25-2010, 10:45 PM
 
47,525 posts, read 69,565,345 times
Reputation: 22474
Quote:
Originally Posted by Meenie View Post
I'm retiring in August, my husband wants to work for about 10 more years, we're both in our 50's .
What does this area have to offer us?

We're nature lovers. My husband used to be a big whitewater canoeist, but now has back problems and can't do the big stuff anymore (he taught it for 3 years at William and Mary and 7 years at Wild River Outfitters)
We love to bird watch also and our backyard here in VA has a lot of feeders and birdbaths, etc.

How are home prices there? And is it possible to get something nice that isn't "cookie cutter" and might actually have a nice view?

What is there to look out for there? Are there areas we should shy away from?

I know it gets very hot there in the summer, what's the rest of the year like? And in the summer, does it cool off at night? ie: can you get outdoors without drying up and blowing away ?

How is the shopping? I'm hoping there's some kind of recreation/shopping/resteraunts, etc ??

any info you can give me would be great appreciated!!

Thanks for your help!
Meenie and Ytwater
I pretty much agree with the previous posters - except Ruidoso is cold and you have to spend money on heating your home and put up with tourists which isn't the case in El Paso.

There are lots of birds in El Paso, especially around the river - all kinds of migrating birds too. You see incredible varieties of birds here. Ducks, geese, blue herons, hummingbirds, robins, finches -- some stay year round, some are here only certain seasons.

As for it getting hot in the summer - it's almost June and it hasn't gotten hot yet, nights are cool, it's cool right now. Even in the hottest part of summer, it's only hot for a few hours but mornings and evenings can be chilly. I'm outside as much as I can be in the summer and so I'm proof you don't dry up and blow away. You can do anything -- bike ride, hike - you should carry water if you hike 10 miles or so when it's summer - but it doesn't get too hot for doing anything.

Home prices aren't especially low - but that depends on what you're used to - and you can find some spectacular homes with stunning views. The views of the mountain at sunrise or sunset, and the sunsets here are extraordinary.

There is shopping but I don't think it's anything special - but the usual stuff is here. Same with restaurants - not too much variety but you can find plenty to eat.

El Paso is great for taking weekend trips because you can head to the mountains, make tours of ghost towns, go skiing in the winter -- lots of nice weekend trips in all directions but maybe not south anymore.
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Old 05-26-2010, 06:45 AM
 
94 posts, read 273,965 times
Reputation: 37
Quote:
Originally Posted by jaxart View Post
If you have to ask these kinds of questions about the place you are thinking of spending the rest of your life living in (retirement), you are NOT READY FOR RETIREMENT! I can't imagine anyone not actually experiencing a place they are going to retire to.

I hear that, but my husband is not retiring yet and so we're going where there is work for him Once he retires we may stay or go somewhere else. We should know by then!
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Old 05-26-2010, 06:46 AM
 
94 posts, read 273,965 times
Reputation: 37
[quote=smguy101;14337690]Well by the sounds of it, I think you guys would be better off living in Ruidoso, NM a smaller town about a 2 hour drive north of El Paso.

I don't think my DH would care for a 2 hour commute to work every day!
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Old 05-26-2010, 07:48 AM
 
Location: Ruidoso, NM
1,643 posts, read 4,907,573 times
Reputation: 670
Quote:
Originally Posted by smguy101 View Post
Well by the sounds of it, I think you guys would be better off living in Ruidoso, NM a smaller town about a 2 hour drive north of El Paso.
Ruidoso is for retirees who have no need to find employment - or at least can get by on low paying jobs. It is primarily a tourist economy and there have been literally hundreds of retirees who have come here over the years, invested their life savings in some business, and lost it all when the business failed after a year or so. Many leave out of boredom! Others leave because they can't tolerate the altitude if they have (or develop) cardiac or pulmonary conditions. MOST homes in Ruidoso are "second homes" that people come to when they have vacation time, or to escape summer heat in the surrounding regions where they live - primarily Texans.

For those of us who have a good retirement income, love the forested mountains, the mild year-around climate, the laid-back culture, and have hobbies that sustain us through the "boring times" - it is a great place to live. Yes, it snows in the winter and gets down below freezing every night, but it also warms nicely during most days and the snow is only a mild inconvenience for part of the day after it falls. The worst time of year is the spring, when the winds blow up to hurricane strength at times and the forest wildfire danger is explosive.


Last edited by jaxart; 05-26-2010 at 07:57 AM..
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Old 05-26-2010, 08:30 AM
 
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
507 posts, read 1,656,687 times
Reputation: 455
oh yeah, i forgot about the work part, sorry about that.
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