Las Cruces

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by Jammie

The way it appears, the residents of NM seem quite happy and content where they're at.

Not really. I grew up in New Mexico and did a little dance of joy when I left. All but one of my high school friends have left the state, and none of them miss it. But really, it depends very much on what you want. New Mexico might be just what you're looking for.

Originally Posted by Jammie

That's a definite positive because there are places that are becoming so over populated and crime-ridden that the locals can't wait to leave.

Over-population isn't much of an issue in NM, but depending on where you live, crime can be a MAJOR factor. Crime tends to go hand-in-hand with poverty, and NM is a very poor state. If you're coming from South Dakota, you'll be moving into a huge increase in crime.

Originally Posted by Jammie

What areas of NM are the prettiest? We love flowers, forests, plush green grass, and PALM TREES.

Wow. Then stay the heck out of NM.

Seriously. NM is arid. The closest you'll get to green is the northern mountains, and southern areas around Cloudcroft and Ruidoso, and even those are prone to drought. And you'll get snow there.

Any "plush green grass" you find is coming from irrigation, because nowhere in NM gets much rain. Any palm trees you find will be imported from elsewhere --- and again, heavily dependent upon irrigation. And if the widespread farming and dairies continue to drain the aquefer, you can kiss irrigation goodbye. If water-use trends continue, NM will be dry well before the end of this century. People can't continue to raise crops and vast herds of cattle in an environment that was never meant to support it.

If you want warm weather and green, then you need to look in East Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, or Missouri. You could also look in Oregon, but there you're looking at a much higher cost of living, a lot of rain in the green (western) parts, and harsher winters in the drier (eastern) parts. If you want a sizeable city, I recommend you check out San Antonio or Austin. Stay out of Houston though. Scary place.

[winnie]

There are a few small areas in NM with plush green grass and trees- when in Artesia head out west on whatever road that it right before town. It is about 100 miles on that road to Cloudcroft and it is so desolate and green you would not believe you were in NM. As you get closer to Cloudcroft, you will have fields and trees. There is not even a town that I remember along that highway that I could reference to for you to see on a map - we always refered to it as the "back way from Carlsbad Caverns to Cloudcroft" Gas up before you get on that highway...

Going North from Ft. Sumner on HWY 84 to Santa Rosa is pretty lush and green on a good rainy season too, as well as the foothills of Las Vegas.

From your criteria, I would suggest Cloudcroft or Ruidoso. There is little crime in either area, and both areas are stunningly beautiful, with things to do down in Alamogordo and the valley. No, they don't have palms, but they have a snow capped 12,000 foot mountain, Capitan, and are about an hour and a half from Laz Cruces and your palms.

[winnie]

I forgot to mention, that if you ever visit Cloudcroft, a must - do is to drive down the mountain going towards Alamogordo at sunset. Time it so the sun is setting as you are going down the mountain. The second mountain range you see to the west turns shades of purple and dark blue and gray, and you see the Tularosa Valley sprawled out down below. The White Sands NM is visible off in the distance, and the sand glitters in the setting sun. It is absolutely breathtaking.

[Jammie]

Crackerjack and Winnie, it sounds like you really like the area you live in. We've never been to a desert area so all we know about it is the little we learned in geography class a lot of years ago.

We definitely would like to take a trip down that way and see the areas. We have a friend who was there and he liked the Grant/Farmington (I think those are the towns) areas. He said it was so pretty there.

Mark, I'm sorry to hear you and your friends weren't happy there, but it sounds like you went to an area you liked more. I don't think we'd have much of an interest in Tx., but my husband had been to Mo. many years ago. Ok. is supposed to be beautiful on the eastern half around the Tulsa area. The only problem there is the humidity. It doesn't bother me in terms of feeling too hot, but it's hard on my osteo arthritis.

I didn't realize that NM was a very poor state. I guess SD may also be considered poor, but it seems that most people here live a pretty decent life. Do you have a lot of transplants in NM and if so, from what states do they normally come from? I know you get some out of country people there, too.

[winnie]

Originally Posted by Jammie

I didn't realize that NM was a very poor state. I guess SD may also be considered poor, but it seems that most people here live a pretty decent life. Do you have a lot of transplants in NM and if so, from what states do they normally come from? I know you get some out of country people there, too.

NM is a poor state, but it is also a very cheap state to live in, so most people seem to do OK. There are a lot of Mexicans here and the ones I have met are very friendly and extremely hard working. Lots of farmers and yes, there are cowboys still!

For example, my neighbors in Clovis had three young kids and their monthly salary was 800 dollars. DH used to send the wife to the store with 35 bucks to buy groceries for the week. They were able to get a discount from the private Catholic school, so their kids were all private schooled. Their landlord gave them a discount on the rent of their 3 bedroom home. People there tend to be more sensitive to the needs of others IMO. This family was living below the poverty level and refused welfare, but aside from the meager dinners on the table, and the older car parked in the driveway you would never know it by how they lived. We lived in an area of Clovis (W 12th st) that most people would not consider to be desireable, but we never had any problems.

I am very, very fond of NM. Partly because I was young, learning about this world when I moved there and the townspeople of Clovis really were so kind and helpful and supportive (especially when they found out I was a military wife). One of the prominent, very well off, realtors there and his retired wife took me in for a week and helped me find a place to live. You don't find that in the North East - which is where I grew up and am currently hanging my hat. When we traveled and I saw what NM had to offer, I fell head over heels in love.

There are transplants there, many are tourists that fell in love with the state, or governent/military workers stationed there, retirees of the military who couldn't bear to leave, and you always have the freespirited adventure or nature lover who is drawn to the state's raw beauty and solitude - mixed in with rafting, black diamond skiing, hiking, history and culture.

I think the dry climate and less harsh winters would do wonders for your OA. I know since I moved back up east my arthritis has really flared back up.

Of course this state is not for everyone, somepeople downright hate it here...but you will never know unless you take a drive out here and give yourself some time to let the NM culture sink in..

[Crackerjack]

Jammie, there are people who have moved in from other states, especially within the last ten years, but still not anywhere like Arizona or Nevada. When you go to Farmington, if you stay down on the San Juan river, down in say Kirtland, it is pretty green down on the river and in Aztec but once you get away from the river, it becomes desert again. From an airplane, it looks so strange to see all the desert around it and all of a sudden this oasis of green down along the river. Mark is right about it being a poor state. It is a cheap place to live outside of Santa Fe and Taos. Be sure and make a visit to the extinct volcano Capulin in Northeast NM if you make the way up there, it is really awesome to see a perfect volcano! Also visit Angel Fire and Cimarron. I thought it was really beautiful up that way. Winnie, I know, that is a beautiful drive from Cloudcroft to Alamogordo at sunset and to see the dunes in the distance and such is really neat! I think a "must see" too!

[Jammie]

What are the winters like in the area of Farmington or Aztec? Cold and snowy? I have a co-worker who is intent on moving to the Farmington, Grants area in a couple years when he retires. He followed the past winter season there and said it gets quite cold. Of course, not as cold as it gets in southeastern SD, but he thought it was colder then he imagined it would be. Our past two winters were beautiful and is that the same case for you?

Also, what is different about living in NM compared to AZ? Is it mainly the cost of living, slower pace, friendlier people? Or is the landscape totally different, too?

[Kwan78]

Hello, Jammie

Las Cruces is pretty much the palm treee capital of New Mexico. About 10 different "trunking" species can be grown there (Washingtonia Filifera, Washingtonia Robusta, Trachycarpus Fortunai, Chamaerops Humilus, Phoenix Canariensis, ect.). Another 6 or 7 semi-hardy types can also survive the mild winters there but only with special care and winter protection for the sub-freezing temperatures.

I live in Colorado and travel to Las Cruces quite often, mainy to photograph the trees.

Aside from Las Cruces palms can also be found in Alamogordo, Demming, and Lourdsburg.

HTH,

Eliyah

[Crackerjack]

I am glad Kwan78 posted because I somehow missed your question Jammie. Farmington has fairly mild winters though it can get cold in December, January and first part of Feb. It still is warmer than a lot of places and it does have hot summers, really hotter than a lot of places around it. Aztec is close to Farmington so similiar in weather. If it is windy, which it can at times be in Farmington, it can feel cold too, in the winter. Grants is much colder being higher in altitude at 6450 feet, where Farmington is 5292 feet.