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You will see a big change since your last visit - there has been a lot of growth in the last 10 years. I'd recommend going to the Farmer's & Craft market downtown on your next visit. You'll get a feel for the friendliness of the people there as you stroll down the market.
Hi! i'm hoping that a NM transplant (from the NE like me?) can offer some thinking to retire there in ~ 5 years. Taxes: I read that NM taxes retirement income that currently exceeds $29K. And I only just learned today that NY will tax my state pension if I move out of state. Beyond that I will only have SS, some small quarterly dividends and some savings.
I'm sick of living in a stifling co-op so my plan is to buy a house in a gated community, which I'm praying will help protect my home from burglaries that are huge in many parts of NM, as the police and the FBI, for whatever reason, can't or won't do a whole lot to destroy the drug industry and other causes of crime.
And Las Lunas Moderator cut: link removed, competitor site
I could pay cash for one gated ~ 2K sq ft home in Las Crucas selling for ~ $270K. Taxes on it appear to be just under $4K/year, but Hoamco.com said there's a $500/yr maintenance fee.
Are utility rates lower or about the same where you used to live?
Did you find that those property taxes-if they really are that low on a house like this-offset income taxes?
Any problems with overall healthcare quality and insurance transfers? I will take my UHC insurance with me when retiring. Did you find NM physicians dentists about as good as those you had before you moved?
Good and affordable HVAC and car repair?
I rarely eat at restaurants but does the local Walmart or other grocery stores have fresh organic produce (romaine, red pepper, cumber, carrots, red onion, lemon, red grapes, strawberries, apples, whole grain bread, nuts, seeds, coffee varieties), frozen foods (broccoli, peas, carrots, fish sticks), low fat ground round beef, wild caught salmon,whole rotisseries chickens?
Bottled purified water (or house has purified ground water)?
Most of the above goods & services within ~ 15 miles?
DRYness?? I just got off the phone with someone from Hoamco.com, who manages for an HOA in Las Crucas. She's from CA and moved there to take care of her Mom. Way too dry for her liking, she says. I'm not a beach person at all but has water rationing been a problem?
Or in-home water pressure issues?
I'd hate to retire to cold and icy upstate NY for the sake of my pension. And unlike Long Island which has a 3300 member police force, counties in upstate NY typically just have a Sheriff and a few deputies. https://www.newyorkupstate.com/news/...rime-data.html
So far the only other states on my list are PA, WY and VA. But even after narrowing it down to between NY and state X it will be a very big decision. And who knows how things will change in 5 years.
Please excuse this sea of questions but you transplants can offer those like me lots of insight.
NM taxes all retirement income including SS (so you’ll be taxed on 85% of your SS just like Federal). If you are over 65 then you can exclude the first 8K but your total income has to be under a certain limit to qualify for it. I don’t.
Property taxes are that low - they assess the value of your property and basically tax you on 1/3 of that value. I have found their assessment to be lower than market.
State income tax is way lower than what I paid in CA. If NY taxes your pension, you should check with a CPA to see if it will be excluded from NM state tax.
CRIME
Yes, there is crime here but it’s not as bad as people make it out to be. Show me a place that doesn’t have any. I find these surveys with all their “factual” data to be very misleading. When I lived in CA, I was the victim of a burglary twice (in 2 separate residences). The last place I lived was a condo complex - the car breaks ins at night got so frequent we had to hire a security guard for a couple of months to try and put a stop to it. It worked for a while.
I have never had an issue with crime since I moved to NM. I have felt safer here then anywhere else I’ve lived. If you leave valuables in the car or a house window open then you’re asking for trouble - common sense will get you far. There are some bad neighborhoods for sure but I’ve encountered those everywhere I’ve lived.
FOOD
Grocery options have improved significantly over the past few years. A Whole Foods opened up in El Paso and a Sprouts in Las Cruces (and it’’s doing very well - caused traffic problems the first few weeks it was open with everyone wanting to check it out). So, all the stuff you listed is easily available. I use a Brita water filter as the city water is hard.
UTILITIES
You pay a flat rate access fee for electricity and the city supplied water & gas. This guarantees them income but doesn’t provide any incentive for people to conserve water and actual water rates are quite low. My bills are almost the same whether I’m at home or have been gone for a couple of weeks with the exception of the summer where not using the AC while I’m away is reflected in the bill. I am careful with my gas/electric/water usage and have never had any utility bill over $100 - your mileage may vary. I have a 1400 sq ft single story house.
You are supposed to only water the garden on specific days of the week and at specific times but people ignore it - that’s the closest thing to water rationing that I’ve encountered.
HEALTHCARE
It’s hardly the place that medical professionals move to if they are at the top of their profession. Having said that, the dental practice that I use is every bit as modern and up to date as the place I used to go to in CA. Family doctors are OK but I haven’t found them to be quite as thorough. I have had to use one specialist and he was great. My insurance carried over but you should check that yours will do the same.
All in all I’m very happy with the move. The weather is great. Even the summer is fine with me - I just stay indoors during the hottest part of the day - I love the cool mornings at this altitude and the warm summer evenings. Then there are the legendary sunsets not to mention the amazing landscapes you come across all over the state. Everyone has their own opinion - it’s not that one is right or wrong. Some people hate the winds in the spring, some find it too dry and so on. If there was a perfect place to retire we’d all be living there right? There’s going to be some positives and negatives - figure out what’s most important to you and if you can deal with what you consider to be the negatives.
There are many “moving to Las Cruces” threads - you should check them out then come for a visit - preferably more than one and at different times of the year.
TAXES There are many “moving to Las Cruces” threads - you should check them out then come for a visit - preferably more than one and at different times of the year.
Thanks so much for this invaluable info. There’s nothing like comparing notes and research with a long term transplant to get a bunch of good reality checks. And though you and I are from CA and NY, both are among the nation’s most costly states to live in, so our financial experiences will likely be quite similar in NM.
If yes, then using arbitrary figures for my SSI, 457 Plan, rent income from 1/7 of 2% inherited ownership of a Manhattan office building https://www.adamsre.com/products/gnd-6770) and my NYS public pension, am I wrong or will AZ tax single seniors over age 71 but hit senior married couples with virtually no income tax?
Even if AZ and/or NM offer discounts that benefit single seniors, what justifies this apparent discrimination?
Is such income taxation a deliberately imposed disincentive for single seniors to live there?
TORNADOS
From what I’ve read those NM dust devils aren’t much of a threat, except maybe to a mobile home. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EjiOn-ayq0 But I can’t even look at a still photo of an actual tornado without getting sick all over with terror. I’ve never seen one yet. NY gets 12 on average yearly but all have been Category 2 or less, except for one that hit way upstate in Plattsburgh ~ 20 yrs ago. Lots of damage.
NM’s about twice the size of NY so if I stay near the center of the state it looks like I’d be pretty safe from serious tornado encounters. What about Las Cruces, Los Lunas, Alamogordo and Socorro?
For example, NY and NM have the nation’s lowest and highest crime rate, respectively. Where I live in Nassau County there were 2400 cops in 2018. Generally, criminal events per 100,000 are relatively infrequent, save for co-related drug and gang activities in a few areas like Freeport and Roosevelt. Why Federal law enforcement entities haven’t outsmarted and annihilated the drug industry long ago at its largest importation and distribution sources is all too obvious. Even so, crime in Nassau County never became so bad that a middle income exodus ever occurred. But places upstate like Monroe County, where a much smaller police force must contend with numerous drug induced crimes and kids bringing guns to school saw my sister move her family out of Rochester to Webster. A larger police presence would likely make Webster residents feel safer. Moderator cut: link removed, competitor site
I’m no kind of criminologist but while the drug tunnels may exist largely originate in CA and AZ through the Mexican border, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smuggl...E2%80%93Mexico the buyers
and sellers typically frequent high crime areas like Albuquerque, Gallup and Framington.
My cousin’s friend’s parents retired to Belen 25 years ago. Some time after they divorced, her Mom’s house was robbed. Another time the burglars threatened to break in and she had to shout out to them that she had a gun (which she didn’t). That episode compelled her to install bars on the windows, an iron gate on the front door and an electric garage door so she didn’t have to get out of the car before entering her house. Hopefully, most homeowners aren’t driven to take similar measures in Las Cruces, Los Lunas, Alamogordo and Socorro.
It’s likely a combination of low sales and property taxes, longstanding high poverty and unemployment, https://www.bls.gov/web/laus/laumstrk.htm , the consequent use and sale of illegal drugs, the insufficient size and effectiveness of police forces in several counties and less than satisfactory assistance from state and federal legislatures and law enforcement which have kept all manner of crime a persistent and very serious problem in NM.
My problem is that I live for my stuff. And as a single person living alone with a nice car and lots of expensive home theatre gear, who can I rely on to protect my house when I’m out food shopping, waiting for the dentist or to get my car repaired? No doubt I’ll have to bar the windows and encase the front and back doors in iron. I just hope that will be enough to deter burglars and keep my homeowners insurance low enough to be affordable.
EARTHQUAKES
I only experienced two seismic events; a ~ 2 second tremor while living or a year in a Denver children’s hospital treating asthmatic teenagers, and similar tremor in 2011 on Long Island. Neither caused any nearby property damage or injury. But AZ is part of the CA fault system, and NM at least partly is too. https://uagis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/M...03f4dd0d9c2b52
But how many such homes in the $350K range are there in Las Cruces, Los Lunas, Alamogordo and Socorro that are built with such precautions in mind? FEMA and/or supplemental earthquake insurance-assuming a retired person can afford it in NM-will only pay out so much to rebuild the house, if its even cost-effective to do so after the quake.
FLOODS
Compared to neighboring AZ, where most of the homes I’ve seen for sale in Chandler and Gilbert have no lawns-presumably because of tight water rationing-one would think floods would be improbable in NM. Sadly, I’ve learned otherwise, at least in Las Cruces. https://www.lcsun-news.com/story/new...ght/598145001/
I haven’t yet studied the causes of NM flood waters. But there are at least five reservoirs in the state, so unless those basins overflow from rainwater their output onto dry land should be controllable and regulated.
Only the Rio Grande river could be fed from the delta at the Gulf of Mexico, which may or may not be contributory to any flooding. Otherwise, the primary source of any flooding must be a heavy rain season and the inability of most NM soils to absorb enough water to prevent big property damage from high water run off conditions.
I’d have to check to see if the same frequent flooding threat levels exist in Los Lunas, Alamogordo and Socorro.
SNAKES
Before my siblings and I were compelled to sell our beautiful house in Syosset I would take moonlit walks with my equally beautiful black cat. He would walk along with me just like a dog. How could I ever risk doing this in NM as snakes, venomous spiders and/or Gila Monsters do their hunting at night?
How many reports have there been in Las Cruces, Los Lunas, Alamogordo and Socorro about venomous wildlife loitering in backyards or entering homes?
WHY NOT STAY PUT?
Why not then just stay where you are and retire in NY? Yes, living on Long Island, or even moving to upstate NY has its advantages. As I can’t convince my sister, brother or cousin to move out west with me (maybe my 25 year niece who’s a cop?), I wouldn’t have to say goodbye-or returning for visits as flying terrifies me. Food, medical and dental quality is very good and plentiful and there’s not much that I can’t get online that I can’t get here. I live in a decent and affordable but stifling 1100 sq ft Town of Oyster Bay sponsored senior co-op. But prices and property taxes on any kind of larger private co-op, condo or house that I’d ever want to buy on LI are way too high. I wouldn’t’ much miss the LI shore line-and certainly nor the hurricanes, though we’ve been vey lucky so far. But when Sandy hit my sister and her family lost power for over a week and had to live with my parents and me.
In upstate NY most good housing is a lot more affordable but NY is loaded with rivers and lakes that frequently flood, will get worse and happen more often from climate change induced hurricanes and ocean level rise. NY is less than half the size of NM, so one is somewhat more likely to encounter the 12 tornadoes it gets on average. True, the vast majority of them are Category 2 or less, but they can tear your roof off if they hit you right, or perhaps inflict more damage if your house has more wood than brick.
A topographical map will show upstate NY is way too mountainous for my liking, aesthetically and otherwise. Tall mountains (e.g. the jagged Rockies) or deep gorges (e.g. Grand Canyon) spike my anxiety level. But low lying, rounded and red/yellow colored distant mesas and semi-arid plains, moderate or sparsely dense forests, shrubbery and other green space-like you often see in Wes Studi TV movies or TV shows like Longmire-almost make me feel like home on Long Island, save for the very dry NM air (?).
But floods from the Hudson, Susquehanna and Mohawk rivers are most likely upstate NY hazards. And massive Lake Ontario, which Gov. Cuomo was recently compelled to deploy 215,000 sand bags around. So any house that I’d want would need to be at least 25 miles from any large water bodies. Many parts of upstate NY get way more snow than LI. The DPW gets all the roads plowed in less than a week but you’ll likely need to keep a snow blower in the garage or shed to plow your driveway and walkway.
EARTHQUAKES, FRACKING AND NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
Whatever science and probability analysis may still validate fears of hazardous emissions or China Syndrome like melt downs, most of America is apparently sold on nuclear power. But I was shocked to learn only last week that NY has SIX plants, when I thought it had only Indian Point, and which I heard was due for decommissioning. https://www.ncsl.org/research/enviro...in-the-us.aspx
With six plants in NY no wonder Gov. Cuomo was compelled to banned fracking. Alarmingly, it was a narrow victory. And it’s anyone’s guess if the remaining non-nuclear states will eventually build them. Most of those who won’t choose to do so any time soon have ample natural energy sources of their own-coal, gas, oil, solar, geothermal.
So even if NM doesn’t, fracking in AZ and/or TX could increase likelihood of seismic events. And with 4 nuclear plants in CA, 3 in AZ and 4 in TX, it may be impossible to persuade them to discontinue any ongoing fracking.
WHY NOT CHOOSE OTHER STATES?
PA’s Pocono Mountains and other topology is much like the upstate NY landscape which I don’t find especially appealing. Like upstate NY, PA does have low housing prices and/or taxes, and is nearly as income tax free as WY and NV. But unless PA’s troubled economy improves housing costs and other living expenses could get better or worse for out of state retirees. PA gets bad flooding thanks to the Susquehanna and other water bodies and it gets almost 2.5 more tornadoes than NY. Most are Category 2 or less but the greater the number the more risk of damage and injury. And PA is second only to Illinois, another economically challenged state, in its number of nuclear power plants.
AZ is much more tax friendlier than NM but it gets substantially more tornadoes and is probably much closer to CA’s fault line and the entire fault system. Its growing population is more than 3.5 that of NM’s and quality earthquake resistant housing may become much more costly five years from now.
Southeastern Oregon and ID border and ID was among the first on my list until I found how expensive is housing in Boise or anywhere in Ada County and ID would tax all of my income. Like other western states, ID is getting large influxes of CA transplants who are driving up housing prices and utility rates. Immigration rates have apparently become so high in Boise that the mayor tried to impose a hefty property surtax based on how long a homeowner lived in ID. Only natives would pay zero. Also some parts of central and southern ID get bad flooding. And OR is tax friendly only to corporations.
MT, especially southern MT looked to be a real possibility. Not a nice to me as NM but still very scenic. Not so tax friendly to retirees but no sales tax and home prices and/or property taxes might be very manageable. But like other parts of the Northwest, MT will continue suffering the drying effects of climate change, and this will result increasingly bad wildfires. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montana#Climate
“According to a study done for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency by the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Science, parts of Montana will experience a 200% increase in area burned by wildfires, and an 80% increase in related air pollution.”
I had hoped that western Colorado would have worked out as the best solution for me. It’s not very tax income friendly, but no property taxes after age 65. Places like Craig County and areas near the University may have good health care and other services while being far enough from the Rockies with terrain possibly as appealing as NM’s. But the promise of the oil and gas drilling boom died in its tracks when fracking was banned in CO but passed in WY and ND. https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/29/u...-colorado.html
The big downtown there will mean even more crime and paucity of quality goods and services than western CO has already seen. Indeed, with fracking the cause of earthquakes in OK and earlier in England from offshore fracking, with many of its 24 aging dams still awaiting some kind of repair, CO would have been suicidal to have approved fracking. CO much east of Route 25 is part of Tornado Alley. Any home that I’d consider would need be at least 100 miles from any dam. And all of the homes I’ve seen of interest in the southwest-and which might resemble NM-are pretty much in the $500K and higher range.
Housing is at least that costly in UT. And TX, NE and the entire Midwest are purely and simply a tornado chaser’s dream.
While Craig Johnson’s stories of Sheriff Walt Longmire originated in WY, most of the TV show was filmed in NM, including some of the interior shots. Why? I can only guess but I’d say that NM just looks more like “a John Wayne western” than most other western states, save for the way some parts of CA did back in the 60s. I’m not much of a John Wayne movie fan but much of NM just looks prettier to me than much of the what I’ve seen elsewhere out west. But that’s just me.
WY is free of all income tax and mostly free of tornadoes, save for the northeast and down to the southeast in Laramie County, where Cheyenne got smacked by one or two some time ago. Geologists at Yellowstone Observatory Lab are apparently certain that earthquakes will not induce Yellowstone, Mt. Rainier or Mt. St. Helen to blow, as many have feared. Thus fracking there should present no risk. And while all three volcanoes are classified as high threat, experts say Yellowstone is not likely to blow for at least 100K years. So if one of the other two blow first worst case may be that one of them may not do so for another ~ 33K years.. https://blogs.scientificamerican.com...d-kill-us-all/
Housing in WY is very affordable but many housing stocks appear unable to withstand WY’s powerful winds. So I’d have to instead buy land close power mains, well water and to outlets for quality goods and services, pay an architect to design a largely brick ~ 2200 sq ft ranch house and contract with a bondable building manager to supervise punch list construction-not an option I’d favor pursuing.
Sadly, all other states are too flood, tornado, earthquake prone and/or along with being too cold and costly
for relatively safe, affordable and pleasant retirement or semi-retirement living.
All told, I’m hoping southwestern CO or one of those NM communities on my list will prove safe and affordable options when I retire in about 5 years. Needless to say, no place is perfect; all involve some risk. But insurance companies only stay in business by effectively minimizing risk so I endeavor to fallow their lead. It would be sad to be driven to despair and ultimately resign myself to retiring in this 1100 sq ft LI co-op. I deserve way better but how much conditions in these other locations will improve to risk a one way move there remains to be seen.
Thank you for inspiring me to write this saga on these and other methodologies which I hope will prove useful in making good my escape five years from now.
There are somewhat frequent Tornadoes in eastern New Mexico. Tornadoes on the other side of the mountains make for very rare tornadoes in central New Mexico and the ones they have had through the years tend to be north of Las Cruces a good ways.
Venomous snakes are generally not found in urbanized areas or well established neighborhoods. If you live in newer areas on the edges of town you are likely to encounter them. Particularly if they don't alter the natural terrain when they plop your house down in the desert.
There is a housing addition across the interstate from then NMSU football stadium that was developed like that and I have heard the residents there have to keep an eye out for snakes at times.
There are somewhat frequent Tornadoes in eastern New Mexico. Tornadoes on the other side of the mountains make for very rare tornadoes in central New Mexico and the ones they have had through the years tend to be north of Las Cruces a good ways.
Tornado Awareness
What Types of Severe Weather Can I Expect in New Mexico?
"All 32 counties in New Mexico experience severe thunderstorms producing high winds, large hail, deadly lightning, and heavy rains at some time during the year.
Tornadoes have been verified in most New Mexico counties. The highest risk of tornadoes is in the east during April through July, but tornadoes are possible with any thunderstorm. New Mexico averages about 10 tornadoes in a year. One of the more significant tornado outbreaks occurred on May 23, 2010 across eastern Union County.
New Mexico experiences mostly weak, short-lived tornadoes. Strong tornadoes, while rare, are possible and occur about once every 10 years.
New Mexico's complex terrain favors the formation of numerous small landspouts, a weak and short-lived variation of the tornado similar to a dust devil. Landspouts may form without the presence of a strong thunderstorm."
Venomous snakes are generally not found in urbanized areas or well established neighborhoods. If you live in newer areas on the edges of town you are likely to encounter them. Particularly if they don't alter the natural terrain when they plop your house down in the desert.
There is a housing addition across the interstate from then NMSU football stadium that was developed like that and I have heard the residents there have to keep an eye out for snakes at times.
"All 32 counties in New Mexico experience severe thunderstorms producing high winds, large hail, deadly lightning, and heavy rains at some time during the year.
Tornadoes have been verified in most New Mexico counties. The highest risk of tornadoes is in the east during April through July, but tornadoes are possible with any thunderstorm. New Mexico averages about 10 tornadoes in a year. One of the more significant tornado outbreaks occurred on May 23, 2010 across eastern Union County.
New Mexico experiences mostly weak, short-lived tornadoes. Strong tornadoes, while rare, are possible and occur about once every 10 years.
New Mexico's complex terrain favors the formation of numerous small landspouts, a weak and short-lived variation of the tornado similar to a dust devil. Landspouts may form without the presence of a strong thunderstorm."
Regarding snakes and other venomous creatures, I can only hope that in about five years there will be enough ~2200 sq ft homes on ~ 1/4 acre plots surrounded by paved streets in and around the communities of interest. Hopefully, that may deter enough snakes to minimize encounters, but I doubt there's much reason for optimism given these stats. https://pediatrics.aappublications.o...38/5/e20160491
Tornadoes truly scare the crap out of me; NY gets 12 on average a year, though the vast majority are Category 0 thru 2. Hurricanes are likely to be a lot more dangerous in NY though they occur less often on average yearly. A tornado may have passed through our backyard during hurricane Sandy 8 years ago. It must have came and left our neighborhood so fast if it came at all that I didn't see it, though I stayed indoors during the entire storm. No damage to our home; not from Sandy either. But Sandy did lots damage on the southern LI coast and NYC. There was probably some damage in upstate NY. https://www.wrvo.org/post/sandy-blow...igh-winds-rain
It's good to know that most tornados in NM are weak and short-lived. But if soils in Las Cruces and other communities are not especially absorbent isn't there a lot flooding bad enough to cause considerable home damage during the rain season?
Nearby AZ definitely gets earthquakes. How many have hit places near Las Cruces, Los Lunas, Alamogordo and Socorro within the last ten years? Were many homes damaged?
I hate to sound negative......but if you're worried about the possibility of tornadoes (these do scare me too!), wind, earthquakes, floods, volcanoes, snakes and other critters, fracking, nukes, and maybe some crime.....where could you possibly live?
It's good to know that most tornados in NM are weak and short-lived.
We have lived in Rio Rancho (which is next to Albuquerque) for 20 years now. We have not seen a local tornado...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Longislandmire
But if soils in Las Cruces and other communities are not especially absorbent isn't there a lot flooding bad enough to cause considerable home damage during the rain season?
I am not going to "if" flooding in other areas. We have not had flooding here where we have lived 20 years...
New Mexico is 2 and 1/2 times larger than New York. We have a variety of terrains...
I hate to sound negative......but if you're worried about the possibility of tornadoes (these do scare me too!), earthquakes, floods, snakes and other critters, maybe some crime.....where could you possibly live?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Poncho_NM
We have lived in Rio Rancho (which is next to Albuquerque) for 20 years now. We have not seen a local tornado...
I am not going to "if" flooding in other areas. We have not had flooding here where we have lived 20 years... New Mexico is 2 and 1/2 times larger than New York. We have a variety of terrains...
Yes, I've seen some hopeful things about Rio Rancho, like a current news clip saying they have been successful in reducing the crime rate, which otherwise remains high in Albuquerque, Gallup, Belen and elsewhere.
Are there still many burglaries in and around your neighborhood? Do many people install bars around the windows and front and back doors?
It's density of single family homes there is huge so perhaps there's a variety of lot and house sizes and styles of one story homes.
Financially, the trouble may be that even for those like me over 65 NM will likely kill us with income taxes. And that may be even more so for senior singles, which is crazy unfair. Could it be that NM taxes single seniors this way to induce them to leave the state and as a deterrent for non-native seniors moving there, as most of us don't contribute to the state economy, except consumption wise?
Perhaps this coincides with NM's less than stellar health care and crime rankings, both of which would likely impact seniors more than other age groups.
So unless the taxes on a home I'd want to buy in Rio Rancho or the other communities of interestare way lower than what I'd pay for a comparable home in NY, I'd be all but locked out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afOPDv3gqXY
As for nuclear power that's more of a dead than however deadly (lol) issue since nearly every state has between 3 and 11 plants. And those who don't, like NM, have or are about to be accepting nuclear waste from other states. https://www.cpr.org/2019/03/25/new-m...arks-20-years/
I forgot to ask about this in my first post. Have Rio Rancho, Las Cruces, Los Lunas, Alamogordo or Socorro been hit by wildfires within the last ten years?
Of course I realize that no state will be perfect for everyone but some may hit more marks for each than others. But there's so many landscapes in NM that I find so unique and alluring that I had to ask those who live there what it's like.
If not NM then maybe NV, especially if much of its terrain is very similar. Would anyone here know about that?
Who knows, after all risks, housing costs and taxation are compared it may even make sense for me to remain in the Northeast, like NY or NH. Anyway, I'll still have about five years to wait before revisiting this decision against my criteria.
Yes, I've seen some hopeful things about Rio Rancho, like a current news clip saying they have been successful in reducing the crime rate, which otherwise remains high in Albuquerque, Gallup, Belen and elsewhere.
Are there still many burglaries in and around your neighborhood? Do many people install bars around the windows and front and back doors?
I am not aware of burglaries in our neighborhood except for one in our past 20 years here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Longislandmire
Financially, the trouble may be that even for those like me over 65 NM will likely kill us with income taxes. And that may be even more so for senior singles, which is crazy unfair. Could it be that NM taxes single seniors this way to induce them to leave the state and as a deterrent for non-native seniors moving there, as most of us don't contribute to the state economy, except consumption wise?
I am 71 years old, my wife of 50 years is happy where we are at. She handles the money and says we are doing OK, better than in our previous locations.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Longislandmire
Perhaps this coincides with NM's less than stellar health care and crime rankings, both of which would likely impact seniors more than other age groups.
We have full medical care conveniently close to us. I have had a few medical procedures to include heart surgery close to our home.
I forgot to ask about this in my first post. Have Rio Rancho, Las Cruces, Los Lunas, Alamogordo or Socorro been hit by wildfires within the last ten years?
Of course I realize that no state will be perfect for everyone but some may hit more marks for each than others. But there's so many landscapes in NM that I find so unique and alluring that I had to ask those who live there what it's like.
If not NM then maybe NV, especially if much of its terrain is very similar. Would anyone here know about that?
Who knows, after all risks, housing costs and taxation are compared it may even make sense for me to remain in the Northeast, like NY or NH. Anyway, I'll still have about five years to wait before revisiting this decision against my criteria.
I have not personally seen any wildfires nearby while living in New Mexico the past 20 years... They exist, I see them on the news. At times I see the smoke, maybe 50 miles or more from where I happen to be...
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No Land for Old Men-or Sane Younger Ones?
