Leaving Las Cruces (Albuquerque: home, schools, income)
Las CrucesDona Ana County
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We are also looking to Las Cruces for possible retirement. Trying like mad to do as much homework as we can and yeah, you have to be realistic and no place is perfect.
However...am I expecting no crime? No...but WAY less than I see in Houston.
Am I expecting no traffic or bad drivers? No, but WAY less than Houston.
Am I expecting perfect weather 24-7? Nope, but way better than humid, hot Houston.
We don't care about jobs or schools, our kids are grown and we have our own money and will not be working.
So yeah, surprise...Las Cruces is not utopia but it all depends on what you are looking to escape and what you might be able to put up with.
Sounds like the problems the OP is trying to escape happen darned near everywhere in America and I doubt he will totally escape all of these things.
We are also looking to Las Cruces for possible retirement. Trying like mad to do as much homework as we can and yeah, you have to be realistic and no place is perfect.
However...am I expecting no crime? No...but WAY less than I see in Houston.
Am I expecting no traffic or bad drivers? No, but WAY less than Houston.
Am I expecting perfect weather 24-7? Nope, but way better than humid, hot Houston.
We don't care about jobs or schools, our kids are grown and we have our own money and will not be working.
So yeah, surprise...Las Cruces is not utopia but it all depends on what you are looking to escape and what you might be able to put up with.
Sounds like the problems the OP is trying to escape happen darned near everywhere in America and I doubt he will totally escape all of these things.
My brother-in-law lives in Spring, and he had a family emergency two weeks ago. My wife flew in there for support. She says she was horrified by the drivers there. As far as crime, she didn't see any, but when she went out to get coffee one morning, as she was coming back to the neighborhood, she saw a lady of the evening leaving on foot. In Spring! Which I hear was formerly an outer suburb, but is now considered to be an inner suburb.
We are also looking to Las Cruces for possible retirement. Trying like mad to do as much homework as we can and yeah, you have to be realistic and no place is perfect.
However...am I expecting no crime? No...but WAY less than I see in Houston.
Am I expecting no traffic or bad drivers? No, but WAY less than Houston.
Am I expecting perfect weather 24-7? Nope, but way better than humid, hot Houston.
We don't care about jobs or schools, our kids are grown and we have our own money and will not be working.
So yeah, surprise...Las Cruces is not utopia but it all depends on what you are looking to escape and what you might be able to put up with.
Sounds like the problems the OP is trying to escape happen darned near everywhere in America and I doubt he will totally escape all of these things.
We are not trying to totally escape all of these things. We’re simply saying, for the 5th time, if we’re going to deal with big city problems, then we might as well move to a bigger city. We “thought” LC being a smaller town would also mean a better quality of life. We were wrong.
I keep saying that it's like this everywhere because it is, especially in cities as small as Las Cruces.
You actually moved to a small, backwater place like Las Cruces in this day and age expecting a good salary for your wife?? Where in the U.S. are there high-paying jobs plentiful in small cities with under 250,000 people in their county? And yes, the West, Southwest, and Sunbelt are especially bad for this precisely because of people like you moving there. Everywhere from Idaho to Arizona to Tennessee has issues now with rising cost of living and historically low wages not keeping up with those costs, especially housing costs.
I'd say you moved to Las Cruces without doing your homework and being incredibly naive and ignorant to the situation on the ground. That's your fault. But now you rag on Las Cruces for it not living up to your expectations and ideations.
I'm simply telling you to expect the same in Tucson or Phoenix, because it is the same in those places. Rapidly rising housing costs, low wages - especially when compared to the cost of living, and issues with street racers, bros, etc.
We spent 3 years with LC on our list of cities to move to. We visited 5 times during those three years and spent a minimum of 2 weeks each time. There’s not much more homework you can do on a place than that. We read up most everything we could. Truth is you NEVER know what a place is until you move there. Calling us naive and ignorant is a big of a stretch. When we visited we didn’t notice that the drivers are a-holes, and I grew up on the N side of Chicago! People don’t let you out of a parking spot, they speed up to keep you from from getting out. They tailgate. They cut you off and never bother using their turn signals. What I’ve learned in in the different places I’ve live is that you can tell a lot about a place based on how they drive and handle themselves in public situations. Pittsburgh, btw is probably the friendliest place I’ve lived. The small businesses I’ve dealt with are overwhelmingly indifferent for my business. You can tell who the tourists are hiking in the Organs, they’re the ones who say “hi” . The locals let their dogs run all over the place and don’t bother looking up. As I’ve mentioned before this is the first place where I’ve ever had run-in with strangers. I was minding my own business in both cases. I’m a big guy but don’t ever look for trouble. Here it finds me! There’s nothing small-town about this place.
My wife’s job where we came from paid $68,000 per year. Here, after looking for a job for a year, pays roughly $47,000. Same job. In the Tucson area she is finding out that her job pays 65-75,000. So, you’re wrong, low wages aren’t everywhere. I have already told you we expect to see the same issues in Tucson or elsewhere. At least we get options. My summary is: there is no small town benefits here. We can deal with all that in Tucson or other places, you’re exactly right. And we will.
Oh, and it’s not people like me driving up the cost of living in the SW. It’s Californians. The mass exodus from CA is killing the west.
That's not true. You need to know where to look in Santa Fe to get something closer to your price range. In fact, I looked up listings just now, before posting, and found several nice ones in good parts of town. But, whatever. Still, Santa Fe does have the friendliness you're looking for, and lots to do. But I'm guessing you didn't move to Las Cruces out of an interest in symphony, opera or fine art, so...I guess you don't need Santa Fe.
I hope you find what you're looking for, though, in something you can afford, wherever it may be. I seem to recall a thread on here a few years ago by a woman who moved to Las Cruces, IIRC. She felt about it the same way you do. She said, "the 'Land of Enchantment' it isn't." That's too bad.
Santa Fe seems like a great place to live and we like to visit but it all comes down to the cold. LC is about as cold as we would like to see. The problem is, we don’t want to move to CA and my wife doesn’t want to live in TX, so if we don’t like cold then it comes down to NM, AZ and a little bit of Nevada.
LC was the smallest town on our list. I’m not saying; no one should like living here. I’m simply saying we came here to avoid big city issues and we didn’t. So now we’ll just plug our noses and go back to the big city grind. This ain’t a bad place to be from. I’m sure if we grew up here we’d feel different about this place.
We spent 3 years with LC on our list of cities to move to. We visited 5 times during those three years and spent a minimum of 2 weeks each time. There’s not much more homework you can do on a place than that. We read up most everything we could. Truth is you NEVER know what a place is until you move there. Calling us naive and ignorant is a big of a stretch. When we visited we didn’t notice that the drivers are a-holes, and I grew up on the N side of Chicago! People don’t let you out of a parking spot, they speed up to keep you from from getting out. They tailgate. They cut you off and never bother using their turn signals. What I’ve learned in in the different places I’ve live is that you can tell a lot about a place based on how they drive and handle themselves in public situations. Pittsburgh, btw is probably the friendliest place I’ve lived. The small businesses I’ve dealt with are overwhelmingly indifferent for my business. You can tell who the tourists are hiking in the Organs, they’re the ones who say “hi” . The locals let their dogs run all over the place and don’t bother looking up. As I’ve mentioned before this is the first place where I’ve ever had run-in with strangers. I was minding my own business in both cases. I’m a big guy but don’t ever look for trouble. Here it finds me! There’s nothing small-town about this place.
My wife’s job where we came from paid $68,000 per year. Here, after looking for a job for a year, pays roughly $47,000. Same job. In the Tucson area she is finding out that her job pays 65-75,000. So, you’re wrong, low wages aren’t everywhere. I have already told you we expect to see the same issues in Tucson or elsewhere. At least we get options. My summary is: there is no small town benefits here. We can deal with all that in Tucson or other places, you’re exactly right. And we will.
Oh, and it’s not people like me driving up the cost of living in the SW. It’s Californians. The mass exodus from CA is killing the west.
As much as I love Tucson, I am dismayed that it is a high-poverty, low-wage, low-opportunity community.
If you question whether that description is accurate, then here are some facts:
Tucson’s poverty rate of 16.8% is higher than the national average, and it is higher than the poverty rate in 10 of the 11 cities with which University of Arizona researchers compare Tucson.
Half the jobs in Tucson are low-wage jobs, according to the Brookings Institution.
Adults who grow up in Tucson earn between $1,000 and $8,000 less every year than adults who grow up in 10 of the 11 comparison cities, as I documented in a report last year. In the race for economic success, Tucsonans start far behind people elsewhere.
These statistics are significant.
They mean that half our workers daily cannot be confident they can provide food or shelter for their families. They mean these workers have no resources available even in small emergencies. They mean too many mothers, particularly, cannot afford the child care that would allow them to return to work now that the coronavirus is abating.
Moreover, a high level of poverty drags down the economy for everybody. Tucson’s poverty reduces the area’s gross domestic product by approximately $2.2 billion per year, I estimate, based on studies of the cost of poverty elsewhere.
The conventional solution for solving poverty is to provide better education, including preschool. However, as important as education and preschool are, they cannot reduce Tucson’s poverty. The reason: Even if high-quality education helps a child be prepared to move into a better paying job in adulthood, that still doesn’t change the fact that 50% of the jobs in Tucson are low-wage jobs. That statistic is from Martha Ross, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and co-author of the report, “Meet the Low-wage Workforce.”
Tucson’s great percentage of low-wage jobs means that for many Tucsonans, a low-wage job will be the only option available no matter how hard they work. And it means Tucson’s high poverty will continue to weaken our community’s economy.
Your wife must be very lucky to have found these jobs in Tucson that actually pay decently and aren't lower wage compared to the same jobs in other places in the country.
You are indeed ignorant if you've never seen or heard the countless stories and anecdotes by people who have lived in Tucson over the years who confirm it has low wages and crappy job options. Same for Phoenix.
You are absolutely part of the problem in the West, Southwest and Sunbelt. You are an outsider that moved here from the Midwest and Northeast and are helping, along with Californians, to drive up the price of housing in these formerly affordable areas to unrealistic, inappropriate and unsustainable highs.
The fact that you don't recognize or think that you are part of the problem in these places confirms to me your general lack of realization and ability to recognize reality.
Or I guess the drivers and people in Las Cruces were just on their best behavior whenever you happened to visit before moving there.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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I've known NO ONE who moved to LC for a J-O-B who has been satisfied.
If earnings is your need.... Properly address it. I moved to a no income tax state that was next door to a no sales tax state. Cost of living was reasonable, so this strategy helped me retire 15 yrs early. LC was also a choice that I knew would not deliver during my earning yrs.
So.... Do what you must.
In my 20+ yr association with LC I, nor my retired mom have had issues you mention. We drive LC frequently. No issues with rude, aggressive drivers, no street racing, plenty useful and polite encounters with ems and police. Very quite and friendly neighborhood. Excellent and readily available medical care.
Sounds like you're exasperated with LC.
Go find your new spot, enjoy it.
I suggest you use a much different strategy to find your next spot so you avoid surprises. We always stay with locals, interface with those who have specific details. Attend events as if living there. Volunteer with community groups BEFORE relocating. Travel the commute during regular hours. Visit your neighborhood in the middle of the night and listen for dogs and traffic.
Good luck,
We spend plenty of time in Tucson, Phoenix, Prescott and Flagstaff + rural areas nearby. None of which I would enjoy living.
Your wife must be very lucky to have found these jobs in Tucson that actually pay decently and aren't lower wage compared to the same jobs in other places in the country.
You are indeed ignorant if you've never seen or heard the countless stories and anecdotes by people who have lived in Tucson over the years who confirm it has low wages and crappy job options. Same for Phoenix.
Even though it appears the OP's wife has advanced degrees and teaches at the College/University level, it bears mentioning that there has been a mass teacher exit going on in Phoenix (and Arizona in general) since at least six years ago and probably longer.
When I was living in Phoenix metro I met a young woman about 6-7 years ago who was hightailing it back to Southern California because she was disgusted with making 20K less while putting up with the apartheid in the elementary schools that was enforced by bureaucrats.
We’ve been here for three years now and my wife and I have decided we’ve had enough. When we first moved here we liked it. Weather is fine and the Organs are beautiful but the negatives have begun to outweigh the positives. First off the people here are not friendly. Aggressive drivers. Aggressive people in general. I’ve had run ins with strangers here when I never had any in the place we came from. No matter where you go the customer service sucks. From restaurants to stores and everything in between. It has a small town mentality and the basic thought process is, if you don’t like it, go somewhere else.
Etc. etc. etc....
When you first moved to Las Cruces you liked it because there was no pandemic. Do you think that for two out of the three years you've lived in Las Cruces, the global pandemic has anything to do with your complaints? There's been policing shortages and problems across the country. Aggressive driving and speeding have gone up nationwide. People aren't generally going to be overly "friendly" during a pandemic. They're more likely to want to keep their distance. Masks cover smiles. People everywhere are in a bad mood. I think you're experiencing Covid Fatigue like everyone else and are blaming it on Las Cruces.
You've been all over the place in your complaints about Las Cruces.
The reality is that it's a small city with limited offerings and options for various things, like pretty much every other small city in the country. It has issues with street racing, etc., like pretty much every other city in the country. Its housing costs have rapidly increased, like pretty much every other place in the country.
Mostly true but I take exception to driving comment. The driving in Las Cruces and other New Mexico cities is horrendous, worse than many if not most.
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