Las Cruces/the good, the bad, the ugly? (Albuquerque, Rio Rancho: real estate, condos)

[MrBiloxi]

New Mexico is on my short list to relocate from Milwaukee. My main desires are lots of sun (hate cloudy days), no snow, fairly warm weather but can have some change...cool weather is ok, but not drastic or COLD like Milwaukee. Most important...MUST BE A NEAT, CLEAN AND ORDERLY TOWN. I left Biloxi, MS because is was a filthy litter hole.
Las Cruces seems to fit the bill from what I can see. Anyone from there that cares to comment, I would be appreciative. Also, anyone who thinks a different city in NM would be a better fit, please add your 2 cents.
I am single, 48, and my profession has been selling new construction homes and condos. Real Estate is my life...so an area with alot of building will be appealing to me as well.
Thanks Again!

[funkymonkey]

I'm not sure that Las Cruces is "neat, clean and orderly", though there is a ton of building going on.

You might prefer Rio Rancho, or for a particularly neat & orderly place, somewhere in southern California.

In your case, I wouldn't move to Las Cruces without visiting first.

[malamute]

To me Las Cruces seems pretty clean and orderly -- but one good wind will have litter strewn everywhere. It would all depend on the definition of clean.

[tecpatl]

With such a strong desire for something as subjective as "neat, clean and orderly" I'd visit LC if I were you. If you seek a manicured, everything-in-it's-place town, LC is probably not for you.
The weather, on the other hand, seems right for you. There are freezing night temps in late Dec. and Jan., but other than that this Michigander loves the temps. Spring (by Midwestern standards) shows up in mid-to-late Feb.
There is a lot..a LOT of building activity here, and even during the national downturn the LC market is holding up very well. A real estate professional can probably do well once established. I think there are a lot of "amateur" R-E people here.
Has the George Ohr museum been completed in Biloxi???

[Vinegaroon]

One of the most common sights I see in Las Cruces when I am down there are plastic bags clinging to chollas. I think they should consider making the plastic bag hanging onto the cholla the city emblem.

[norm]

We just got back from a visit to Las Cruces 2 weeks ago. We did not like it as a place to retire to. There really is nothing there. The homes were very nice and reasonable but there were not a lot of choices for shopping and for the most part you had to travel a bit to get to a supermarket. The fact that there is only 1 library in a city of 80,000 told us that culture and education does not rank high on the list for the local government. We did like the weather and I don't remember it being dirty, if it was it would have stood out in my mind.

There are a lot of realtors there and as a newcomer you would find a lot of competition.

After visiting Albuquerque it was an easy choice for us to want to move there.

I strongly suggest that you visit any cities that you are considering. Before seeing Las Cruces it was #1 on our list based on what we read about it on the internet.

Good luck

[ibarrio]

Las Cruces is a clean city...keep in mind that parts of Las Cruces are older then dirt...Also, the wind will blow trash, dust, and tumble weeds.

[tecpatl]

Originally Posted by Vinegaroon

One of the most common sights I see in Las Cruces when I am down there are plastic bags clinging to chollas. I think they should consider making the plastic bag hanging onto the cholla the city emblem.

Isn't that the New Mexico State Flower ?

[TigerLily24]

Originally Posted by norm

We just got back from a visit to Las Cruces 2 weeks ago. We did not like it as a place to retire to.
There really is nothing there. >>

Not sure what you are looking to do, but I always find myself having TOO much to choose from every weekend.

<<The homes were very nice and reasonable but there were not a lot of choices for shopping and for the most part you had to travel a bit to get to a supermarket. >>

Again, not sure what you are looking for. It is true we don't have a lot of 'high end' stores (no Pottery Barn, no Whole Market...) but we do have lots of wonderful local merchants and most of the low to mid-range retailers (Wal-Mart, Target, Pier 1...) My regular supermarket is probably about a 4 minute drive.


<<The fact that there is only 1 library in a city of 80,000 told us that culture and education does not rank high on the list for the local government. >>

I'm sorry you got that perception, but that is very, very far from what I've experienced since moving here. The library has a wonderful collection. They let you take out a huge number of items at one time. There are regular programs for people of all ages, movie nights and all sorts of other benefits.
A recent visit to the art museum to view an exhibit by high schoolers was an absolutely wonderful experience. The quality of the art being produced by kids attending Las Cruces high schools rivaled much of what passes for 'high' art in Soho in NYC.

Of course, not every place is right for every person, but as someone who relocated from the greater NY metro area, I can tell you, Las Cruces has everything I need and more.

[MrBiloxi]

Has the George Ohr museum been completed in Biloxi???[/quote]

They have replaced the destroyed structure with these shinny metal "pods" that look like spacecraft has landed on the beach. However, they have been getting quite a bit of positive national and international feed back on the look...the remaining portions of the museum still have to be replaced. They are selling bricks from the Sunherald newspaper, I believe, where people can contribute and have a brick in their name. There is always some kind of fancy, who's who on the MS Coast fund raisers going on and I believe the whole compound should be completely redone in a year or so, but dont quote me...things move slowly there.