Las Cruces for retirees? (Alamogordo, Santa Rosa: RV parks, Valentine's day, apartment)

[anomoly]

Originally Posted by nancy thereader

hi anomoly~~ wisteria told me that you were on this thread. Yes, I really would like to move to New Mexico and Las Cruces looks like the best bet so far. I'm hoping that I can learn as much as possible about it before I go out to look for myself.
Just the clean air and the skies make New Mexico appealing. There are a lot of nice things about Las Cruces, like the Organ Mountains in the distance with their walking trails and the colorful Mesilla part of the city. I enjoy looking at the real estate photos; the houses might be on another planet , they are so different from those here in the East.

LOL!! I've always said I'm from another planet, so 'no 'de-frons''' to me, eh? From what Wisteria says, sounds like NE US is another planet !

But, seriously, 'if you move there, we will come'! Like I say, I need to know if someone will actually be there by December, so that I don't pay a year's rent in advance in October. If you or anyone else ACTUALLY MOVES THERE BEFORE NEXT SUMMER, I don't mind going ahead of time. (..wow, that sounds really wierd--is it possible to 'go faster than time??)
I think having friends in a place I'm already considering is the biggest factor for me, so let me know if you're doing more than just 'thinking about Las Cruces'. I think its a good choice for retirees.

[tito]

I'm a retiree from Chicago who bought a condo in Las Cruces and as far as I can tell it's a wonderful place to live particularly in the winter months. I feel that the city provides all the basic necessities for a retiree. If you like the sun, this is the place to be.

[mortimer]

nancy thereader mentioned:

> Yes, I really would like to move to New Mexico ... learn as
> much as possible about it before I go out to look for myself.

So when are you coming to check it out?

Towanda and I and others are constantly recommending that people
come for a visit first before getting to much into the planning mode.

As a further recommendation, I suggest going at the time of year that
you dislike the most in your current location (NJ was it?).

I tried summer since I hated the hot, muggy Ohio summers. All the
other seasons were just bonuses since the summers here are so much
more tolerable than in Ohio.

Naturally, Towanda and Cathy4017 will tell you that Las Cruces is an
opressive oven in the summer and NOT to do it, but you can just ignore
them when they talk about the heat. They are worse than I am, and
that's bad, because I'm a total hot-weenie.

I'll trade a typical summer day in Las Cruces for one in Ohio any day.
I'll trade a typical summer day in Las Cruces for a typical April or late
September day in Houston.

[Cathy4017]

Well.....Las Cruces and Alamogordo are both oven-like in June and July until the monsoons kick in. Then you have rainy days interspersed with hot days, if you're lucky.

Midwestern summers (as well as areas of Texas besides the Panhandle/West Texas) are like saunas, by contrast.

I'll take the oven, TYVM. At least you sweat and cool off if you can find some shade. With high humidity, there's no way to cool off save going inside under a freezing cold refrigerated air unit.

[nancy thereader]

I live on Long Island so it is really the cold winters that I would want to avoid. We have pretty humid summers also. I am not sure if they are as bad as those in the midwest, but I would think so because anything east of the Rockies tends to be humid.

[6 FOOT 3]

Originally Posted by anomoly

The top pic is from Hatch, NM last year in August. The bottom one is Elephant Butte Lake in TrC last year in July. Lotsa Rain!!

Haven't followed NM threads for awhile, as I bought a 36' travel trailer with slides set up in a park in
Yuma (AZ, for those who don't know). But my RV is still in storage in NM, and my state park camp
permit is still good thru Oct., so I plan to escape the heat this summer, and return to travelling in NM for a
few months.
Actually, I was looking to buy my trailer and live in LC, but the space rent here is paid thru October, and
I'm surprisingly impressed with Yuma today, compared to the 'dirt bag town' it used to be.
But, I actually came to this thread to find NancytheReader, from another thread about 'women retiring'.
Wisteria said you're really ready to move to LC, and like I told her, I'll move there as soon as someone
else is ready!
Ok, that's my intro, now my info. Having lived in Tucson before NM, and now in Yuma, with vehicles and
license still NM, I wanted to comment about price diffs between AZ and NM. Everyone swears it's
cheaper in NM, (I think for Gabygirl it is), but having done both states, it just seems like NM was more
expensive. My DL was $39/year in NM, AZ, I think is $15, and it was good till you're 65! I finally
changed to NM DL last year, and now I'm back in AZ, go figure. But, my NM registration and insurance
is now expired on both my RV and car, so I have to get it changed to AZ, and I'm pretty darn sure it's
going to be much cheaper here! I'll let you know next week.
Monsoons? Mortimer must be a weather man, man! LOL! I just wanted to comment when someone
said wind, little rain... Naww! Both AZ and NM have real rainy monsoon seasons, almost always starting
by Juy 4th, lasting a couple of months. They're so impressive, and they make for GREAT picture, clouds
producing AWESOME sunrises and sets.

Well come on over Anomoly .

[anomoly]

Originally Posted by Cathy4017

Well.....Las Cruces and Alamogordo are both oven-like in June and July until the monsoons kick in. Then you have rainy days interspersed with hot days, if you're lucky.

Midwestern summers (as well as areas of Texas besides the Panhandle/West Texas) are like saunas, by contrast.

I'll take the oven, TYVM. At least you sweat and cool off if you can find some shade. With high humidity, there's no way to cool off save going inside under a freezing cold refrigerated air unit.

Of course, everything is relative. As a true desert lover, I've lived in Palm Springs, Tucson, So. NM, ..and San Diego, which was not warm enough for me. (Perfect minimal change between 50s and 70s, but 70s are 'cool' to me).
So, here's some thoughts comparing various SW deserts.
Summers:
Las Cruces, I believe gets several 100+ days in the summer, but Tucson gets near 110 often, and Palm Springs, 115 often. That's a big difference.
TrC was rarely over 100, it seemed to me, yeah, rarely.
Summers really don't get hot till July, and LC is beautiful in September.
And the nights are absolutely warm and beautiful in the summer! Although I've heard people complain they are still too hot. Tucson and Palm Springs required AC 24/7 (summer), while I couldn't wait till sundown in NM to open the doors and windows each day.
Monsoons:
Tucson was noticibly bad, because I only had a 'swamp (evaporative) cooler', which works great and it's cheap when it's dry. It's useless in high humidity, like the monsoon season, which starts everywhere in early July, some places getting hit worse than others.
But everyone loves monsoons (I think?) because they bring a change with powerful rain and thunder and great lightning shows, especially Tucson. And for me, I enjoy that it's not cold and snowy when it rains, instead you can have your bathing suit on, tuck inside to watch or take pics for the hour or so it lasts, and then go about your business.
I don't consider AC 'freezing cold refrigerated units'. I keep my relatively low, but appreciate the 'dryness' they produce, as a refuge from the humidity outside. A tip would be to set yourself up with both: a swamp cooler for when it's dry, but hot, and an AC unit (even a window unit) for when it's hot and humid.

Elevation:
Because NM is all high (lowest spot in NM is Carlsbad @ 3500ft), temperature range varies more.
In the winters, I froze! ..but then I never lived anywhere that got below 32 ), so single digits were pretty intense for me. Others love the fact that it gets in the 50s during the day (too cold for me). LC often has 60s in the winter, and remember winters are much shorter than what you're used to back east. I remember it getting cool in November, cold in Dec, Jan, Feb, and I'd peak my head out about the beginning of March.
Not bad at all.

My guess is that if you're from NE (like Wisteria explained Buffalo was miserable all the time!), and you're trying to get away from the long, miserable winters, you will really appreciate Las Cruces. Here's the trick: Just think of summers in the Southwest to compare to the winters in the Northeast. If you're like me, you'll always be thinking "Hey, 3 months of heat is FAR better than 6 months of hibernation in the winter!" It keeps things in perspective when it's hot, I mean you can wear shorts most of the year, and a swamp cooler is much cheaper than a furnace!
One more thing: Ruidoso, NM, is not far from Las Cruces (less than 100 miles, I think), as well as Silver City, NM, which are both small towns up in the mountains with trees and cool fresh air, and forest like settings. Ruidoso is east of LC, and Silver City is west. Take some weekend trips in the summer, and you'll think you've died and gone to heaven!

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by anomoly

Of course, everything is relative. As a true desert lover, I've lived in Palm Springs, Tucson, So. NM, ..and San Diego, which was not warm enough for me. (Perfect minimal change between 50s and 70s, but 70s are 'cool' to me).
So, here's some thoughts comparing various SW deserts.
Summers:
Las Cruces, I believe gets several 100+ days in the summer, but Tucson gets near 110 often, and Palm Springs, 115 often. That's a big difference.
TrC was rarely over 100, it seemed to me, yeah, rarely.
Summers really don't get hot till July, and LC is beautiful in September.
And the nights are absolutely warm and beautiful in the summer! Although I've heard people complain they are still too hot. Tucson and Palm Springs required AC 24/7 (summer), while I couldn't wait till sundown in NM to open the doors and windows each day.
Monsoons:
Tucson was noticibly bad, because I only had a 'swamp (evaporative) cooler', which works great and it's cheap when it's dry. It's useless in high humidity, like the monsoon season, which starts everywhere in early July, some places getting hit worse than others.
But everyone loves monsoons (I think?) because they bring a change with powerful rain and thunder and great lightning shows, especially Tucson. And for me, I enjoy that it's not cold and snowy when it rains, instead you can have your bathing suit on, tuck inside to watch or take pics for the hour or so it lasts, and then go about your business.
I don't consider AC 'freezing cold refrigerated units'. I keep my relatively low, but appreciate the 'dryness' they produce, as a refuge from the humidity outside. A tip would be to set yourself up with both: a swamp cooler for when it's dry, but hot, and an AC unit (even a window unit) for when it's hot and humid.

Elevation:
Because NM is all high (lowest spot in NM is Carlsbad @ 3500ft), temperature range varies more.
In the winters, I froze! ..but then I never lived anywhere that got below 32 ), so single digits were pretty intense for me. Others love the fact that it gets in the 50s during the day (too cold for me). LC often has 60s in the winter, and remember winters are much shorter than what you're used to back east. I remember it getting cool in November, cold in Dec, Jan, Feb, and I'd peak my head out about the beginning of March.
Not bad at all.

My guess is that if you're from NE (like Wisteria explained Buffalo was miserable all the time!), and you're trying to get away from the long, miserable winters, you will really appreciate Las Cruces. Here's the trick: Just think of summers in the Southwest to compare to the winters in the Northeast. If you're like me, you'll always be thinking "Hey, 3 months of heat is FAR better than 6 months of hibernation in the winter!" It keeps things in perspective when it's hot, I mean you can wear shorts most of the year, and a swamp cooler is much cheaper than a furnace!
One more thing: Ruidoso, NM, is not far from Las Cruces (less than 100 miles, I think), as well as Silver City, NM, which are both small towns up in the mountains with trees and cool fresh air, and forest like settings. Ruidoso is east of LC, and Silver City is west. Take some weekend trips in the summer, and you'll think you've died and gone to heaven!

I'm originally from West Texas, which has a climate much like Alamogordo, other than the fact that Alamo is not quite as hot, and cools down more at night. I'm quite used to hot and dry, having lived in it all of my life. I'm tired of it, but it's nothing new. No thanks on the swamp coolers!! I just hate them, and I hope I never live in another house with one. I have refrigerated air here....I keep the winter setting on 67 and the summers on 74 with ceiling fans going.

We escaped to Ruidoso many times over the years, as well as Cloudcroft, so I hear you on that one. Living in either Phoenix or Tucson would be a nightmare for me. 115-120 in the summer is horrible, no matter where you're from, LOL!! As for hot, Palm Springs....oh, lordy. Yuma, worse!! If you want really hot, you're in the right place in Yuma. Although I like AZ, I would not live in the hotter spots there. I'd go on up to Flagstaff and such first.

Since Ruidoso is only 48 miles from Alamogordo (where I now live), I do get up there from time to time for cooler air and good food. Cloudcroft is 20 miles or so, and is also very nice! I've never lived in LC, though it is a neat city, along with Mesilla.

As for bitter cold, I really don't know what that is for year-around living. Only the Panhandle of Texas can get bitterly cold and snowy some winters, but it's a dry cold, as NM/CO is. Like NM, WT also has wide temperature swings (50 degrees at times) from night to day.

On NM elevation, nope, sorry, there are a few spots lower than Carlsbad (3140) (Google Earth, city centers):

Red Bluff, NM: 2884 (lowest point statewide)
Jal, NM 3044
Loving, NM 3052

Silver City and T or C are both on my list of places to see. They are two of the very few places in NM that I've never been.

[anomoly]

Originally Posted by Cathy4017

I'm originally from West Texas, which has a climate much like Alamogordo, other than the fact that Alamo is not quite as hot, and cools down more at night. I'm quite used to hot and dry, having lived in it all of my life. I'm tired of it, but it's nothing new. No thanks on the swamp coolers!! I just hate them, and I hope I never live in another house with one. I have refrigerated air here....I keep the winter setting on 67 and the summers on 74 with ceiling fans going.
Are you serious? You hate swamp coolers? I love them, (I smoke), and don't have to worry about keeping all the doors and windows locked tight, like you do for AC, which costs so much more too.
You'd do well in San Diego. Man, 67 and 74 are not at all comfy to me! I'll take 74 in the winter, and 80 in the summer, with fans going!

We escaped to Ruidoso many times over the years, as well as Cloudcroft, so I hear you on that one. Living in either Phoenix or Tucson would be a nightmare for me. 115-120 in the summer is horrible, no matter where you're from, LOL!! As for hot, Palm Springs....oh, lordy. Yuma, worse!! If you want really hot, you're in the right place in Yuma. Although I like AZ, I would not live in the hotter spots there. I'd go on up to Flagstaff and such first.
I gotta clarify: I didn't even mention Yuma, because I have NO INTENTION of staying here when it gets hot. Been there, done that. But this is the best winter I've ever experienced! 40s at night, 70s in the day! But I'll be in Neew Me-hico come summer!
Since Ruidoso is only 48 miles from Alamogordo (where I now live), I do get up there from time to time for cooler air and good food. Cloudcroft is 20 miles or so, and is also very nice! I've never lived in LC, though it is a neat city, along with Mesilla.

As for bitter cold, I really don't know what that is for year-around living. Only the Panhandle of Texas can get bitterly cold and snowy some winters, but it's a dry cold, as NM/CO is. Like NM, WT also has wide temperature swings (50 degrees at times) from night to day.

On NM elevation, nope, sorry, there are a few spots lower than Carlsbad (3140) (Google Earth, city centers):

Red Bluff, NM: 2884 (lowest point statewide)
Jal, NM 3044
Loving, NM 3052
Yup, you got me there. I always think of the major areas, where people actually live!

Silver City and T or C are both on my list of places to see. They are two of the very few places in NM that I've never been.

I cannot believe you've never been to Silver City or TrC! One's 'funky ha-ha', the other's 'funky uh-oh'! Both are worth seeing. You've never checked out Elephant Butte Lake then either, I assume.

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by anomoly

I cannot believe you've never been to Silver City or TrC! One's 'funky ha-ha', the other's 'funky uh-oh'! Both are worth seeing. You've never checked out Elephant Butte Lake then either, I assume.

LOL!! After reading a recent NM magazine's article on T or C, I wanted to go for the hot springs. But it does strike me as a sort of weird tourist trap! Silver City is for a summer visit. And no, I haven't checked out Elephant Butte Lake...yet.

So where do you stay in the summer in NM? Living in more than one place all year seems like the thing to do, but I don't want either an RV or a second home. Too much PITA to keep up!

Yes. I hate swamp coolers and the extra humidity they put into the air! I hate the water deposits you see on some roofs, having to winterize them, keep the windows open, etc.