Looking to Move and Teach in NM (Santa Fe, Rio Rancho: real estate, to rent)

[CAnative]

I am looking to make the move out of southern California to NM and have read many posts regarding where to live. I am a teacher and would like to find an area to teach and live that in not in the lower half of the state or in ALBQ( am I limiting myself too much?). I am not clueless about the issues surrounding education, however, I have read some on the current problems facing schools in NM and am not opposed to working in rural areas. Could someone provide insight into where I can look to live and teach? Also, the issue of crime, smog, cost of living is not an issue either as southern California offers all that and then some and anything I find in NM will not be more shocking to me than that of seasons and real weather! Thanks!

[Crackerjack]

Farmington is a good sized city and there are a number of schools in the area. Aztec is a smaller city 15 miles or so east of Farmington. Are you looking for a desert city or mountain city? Santa Fe is nice but really expensive and with a teacher's salary, I think would be hard to do good there. Durango just north of the NM border has a large college, some 5,000 students (Ft. Lewis College) and several schools including private schools. They pay more up there but probably you would have to rent for awhile until you found a good buy. Houses are on the costly side. Cortez is an inexpensive place to live in the far corner of southwest Colorado. Bayfield on the east side of Durango has some great schools. It is also inexpensive like Cortez. Durango is a lot like New Mexico with the southwest lifestyle.

[Informer]

Originally Posted by CAnative

I am looking to make the move out of southern California to NM and have read many posts regarding where to live. I am a teacher and would like to find an area to teach and live that in not in the lower half of the state or in ALBQ( am I limiting myself too much?). I am not clueless about the issues surrounding education, however, I have read some on the current problems facing schools in NM and am not opposed to working in rural areas. Could someone provide insight into where I can look to live and teach? Also, the issue of crime, smog, cost of living is not an issue either as southern California offers all that and then some and anything I find in NM will not be more shocking to me than that of seasons and real weather! Thanks!

Greetings,

Don't overlook the Rio Rancho, NM area or for that matter ABQ's westside.
The climate in central NM is a mildly delicious well defined four-seasons with very little snow which melts very quickly (when it does happen to snow). Last winter we received less than 3 inches of snow.

The growth rate in RR has been explosive this past year alone, adding over 1200 students to the RR school system - and the pay rates are finally starting to reach national averages. RR is especially on the lookout for teachers.

Best of luck in your search.

Cheers...

[CAnative]

Thank you for the information. I wouldn't mind the lower part of CO, but have had my heart set on NM for over a year now. Plus the process of transfering credentials may be more of a pain in CO. I will look at Rio Rancho school districts and see what the hiring looked like for this year. I would prefer to live in a high desert or mountain city/town, with out too much snow. Weather shock to be avoided for the first year in NM! (-: Really, I hope to find a community that is not too small, not too big, with a decent school district to get myself settled in NM. Homeownership is possibly a few years off, but a small house to rent would be perfect! Anything like that outside of Sante Fe or other?


Thanks again!

[Crackerjack]

Rio Rancho is a good choice. It is growing a lot and is getting to be a good sized city. It has a lot of new homes, buildings and so forth and with all the new people moving there with kids, should make getting hired there easy. Santa Fe and around Santa Fe is just expensive. I would avoid it on a teacher's salary.

[pgkramm]

If you own a home in southern California, you may be able to consider Santa Fe. Santa Fe's residential real estate is what makes living there so expensive (although I can't speak to property taxes).

As a general statement, homeowners moving here from (coastal) California are in for a pleasant surprise when they find out how cheap (comparatively speaking) real estate is here.

[Informer]

Originally Posted by pgkramm

If you own a home in southern California, you may be able to consider Santa Fe. Santa Fe's residential real estate is what makes living there so expensive (although I can't speak to property taxes).

As a general statement, homeowners moving here from (coastal) California are in for a pleasant surprise when they find out how cheap (comparatively speaking) real estate is here.

Not many places left in the USA which are more expensive than coastal California (as far as real estate goes) - I believe Manhatten Island is THE only place left which is more expensive.

Santa Fe is NOT a 'cheap' place to live - however it might present a better VALUE for someone moving from coastal Cali.

Cheers...

[CAnative]

I have been reading a lot about how expensive Santa Fe is and was curious if there were areas outside of it that were less expensive that would be better to look at. I do not own in Socal which is one of many reasons why I am leaving. Homeownership in San Diego is nearly impossible for most unless they want to over extend themselves or end up with a converted apt labeled a condo. No thanks. I like what is available to me in Sante Fe as far as city life goes. It is hard to imagine the cost being more expensive any where else, but are there other things besides the real estate that make Santa Fe expensive? Food, gasoline, utilities? I will be taking a pay cut to move, but understood the cost of living adjustment would work to my advantage. I hope I am not wrong in this!

[_yb]

I get a santa fe real estate guide in the new mexican newspaper every once in a while. They have a website. You should request one of there RE guides. link is [url]

[Crackerjack]

CANative, it is the real estate that is expensive. Everything else is about the same as in the rest of NM. Groceries, gas all the rest are about like elsewhere. My cousins live there and they make it fine but they do have hefty house payments to pay off the expensive home, even though looking at it, you wouldn't think it should cost that much. Anyway, I am sure coming from expensive San Diego, you will do fine in Santa Fe. I do think someone who has a low paying job, like a teacher's salary, would be hard to make it in Santa Fe, not impossible, but hard.

My aunt and cousins, (not these cousins in Santa Fe but some others), had to leave San Diego because it was getting dangerous and it was getting so expensive. They had gang members shoot through their home window, shooting at another gang member walking by outside. Thankfully no one was killed but they had to put mattresses in their window to hopefully help take a bullet. They sold and got out of there.