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Here is a web site by bizjournal that evaluates quality of life of over 550 small towns in the USA. Of the 15 mentioned in NM Los Alamos at the top, Deming at the bottom. In between in descending order:
Portales,Taos, Ruidoso, Hobbs, Clovis, Carlsbad/Artesia, Silver City, Roswell, Las Vegas, Grants, Espanola, Alamogordo, Gallup, Deming
Las Cruces is not included because its the 2nd biggest city in NM.
That report made front-page news in my hometown (Portales).
You have to read between the lines to get a full picture though. That list is for the most "business-friendly" small towns. It is looking at business opportunities. It does not take into account general quality of life, crime and safety, and local schools.
I sure wouldn't move my kids back to Portales. No way.
Thx for input but I equate a healthy small business atmosphere with the
overall success of the community as a whole.
Being retired I probably should not be too concerned about the school system. Raised my kids in an afluent community on the east coast which boasted that 85% of its graduates went on to college. If I had to do it all over again I would have chosen a town with a more balanced mixture.
Believe me, money does not solve all the ills of our school systems.
I have zeroed in on Silver City beause I enjoy the solitude of its surroundings and lower cost of living. Many small towns struggle to keep their small businesses downtown. When new roads are built, they usually redirect the traffic away from them and they cannot compete with the mega stores that pop up. My knowledge of how successfu the NM school system is preparing its children to be productive citizens is almost nil. I did notice that SC is very family orientated and cares about its children.
Sorry to hear that Portales did not work out, could it be because its near a military facility? Children of transit families usually have difficulty adjusting to constant uprooting. I suspect that smaller communities do not have the resources to diagnose or address children with learning disabilities.
Been to Silver City and familiar with the overall picture. I found the people to be concerned citizens and involved in their community.
Thx for input but I equate a healthy small business atmosphere with the overall success of the community as a whole.
Sometimes yes. Sometimes no. You can't really paint with too broad a brush on that one.
A healthy small business community atmosphere? Yeah, on that one I'd agree with you 100%. Small businesses tend to be locally owned and operated, and their profits go back into the community.
But if you look at that poll, it was conducted in order to encourage big business and large industry to move in. That kind of "progress" isn't really progress in my mind. Big box stores like Wal-Mart and their ilk do a lot to hurt communities. They're really no better than carpet-baggers, siphoning off the communities wealth to enrich corporate coffers.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jerseygal
Being retired I probably should not be too concerned about the school system.
Sure, you should. Because the local EMTs, nurses, cops, bankers, and workers that you have to deal with every day (and might even save your life in a medical emergency) are largely locally educated. If the schools are crumbling, so is a community's general quality of life.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jerseygal
I have zeroed in on Silver City beause I enjoy the solitude of its surroundings and lower cost of living.
I've heard many great things about Silver City. Lots of people I know rave about the place. The only downside I've ever heard regarding the community are some environmental issues because of mining in the area. You really don't want to be drinking lead and mercury. I have no idea how true that is though. I've never seriously investigated it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jerseygal
Sorry to hear that Portales did not work out, could it be because its near a military facility? Children of transit families usually have difficulty adjusting to constant uprooting. I suspect that smaller communities do not have the resources to diagnose or address children with learning disabilities.
Actually, Cannon Air Force Base is a great asset to the surrounding communities. I went to school with lots of "base kids," and I found them to be much more well-rounded and emotionally stable than locals. I know moving every few years is hard on families, but it also helped to give them a broader view of the world.
Portales's greatest problem --- and this is true of most of NM in general --- is poverty. Besides the serious under-funding of most schools, crime tends to go hand-in-hand with poverty. It just didn't make for an environment in which I'd choose to raise my kids.
Don't get me wrong. Clovis/Portales are not the worst places I've ever been. Far from it. But if I had a choice in where I live (and I realize not everyone does), I know that there are better places out there, even in NM.
Going along with what Mark said, poverty also leads to a nasty demeanor in the community. Before I'm accused of "bashing Portales" let me be upfront: I AM bashing Portales, but with good reason. I live in a town where asking a stranger politely "Ma'am, Can you tell me what time it is" will get you a look like you just asked for a kidney... People here are just plain rude! I think the rudeness lies in the fact that they are just plain bored and get a bizarre sense of schadenfreunde by seemingly embarrassing others, especially those who aren't originally from the area. But add to that all the OTHER things NOT going on for this town, and many find it just plain unbearable. I have many friends who moved here to attend graduate school (which I found as academically challenging as the 8th grade), quit and moved, or finished their degrees and moved. Nobody stays here. The main reason cited is that the people are overly religious, xenophobic, racist, stoic and/or inappropriately jocular, and just plain freakin' mean. At this point, the exotic town of Des Moines Iowa is looking attractive. I think the writers of that article either had an agenda (which is painfully obvious) in my conspiracists mind, or they just plain never visited here to experience the eye burning smells, the sulphur poisoned water, or the cockroaches endemic to the area which you WILL have regardless of how clean you keep your home. Again: all those things could be "dealable" but not when you're surrounded by a population with a false sense of superiority and they constantly remind you in words and deed how superior they are. There are a few exceptions, but it's far and few between.
How does Portales compare to the Las Cruces/Alamogordo areas of NM? The New Mexicans on here appear to be friendly. Is that the norm or the exception?
Las Cruces is a much larger, much nicer town. The only thing I REALLY hate about it is the intense, desert heat. But that's me. Some people like that.
I've heard lots of nice things about Alamagordo. I was never terribly impressed with it myself, but to be fair, I never really did more than pass through it on the way to other places. White Sands is nearby, and that is very neat. Definitely a must-see if your'e in the area.
I could not in good conscience recommend Portales to anyone.
YAY~I found some more recent info about Alamogordo. The population is actually around 35,000 instead of 10,000. I must've had it mixed up with another town in the area that I was looking at. It does say that it gets about 22 inches of snow per year. Do you have snow in the towns and on the roads or is it mainly in the mountains and the roads stay clear? What can you tell me about the snowfall and a typical Jan. day in the LC or Alamogordo area?
YAY~I found some more recent info about Alamogordo. The population is actually around 35,000 instead of 10,000. I must've had it mixed up with another town in the area that I was looking at. It does say that it gets about 22 inches of snow per year. Do you have snow in the towns and on the roads or is it mainly in the mountains and the roads stay clear?
Where did you find that info? 22 inches of snow per year sounds way, way high. I suspect they'd average 6 at best. If that. I don't know that even Albuquerque gets 22 inches per year, and it is a lot farther north than Alamagordo.
Alamogordo doesn't get much snow. It's not far from Cloudcroft, which does, but that's 3500 feet or so higher. I don't think Albuquerque gets anywhere near 22 inches either.
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