cities in new mexico with the most crime (Albuquerque, Las Cruces: low crime, felons)

[tmslucky]

Hobbs is beyond bad! It is definetly one of the worse towns to live in and epescially bad to raise kids in, school system is not what it is cracked up to be.

[Patti]

Bernalillo is bad? I heard it was a pretty decent area. Did I hear wrong?

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by councilor j

I just want a little feed back on what people think the worst towns in New Mexico are, and where they would least like to live.

Honestly, I wouldn't go back to New Mexico at all with my family. If I were single, then maybe. But as someone who grew up there, my list of the worst would be (in order):

Albuquerque
Las Vegas
Farmington / Gallup
Truth or Consequences
Roswell
Artesia
Clovis / Portales

[camesquibel]

I agree with Las Vegas being bad. Don't get me wrong, I was born and raised there. Finished all my schooling there and 95% of my family still lives there. I miss "home" but not enough to ever want to move back. Every time I visit I am glad that my children are not growing up in Vegas or the surrounding area. I would rather home school my children than subject them to the morale of some of the other kids. Every time I go down, it seems like the people never change and that they still dress like gangsters and some of these people are my classmates with children of their own too.

[nmguy]

You might want to try link removed go get crime info. This web site allows you to compare cities.

[winnie]

What about Taos, alamogordo or Ruidoso? Still bad? I thought most parts of NM were pretty tame..

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by winnie

What about Taos, alamogordo or Ruidoso? Still bad? I thought most parts of NM were pretty tame..

I’ve never spent more than a day or two in Taos. It has a reputation for being a resort community that is very much deserved. I don’t know about crime and safety issues, but it is definitely an expensive place to live in.

I’ve never done more than pass through Alamagordo on my way to other places, so I don’t know much about it. But passing through, it never impressed me much.

Ruidoso is also a resort community. I’ve been there lots and lots of times. Not as expensive as Taos, but still expensive. They have a big racetrack there that brings in a lot of very wealthy people. There’s certainly a lot of partying and carousing going on in town, and I think DUIs are a big problem. Beyond that, I’m not sure about crime issues. There is a certain amount of social tension during tourist season when the town literally fills up with Texans who have a lot of money and aren’t shy about letting the locals know how rich they are. On the one hand, local businesses depend very much on that money, but I’ve heard the term “Tex-asses” used quite a lot to describe them. There’s also occasionally some tension between the local Mescalero Apache tribe and the local anglos. I don’t know that it ever erupts into violence beyond the occasional bar fight, but you’ll run into the occasional rudeness.

[bythesea]

Originally Posted by Disenchanted

As a former NM prosecutor with several District Attorney's offices, all I can say is that crime stats don't tell the story. If you could see what I have seen . . . . The horrible things people do to people. I prosecuted juveniles in Roswell, and WHOW! They are unreal in violence and attitude. They are not at all afraid of the system and more than ready to severely injure someone if they think that will get them what they want.
Grants is bad.
Roswell is off the chart.
Las Cruces is evil.
TorC is overwhelming for such a small place.
And talking to other DA's and ADA's it is the same everywhere.

I have been facinated by the comments on this site and glued to it all day. I was considering moving back to the state where I was born and spent my early childhood. I had such fond memories of a tolerant, kind, accepting place. What the heck has happened? I live in one the very most expensive areas in the country and I'm being squeezed out. However, we have nearly no crime. I have to rethink my plans for sure!

[Crackerjack]

Bythesea, there are a lot of good areas in NM and I still think it is a great place even though there are pockets of crime in areas but I think it is a reflection of America today and not just regional. Angel Fire, Alamogordo, Los Alamos - even though the nuclear thing bothers me, Silver City, Carlsbad as well as many other towns are good places to live. Even ABQ has some great places like Edgewood, Tijeras, Cedar Crest, Los Ranchos, Paradise Hills, etc. to live. You just have to know the areas to live like in CA. There are some great cities in CA, next to others where you wouldn't go; same thing. The problem with CA is it is pricing people out. It is just too expensive and crime seems to get worse all the time out there. Good Luck on your search!

[Informer]

A little advice if I may...don't draw too many conclusions based upon what you read on these forums. Do your own research on an area before moving there.

I certainly would.

Best of luck in your endeavors.