Favorite Town Or City In New Mexico And Why (Albuquerque: home, transfer to)

[songinthewind7]

I have been to a few places in New Mexico and I will say that it is one of the most beautiful states I have been in.
We will be moving to Ruidoso in the near future and the scenery in that area floors me. I love the mountains and trees.
I also enjoy Santa Fe and Taos. Albuquerque is nice for a city but I prefer smaller areas.

[NMCowgirl]

Las Vegas, New Mexico, which is my home town.

We have over 1000 homes on the historic register
Two haunted hotels
Highlands University
The Rio Gallinas cuts through town
the downtown Plaza is very old
so much history here and it's on the Santa Fe Trail
natural hot springs just a few miles out of town
Hermit's Peak and the great plains on either side of us

[NMCowgirl]

The shoot movies in Las Vegas, too:

http://www.bluecanyonproductions.com/lasvegasnmfilm/

And here's more on Las Vegas with some nice photographs:

http://www.squidoo.com/lasvegasnewmexico

[uggabugga]

las vegas is a very unique place, alright. and very underappreciated.
read 'wildest of the wild west' by howard bryan.

[charlyd79]

I dare not give my favorite town in NM, or other states. Every time we move to a "favorite" place, it is soon inundated with people who haven't learned to respect flora, fauna, and culture. They bring their culture to the ruination of what was, they bring their plants to the ruination of the flora, and bring strange and foreign animals they allow to escape to the ruination of the fauna.

My favorite place.. The one you came from.

[InTheDesert]

I second Villanueva. There is something magical about that town for me that I can't quite put my finger on. About six years ago I discovered Villanueva when future DH and I drove all the way up to Santa Fe to go camping. We were the pick-up-and-go types so we just drove up there to find out that the national forests were all closed up that way do to the high fire danger. Looking for another place to camp we kind of stumbled across Villanueva.

Ended up caming right by the river. It was beautiful and we met a ton of really great people. One of the greenest parts of NM that I have ever seen! There was a beautiful hike across the river at one of the state parks and you could hike up above the town and just see everything.

Second on my list would probably have to be the Pinos Altos and Silver City area. LOVE all the hidden hot springs, camping on the river right next to a canyon wall, the old ruins, the long drive through the Gila on your way to the ruins, tons of wildlife too, the old saloon and buildings in Pinos Altos, and all the pine trees! Beautiful, beautiful area!

[tito]

I think that Taos is the most beautiful place that I have seen in NM so far, however being that high in the mountains makes the winters really cold and snowy. I have settled in Las Cruces primarilly because I prefer a warmer climate after the many decades of dealing with Chicago's winters. Las Cruces is smaller than ABQ but has some conveniencies of a larger city. I like it too because of the interesting places that I can visit on weekends, Demig, Alamogordo, Elephant Butte, Caballo Lake, Cloudcroft, Ruidoso and across the U.S./Mexican border.

[Cbundy]

My all time favorite town in NM is Taos - what a great small community! You haven't lived until you've had breakfast at Michael's Kitchen - I suggest the Breakfast Enchilidas. The plaza is fun, lots of great art galleries among other fun shops. The John Dunn shops are woth a visit too. Santa Fe has Canyon Road with beautiful old adobes and those wonderful adobe walls, but Taos is total old adobes and walls, common place in downtown. And, how great is Taos Pueblo? It is the most beautiful and best example of pueblo architecture that you can find. Taos mountain is magic. There are so many great places to explore, Arroyo Hondo, Arroyo Seco, Ranchos de Taos, Vadito - if old adobe churches are your thing you really shouldn't miss the High Road to Taos scenic byway. Oh, I almost forgot the trip north from Santa Fe, from Espanola to Taos, that drive along the Rio Grande river is one of the most beautiful drives ever. It's especially good in the fall, but any time of year it's breathtaking.

[LRUA]

Las Cruces is my favorite...it's big enough...but not too big...great weather, scenery, location, very good residential areas, lots of amenities...golf courses etc ...Rio Grande, Old Mesilla, Organ Mountains, El Paso only 40 mins away, not perfect but better than most...

[DOUBLE H]

Chama,Silver City,Jemez Springs,and dozens of other small towns.Carlsbad appeals to me the most because of the Caverns. It is an amazing place. I have been there four times and can not get enough of it.