Silver City (Ruidoso: middle-class, transplants, house)

[brightdoglover]

A friend of mine whose family has been on the Maine coast for generations moved to Silver City and absolutely loves it there, down-to-earth people, a lot of privacy, a few good restaurants and some artists. I emphasize down to earth- it's not gentrified and people like it that way. I gather the weather is about what the other places mentioned would offer, maybe not quite as hot in summer as LC.

[ognend]

Originally Posted by brightdoglover

A friend of mine whose family has been on the Maine coast for generations moved to Silver City and absolutely loves it there, down-to-earth people, a lot of privacy, a few good restaurants and some artists. I emphasize down to earth- it's not gentrified and people like it that way. I gather the weather is about what the other places mentioned would offer, maybe not quite as hot in summer as LC.

The prices of property in Silvery City are sky high due to the fact that a lot of Californians bought up the place for second homes or first homes. To me that's the very definition of "gentrified" . There are virtually no jobs in the city so you better a) work from home or b) be retired or wealthy...

Otherwise Silver City is my destination - great weather, access to 3 million acres of national forest, secluded... Too bad (for me) I still cannot afford it...

My $.02

[Poncho_NM]

Definition of GENTRIFICATION: - The process of renewal and rebuilding accompanying the influx of middle-class or affluent people into deteriorating areas that often displaces poorer residents.

First Known Use of GENTRIFICATION: 1964

Gentrification - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary



Rich

[NMHacker]

As much as people like to scream about gentrification. It helps many areas where buildings where property would be torn down or generally just continue to look look crap.

[jazzlover]

A friend of mine and his wife just moved from Silver City back to Colorado after living in Silver City for a number of years--a job transfer necessitating the move. They loved Silver City--except for the invasion of transplants from California that has occurred in recent years. Being involved in the natural resource industry, they also were concerned about the long-term water situation there. People just forget that development in the water-scarce Southwest can not be endless--even in "good" water times. Unfortunately, drought--whether one believes it to be a natural cycle or the result of man-caused climate change--seems to be a more frequent visitor to the Southwest in the past few years. That, combined with a much higher population living in the region, portends very serious future water issues all across the region, including places like Silver City.

[Poncho_NM]

Originally Posted by ognend

due to the fact that a lot of Californians bought up the place for second homes or first homes

Originally Posted by jazzlover

They loved Silver City--except for the invasion of transplants from California that has occurred in recent years.

In all seriousness, do we have any facts to back up these facts? Or is this just internet myths etc...

I know three people who recently left Silver City after living there over 15 years and were originally from Colorado, Indiana and Northeast U.S...


Rich

[Boompa]

Originally Posted by NMHacker

As much as people like to scream about gentrification. It helps many areas where buildings where property would be torn down or generally just continue to look look crap.

And they cry about Californians running up prices until they want to sell.

[ognend]

Originally Posted by Poncho_NM

In all seriousness, do we have any facts to back up these facts? Or is this just internet myths etc...

I know three people who recently left Silver City after living there over 15 years and were originally from Colorado, Indiana and Northeast U.S...


Rich

Mine is based on anecdotal evidence and observation. How else do you explain the fact that 2 acres with a house in a place that has absolutely _nothing_ costs $200+K? One day I actually sat down and picked a neighborhood in Mimbres, NM (about 30 minutes outside of Silvery City) and dug up all the ownership records from the county tax authority in order to send letters to owners and ask if someone would be in the mood to sell their highly prized 2 acre lots. Suffice it to say, most addresses were not local, were from California mostly, then Texas and finally one or two from back east (North Carolina). This whole concept of owning land elsewhere as a pure investment has literally (just my opinion) ruined the way of life for a lot of people in this country by indirectly raising local prices in areas where local cannot afford the land but the land owners never even set foot. I know it's a free country and I know it is all legal, but unfortunately in this case, such speculation has destroyed a lot of virgin land and driven out a lot of locals who simply cannot afford to own land in the place they were born in.

If you go to Florida, especially South Florida, most owners are from New York or New Jersey. Conversely most land in NM is owned by Californians, Texans (Ruidoso and area) and then folks from elsewhere (like north east) since this is where the money is.

As for someone mentioning pretty buildings in historic down towns, it is called "historic" for a reason. Making it look new for your 3-day viewing pleasure kind of kills the spirit a bit...

Just my $.02
OD

[ognend]

Originally Posted by Boompa

And they cry about Californians running up prices until they want to sell.

It is a vicious cycle. If most people bought the land to really hang on to it, respect it and live on it for a long time, prices would not be as high. Sadly, most parcels change hands faster than socks change feet - at every exchange the price is driven up.... When you treat land like a commodity with no intrinsic value related to your way of life, what you get is what you have now. I want to live there, be a part of the community (all in a minimal environmental footprint) and unfortunately, I am priced out by some guy's desire to own a second or third piece of land that they will never see (or worse yet, put a huge, water guzzling, energy gobbling 6,000 sqft trophy home they will see twice a year). Soon, you will have a state that looks just like NM, a million single-wides surrounded by 15 broken down cars each overlooked by a McMansion on 40 acres on the hill that is open two weekends a year. Unfortunately this crap is a way of life now and is only going to get worse. But, it is what it is...

Just my $.02
OD

[NMHacker]

Originally Posted by ognend

As for someone mentioning pretty buildings in historic down towns, it is called "historic" for a reason. Making it look new for your 3-day viewing pleasure kind of kills the spirit a bit...

Yes, those building should be left alone. And in a few years after weather, rats, mice and other problems they will be beyond repair and eventually torn down. Then there will not be any viewing pleasure and the history will be gone.