Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
First of all, I'll start by saying that I love New Mexico but haven't really spent much time there since I was younger (about 15 years ago was the last time I even set foot in the state). However, for some reason, I'm feeling a call to check it out. Maybe it's just the gloomy weather here in the PNW, but I do think it's something more.
My husband and I moved to Bend, OR almost 4 years ago from Grand Junction, CO. I'm originally from Colorado, the suburbs of Denver, and besides living in Seattle for 4 months and just north of Los Angeles for 3 months, I've lived my entire life in Colorado until 4 years ago. My husband is from PA originally, but considers the west his home now. While we like Bend, it just doesn't feel like home to us. Part of that is because our family is so far away, but another big part has to do with the weather. Late winter and spring are always the hardest for me. I'm at my threshold here with the clouds and cooler temps. As a Colorado girl, I really need sunshine, and lots of it! I don't mind snow, in fact, I love it, but I love sunny days more.
We don't see ourselves here in Bend for much more than another year. We do own a home, which is the big reason we can't just up and leave. We talk about going back to Colorado, but really can't decide where we would want to be. We love smaller towns and don't know if we could handle the front range of Colorado anymore. But, we also want to be within driving distance of the Denver area, and closer to a larger airport, if possible. We have friends who are talking about moving to Taos, and it really got me thinking. I don't even remember if I've been there, but if I have, it was long ago. I don't really know anything about it, other than what our friends have told us. I've looked at pictures, and it's beautiful, but I don't know much else.
My husband is a nurse and would need a job. I was an elementary school teacher in Colorado, but haven't found work yet in Oregon, and I'm not sure it's really my calling either. I also have a forestry degree, and worked for the USFS in Colorado. We would definitely need to secure employment for my husband first. We would love to live on a bit of land, but don't want to be too isolated. We also would like to be near some type of entertainment, as my husband is a hobby bass player and needs his live music fix. We enjoy microbreweries and funky shops, but don't really have a ton of money, so we are far from yuppies. We are in our mid-30s, don't have children, but plan to. Any suggestions for places in NM are appreciated, as well as feedback on Taos specifically. I just really miss the SW and the sun.
I consider myself a Colorado Girl even though I wasn't born and bred here. I've lived in mainly mountain resort communities, but know GJ well. I've also lived in Hood River, know Bend pretty well. Lastly we've lived in Santa fe, still have a home there and lived in Taos for a spell. Taos is pretty, but it is isolated and very small town. Frankly I found it to be a very frustrating place to live, I'm pretty laid back but the manana attitude is alive and well up there. There aren't a lot of jobs, the hospital is very small, there aren't lots of options for entertainment, there is a small core of restaurants and shops but it got old pretty fast for us. I know some people really love Taos, but it wasn't for us.
Santa fe might fit more of the criteria you are looking for, the hospital there is small also. I love New Mexico and will be heading back next week for a trip, but Colorado will always have my heart.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,700 posts, read 58,012,579 times
Reputation: 46172
As a Colorado kid myself (Masonville for first 25 yrs). PNW for next 25+....... Your interests sound like Bend should be ideal, you even get (some) SUN there !!! (Unlike me... 285 days and 120" of drizzle). My Gorge Neighbors are living there in the winter and have bought a few homes since they are so cheap. (hint... I won't be moving either as my house will never sell... Tax value dropped $400k, taxes are up $2000 (now $14000/ yr), no one will buy THAT!!... it only cost us $100k to build)
I would give serious look to Taos and Santa Fe to see if you can make it work / find job and affordable housing. I buy junker houses and either bulldoze them or build a shop with a really nice apartment (out of view of assessor). Most of NM is really not that nice for abode / raising a family + nursing jobs.
I think you may have to revert to CO to be employed and happy (tho it is VERY crowded now). I vote Loveland for Medical jobs and nice community. Head to the older parts of town, or off towards Berthoud to avoid the suburbia crackerboxes and issues thereof.
“Carrizozo is the perfect live-work town,” says Dean. During the ‘20’s railroad boom, the town was built to be a walk-to location. Project 1500 hopes to attract those who can utilize ’Zozo’s benefits already in place, while working on growth. “Small communities (in America) will be needed to sustain growth and create town support.” Dean is grateful for the existing grocery store, banks and new businesses which are moving into town.
He hears comments from residents which reflect the town’s camaraderie, such as: “I felt more at home here than at any place I’ve ever been.” With eight initial business registrations as well as 25 current businesses listed at the recent town council meeting, growth is occurring. The town calls itself “The crossroads of opportunity.”
Where the town has been historically and culturally divided by railroad tracks, Dean says those who move into town are settling on both sides, and bringing unity to the citizenship. Departing from the old versus newcomer mentality, Dean sees Carrizozo citizens as united in the goal of growth, sustainability and progress.
Union Pacific employee, Simón Beltran, and Valle del Sol property owner is attracting young families through web sources with the intent of communicating that ’Zozo is a great place to live.
As a Colorado kid myself (Masonville for first 25 yrs). PNW for next 25+....... Your interests sound like Bend should be ideal, you even get (some) SUN there !!! (Unlike me... 285 days and 120" of drizzle). My Gorge Neighbors are living there in the winter and have bought a few homes since they are so cheap. (hint... I won't be moving either as my house will never sell... Tax value dropped $400k, taxes are up $2000 (now $14000/ yr), no one will buy THAT!!... it only cost us $100k to build)
I would give serious look to Taos and Santa Fe to see if you can make it work / find job and affordable housing. I buy junker houses and either bulldoze them or build a shop with a really nice apartment (out of view of assessor). Most of NM is really not that nice for abode / raising a family + nursing jobs.
I think you may have to revert to CO to be employed and happy (tho it is VERY crowded now). I vote Loveland for Medical jobs and nice community. Head to the older parts of town, or off towards Berthoud to avoid the suburbia crackerboxes and issues thereof.
We thought Bend would be a perfect fit for us too, but we just don't feel quite at home here. We are too far from family-we don't want to be more than about a 6 hour drive away (and it's 22 hours from Bend to Denver). And the spring weather is really, really hard on me. I definitely suffer from SAD, and while Bend is sunny for the PNW, it's still the PNW. We just don't get a lot of sun and warmth until June/July. I need the sun more in the winter/spring than I do in the summer.
I'm definitely concerned about living and working in NM. It's something to seriously look into and we wouldn't move unless one of us had a job lined up. I've been looking in N. Colorado also, actually Fort Collins, but I'm just not sure. We've lived there once before and I'm not certain I want to be there again. I really miss the southwest.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bongo
delta, you guys should take a vacation to NM to get a better feel for Taos, SF & Albq.
Luckily, you husband is very marketable. If you added a special ed credential on to your el ed, you would be too.
Good luck in your searches.
Yes, I agree, a vacation is in order! We would most definitely visit before we moved. I'd actually like to visit on more than one occasion, as I think that was our biggest mistake with moving to Bend. We only visited once, for 5 days, and had the best weather in March. It was much warmer than any of the spring days I've been here.
The other thing I forgot to mention, is that we are both skiers and prefer living within an hour or so (shorter is even better) of a decent ski mountain. Albuquerque, besides the size and crime, seems to be much further than we want to travel to get to a decent mountain. We also love to hike, mountain bike, and get out on the trail without having to drive too far to get there.
Crime isn't a big deal. Just like living in any city you pick a good neighborhood. Abq is about an hour from SF skiing and has all the other things you listed. With better job opportunities. You could also live some place in between Abq and SF if you want smaller town with access to the skiing. Look at Bernalillo and Algadones. Could also look on the east mountain like cedar crest and sandia park. Those would both give you access to jobs in Abq and an hour from SF.
Crime isn't a big deal. Just like living in any city you pick a good neighborhood. Abq is about an hour from SF skiing and has all the other things you listed. With better job opportunities. You could also live some place in between Abq and SF if you want smaller town with access to the skiing. Look at Bernalillo and Algadones. Could also look on the east mountain like cedar crest and sandia park. Those would both give you access to jobs in Abq and an hour from SF.
Completely understand. I'm just coming from spending the last 20 years of my life in small towns or cities less than 100K. Albuquerque is the big city to me, and with that comes crime, traffic and all the things I hate about the big city. I think we'd probably just move to Denver if we wanted the city. We really want some space. I also don't see how you can get from Abq to the ski areas in an hour, unless I'm missing something. I'm thinking we would be most interested in skiing Taos, and google maps puts that at almost 3 hours. Are there others that have similar terrain closer to Santa Fe?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We are in our mid-30s, don't have children, but plan to. Any suggestions for places in NM are appreciated, as well as feedback on Taos specifically. I just really miss the SW and the sun.
... Your interests sound like Bend should be ideal, you even get (some) SUN there !!! (Unlike me... 285 days and 120" of drizzle). My Gorge Neighbors are living there in the winter and have bought a few homes since they are so cheap. (hint... I won't be moving either as my house will never sell... Tax value dropped $400k, taxes are up $2000 (now $14000/ yr), no one will buy THAT!!... it only cost us $100k to build)
