Thoughts on Cuba,Pecos,or Mora areas ? (Santa Fe, Las Vegas: rent to own, high crime)

[Joey Saint]

Hi! I'll be visiting NM again in Oct. This time I hope to buy a little land /home. Last visit was 5yrs. ago and of course prices are up. 3 areas I didn't visit before are on my list Cuba,Pecos and Mora. From what little I can tell they may be within a working mans means. Locations are all in easy reach of cultural and outdoors activities. Any Thoughts?

[Crackerjack]

JoeySaint, are you a Native American? If not, Cuba is almost all Native Americans. The land is pretty around there especially as you go over toward Tierra Amarillo or Coyote. Cuba itself is somewhat of a dirty town. There aren't a lot of homes in the area and a lot of them aren't what I would consider nice looking. There is a lot of poverty in Cuba and just looking at it, you'll see that. Pecos is a very pretty area but small so if you are looking for a job, that may be hard to do unless you go into Santa Fe and the winters are usually harder there than in Santa Fe. I don't know much about Mora. If you just want to live in the mountains and in a small town, you might check out Chama. The town isn't that much to look at but the land is beautiful and you are close to Pagosa Springs, Durango or Santa Fe for shopping. There aren't a lot of jobs there either though. Raton is another town that is bigger and is up in and near the mountains. It has desert areas and piney mountains too. It will have more jobs than the others you mentioned. What you might do is go to Pecos first, head over to Santa Fe and up Highway 84 to Chama then over to Highway 64 to Raton. That should give you a good idea of towns in that area.

[nmnative505]

I just wanted to give you my insight about Mora, I don't know much about Cuba or Pecos even though I have driven through there a few times. Mora is a relatively small town with a predominantly Hispanic population. Most would agree that outsiders really do stand out there, especially if you happen to be anglo. Even though I do have some anglo friends who grew up there, they will admit that it was hard for them. The town has two gas stations, I believe, and a small grocery store and a few bars, all on the same street. No major stores or restaurants there. Last I knew there were maybe 2 or 3 restaurants there, and even though the food is good, it can get a little old not having more options. Like most small, northern NM towns, politics is a big thing there and if you read the nearby local paper, The Las Vegas Optic, you will see what I mean. On that note, Las Vegas is the nearest "city" where most people do their shopping, medical care, etc., and it has the only Walmart for hundreds of miles around. Mora has very cold winters with lots of snowfall that sometimes close the roads leading out of there. But overall the scenic views are beautiful as it is in a valley surrounded by mountains. I would only advise that there is a pretty high crime rate, some local violence and high drug and alcohol usage, including DWI's.

[Nelson52]

Originally Posted by Joey Saint

Hi! I'll be visiting NM again in Oct. This time I hope to buy a little land /home. Last visit was 5yrs. ago and of course prices are up. 3 areas I didn't visit before are on my list Cuba,Pecos and Mora. From what little I can tell they may be within a working mans means. Locations are all in easy reach of cultural and outdoors activities. Any Thoughts?

Did you return to Mora? What did you end up doing? We have been looking around and passed through the area. Beautiful senic roads. Not sure if we could adapt to the small town life. Any thoughts appreciated

[DOUBLE H]

I've stayed overnight a few times in Cuba as there are several mom and pop motels there. Always ran into friendly people. Yes, it's predominately native, and yes, there is not a lot of money there. There are an awful lot of towns across the Southwest that live simply, though.

One thing that has helped the area is 4 laning 550, formerly known as NM44, as I've seen some ugly wrecks on that stretch. It is higher altitude as the continental divide crosses there north of town.and IT DOES SNOW THERE! A good mexican food restaurant there, name escapes me.

[Towanda]

Just some info:

Crackerjack has not posted here in well over a year.

[GregW]

New Mexico Magazine had an article on reviving the wool and weaving trades in Mora. The building can be seen on Google Street View.

This area would be too cold for us in the winter (like southern New Hampshire) but would be a great place to summer.

[Pintada Kid]

The Northern New Mexico area is beautiful with its Mountains and Forests and Lakes and Rivers but the people are very protective of their Lands. My Advice to Joey is CUBA and rent to own and explore more of New Mexico from there besides its the area where the Action is anyway. el pintada kid

[mortimer]

GregW surmised:

> ... in Mora. ... This area would be too cold for us in the winter
> (like southern New Hampshire)

I would bet that a Mora winter would be much easier to take than
what you have there in Londonderry. There would be much more
sun and daytime highs would generally be higher.

Checking ....

Average Weather for Mora, NM - Temperature and Precipitation

Average Weather for Londonderry, NH - Temperature and Precipitation

Yup. I'm right. Also note that for any given day where it is a high of 30, 30 and sun in Mora
is going to beat 30 and overcast in Londonderry. The temps that day might go down to zero
in Mora and only 15 in Londonderry, but which would be tougher to take for you?

> ... but would be a great place to summer.

You have that right.

Of course, so is Socorro and you seem to have your heart set on that.

Now, if you would just friggin' make a trip out here ...
.... how long has it been now?

[GregW]

Five very long years. Very, very long years.