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I suppose the grass on my condominium common lawn is green but as it is covered by about two feet of more or less white I cannot be certain. We are having an Old Fashioned Winter up here and it has been both cold and snowy. I'll talk with the household financier and see if a couple of weeks in Nuevo Mexico is possible this spring.
RE: green ... Tularosa - near Alamogordo and La Luz, is surprisingly green. I'm guessing this is because its acequia system is still pretty extensive in town. Also, there are a lot of mature shade trees. If you're just driving through Tularosa on Highway 54, you won't get a very good feel for this, but if you venture into the residential streets behind the Catholic Church and behind the fire department, you'll see lovely shaded yards and an abundance of rose bushes (and other flowering plants).
Contrast this with Alamogordo, only 13 miles south, which is much more visually sere (although some apartment complexes have year-round green lawns). As compensation, though, you've got wonderful views of the Sacramento Mountains and, depending on your location, White Sands.
I lived in Maine for 54 yrs, surrounded by trees. I went back for a visit last summer, and I've acclimated so well to NM, that I felt closed in by the trees. We have brown here and we have a lot of shades of green. After all, it is high desert. The amount of moisture we get triggers on how much brown there is. If you go into the mountains, you find many more trees but not really any like back in New England. You'll find ponderosa pine, aspen, elm, cottonwood, juniper, scrub pines, etc. Not maple, oak or birch like New England has.
If you can, come out for a visit.
I lived in Maine for 54 yrs, surrounded by trees. I went back for a visit last summer, and I've acclimated so well to NM, that I felt closed in by the trees. We have brown here and we have a lot of shades of green. After all, it is high desert. The amount of moisture we get triggers on how much brown there is. If you go into the mountains, you find many more trees but not really any like back in New England. You'll find ponderosa pine, aspen, elm, cottonwood, juniper, scrub pines, etc. Not maple, oak or birch like New England has.
If you can, come out for a visit.
Scrub pines in NM means piñon pine. gather/flavor/roast the nuts...fun and tasty!
I am originally from NYC. Left there in my early 20's and moved to a southeaster state. I did not like the southeast and would not like to live there, I found the people very unfriendly and Yankee hating. From there I moved to Europe and lived in central Europe for nearly 9 years. I loved Europe, the culture, the proximity to many different wonderful places to visit, the weather, the food, pretty much everything about it. Unfortunately I was forced to move back to the states and wound up in New Mexico. I have been here in NM nearly 4 years now, and I am still not used to it. I am trying to accept the fact that I am here and probably not getting out anytime soon.
I have realized that a lot of the people who love New Mexico have come here primarily to escape extremely cold northern states and hate winter with a passion. They tend to see the positive aspects of this state, which is mainly sunshine and heat for them. However, it really never ceases to amaze me how people hardly mention how hot it gets here. From about late May until the end of September, it is extremely hot, every single day. It will be above 90 degrees every single day during that time period. It is often above 95 every day during that time period, and many days are above 100 as well. The desert sun is intensely hot, and I have realized that in the older parts of Albuquerque there are a lot of trees but not in many other parts of town, so there is no shade. No, it never really does get green here. Some people find that starkly beautiful, I find it soul crushingly bleak. Also, there is no water. You will not see ponds and lakes unless you make an effort to drive somewhere, probably at least a 100 miles, to see it.
So, you can probably see where I am coming from. It probably depends on your perspective, if you came here on purpose trying to escape a northern cold climate that seemed too cold to you, you will probably love New Mexico. That was not the case with me, I came from what I consider the apex of civilization to the --- wild wild west? a dirt (sand) poor insanely arid drought ridden state where everyone is in denial about the fact that there is not enough water but nothing is going to get done about that and besides most people come here to die it is not their problem. Lol. Ok I guess I am one of those people that is not adjusting well. Anyway, here is another take on it besides the usual rah rah stuff I always see on this site.
Also, I did make the mistake of buying a house right after moving here. I sorely wish I would have been able to rent for a year to get a feel for things, and now I feel trapped in a house in an area I do not like. So renting at first is probably very crucial to finding a way to survive this place and climate without undue misery.
Oh, also, in comparison to the southeast, the people are MUCH more friendly and open minded. I think partly because probably half the people here are not originally from here, so they don't have that attitude like they own the place and you don't belong. It seems to me this is a liberal leaning state, I live around ABQ. So, I would much prefer the people here to the people in the southeast. However, the climate is too extreme for me, and that makes me pretty unhappy about being here. However, if you make this move as a choice, you will probably feel more positive about the place.
It is hot, dry and brown. There is really no way out of that.
Last edited by SeekingShelter; 05-07-2014 at 12:16 PM..
Like I said………….. You don't choose New Mexico, It chooses you.
You've been here, and its sounds like you did lot's of research and checked the area out (ABQ and SF anyway). You should have seen enough to tell you if it's the right move for you or not. I first visited about 15-20 years ago (on a family trip when my kids were small). I remember leaving and thinking to myself "I could live here". It wasn't on the radar then, but much later the opportunity presented itself and my and my wife came out again to scope it out again…… Felt the same way.
Long story short….. We were "chosen" and are very happy here. Granted, we live well, have great jobs and live in a nice house/neighborhood. I would want to be poor here. If you didn't fall in love with the are during your trip, enough to overlook things like the tans and browns that dominate…….. perhaps it's not for you.
As for the poster above…….. Mmmmmm, sumer is NOT unbearable here. I'll take mid-90's everyday with 20-25% humidity (will cooling rains most afternoons) to 85% with 75-80% humidity every single time. I was actually surprised at how "mild" the summers are here. Not bad at all, compared to the humidity of summers back east, or the brutal heat of Phoenix.
I do miss the water though. Not much in the way of "swimming holes" here.
New Mexico chose me several decades ago. I just have not figured out how to move there.
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