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I've been contemplating a retirement move to Las Cruces in the near future and have done some research on the internet, on websites such as this one and Moderator cut: linking to competitors sites is not allowed. On the latter website, violent crime and property crime in Las Cruces are both rated at 7 which is pretty high. Many of the people who have posted messages on Moderator cut: links to competitive sites not allowed say that Las Cruces is becoming too crowded, it's full of illegal immigrants, the spanish-american legal population doesn't speak English, their daughters get pregnant at 14, their children don't graduate from high school, there's a huge drug problem, particularly with crystal meth, there's trash all over the place, and then there's the culture of "manyana" where you can't get any work done on time. I could go on and on but you get the drift. Is it really this bad? One
message poster even stated emphatically, "Don't move to Las Cruces!"
Can a native resident of Las Cruces give me the real "low-down" on the place?
Would really appreciate it! Thanks! My regular e-mail address is: yorktown1668@hotmail.com.
Sorry Mortimer but the whole statement above needs to be addressed.
I just cannot buy into the above statement that Las Cruces is a high crime city. I think they have 7 or 8 murders a year?? Of course there's crime there but it's nothing compared to other cities in the southwest. It's rare on the news to hear about some big time crime that took place in Las Cruces.
As far as too crowded ....i guess that depends on your preferences but it's population is around 90,000 so not too terribly large.
''I'ts full of illegals''.....well i'll let the regular posters from Las Cruces answer that but every time i go down there i never see any unless they are busing tables or working the pecan/chile fields and almost everyone there speaks english.
''There's trash all over the place'' ......again one of the regulars can answer that but i never see anything out of the normalcy as far as trash all over the place. Maybe the old part of the city but not all over the place.
Anyway i should know these things about Las Cruces as i have been a New Mexican since 1970 and lived there in my school years.
Last edited by Poncho_NM; 04-11-2009 at 10:25 PM..
1. There are illegal immigrants in Las Cruces. It is about 40 miles from the border.
2. You may hear about a couple of 14-year old girls in Las Cruces that get pregnant.
3. Some people in Las Cruces have not graduated from high school.
4. Some of the legal population in Las Cruces prefer to speak Spanish.
5. Sometimes there is trash around town in Las Cruces (the wind blows in the Spring).
6. I hear some people in Las Cruces have drug problems - I don't know any of them.
7. There is property crime in Las Cruces. Now we have to lock our doors.
8. Violent crime occurs in Las Cruces. Pick your families and friends well. You are unlikely to be mugged on the street.
9. The culture of manana is probably somewhat true, but on the other had the never ending chase for the almighty dollar is less severe in Las Cruces. Much less "keeping up with the Jones.'" You chose your poison.
I believe this describes any town or city in the Southwest. Anywhere you pick, you can dwell on the negative. If you have a problem with the influence of the Mexican-American culture, you should probably not move anywhere in NM. You probably need to check it out for yourself.
I have only been through Las Cruces a couple times since I first moved to NM in 1993. Remember that it's very close to El Paso which is a border town. Almost all towns and cities in NM have issues of drugs, gangs and crime to some degree as well as the influence of immigrants whether they came in the 1600s or last week. Honestly, the only times I've ever been a victim of small crimes like people breaking into my car and such have been in NM. That being said, the climate and landscape are really nice if you appreciate southwestern, desert settings. Also, none of the cities have a feel of urban blight with burned out or borded up factories. You just have to be aware of the situation, and in some towns, choose your neighborhood wisely. Remember that Las Cruces is a college town, being the home of New Mexico State University, so that adds a dimension too. I really haven't heard too many bad stories from people I've known in NM that have lived there or visit a lot. Everyone seems to really like the place. I don't think it's the kind of place anyone should be afraid to move to at all. Relatively speaking it would be pretty safe, affordable and pleasant.
I have a lot of Puerto Rican and Mexican friends up this way whom I enjoy playing golf with--guys like Rodriquez, Romero, Sanchez. They're all great guys! Love 'em to death! Plus they're pretty good sticks! I also love Mexican food! That and Chinese food are my 2 favorite ethnic foods!
I suspect the poster toModerator cut: linking to competitors sites is not allowed might have had an ax to grind. Or else
he was tired of seeing how much Las Cruces had grown and was trying to dissuade people from moving there...
If everything goes according to plan, I'll be visiting the Las Cruces area in late March. Again, thanks for all your comments! They're much appreciated...
I have a lot of Puerto Rican and Mexican friends up this way whom I enjoy playing golf with--guys like Rodriquez, Romero, Sanchez. They're all great guys! Love 'em to death! Plus they're pretty good sticks! I also love Mexican food! That and Chinese food are my 2 favorite ethnic foods!
I suspect the poster to Moderator cut: linking to competitors sites is not allowed might have had an ax to grind. Or else
he was tired of seeing how much Las Cruces had grown and was trying to dissuade people from moving there...
If everything goes according to plan, I'll be visiting the Las Cruces area in late March. Again, thanks for all your comments! They're much appreciated...
I wrote a response to you yesterday but screwed something up and it disappeared and I didn't have time to rewrite it.
My first point on my vanished post is that blanket "it's hell on earth" posts, which are out there, are probably written by a relatively recent arrival (ok, possibly a long time local with a grudge) who, now that they're in LC, doesn't want to have the place sullied up by "newcomers". Back in Mich I live in a resort area and these people are called the "drawbridge and moat folks"...now that I'm here, everyone else stay away.
Most of your other qualms about LC have already been answered. This is a nice place.
One gripe I have is that, coming from a bottle deposit state, the bottle and other assorted litter bugs me. A minor gripe really, but I wish NM had a bottle deposit law. It cuts down on all litter, not just deposit containers. An old friend of mine here jokes that plastic Walmart bags are the state flower lol.
If you're a lover of quality Asian food you may find LC a bit disappointing. Most of the Chinese food is mediocre, some worse, and the only Thai restaurant in town is focused more on it's very nice decor than it is on good, authentic Thai cuisine. Asian Mix, a pan-Asian restaurant on University, is very good, if just a teensy bit uneven...but I"m splitting hairs here. They do a lot of Japanese food, including quality sushi, but also some Thai, Indonesian and Chinese flavors as well. Try it when you come to town.
You'll find plenty of good Mexican food in LC, but thats not to say there isn't some dreadful stuff lurking under a gob of melted cheese in a few locations. Check other threads here for recommendations.
Enjoy your visit. I started out as an occasional visitor almost 20 years ago and kept coming back. Now I've got an adobe mortgage.
> Originally Posted by Duckcollar99
> > I've been contemplating a retirement move to Las Cruces
>
> Sorry Mortimer but the whole statement above needs to be addressed.
Hello all, and thank in advance for your help! My fiance and I are getting married in April and are strongly considering relocating to New Mexico in about a year. We are looking at the Las Cruces and Carlsbad areas, and would love to hear some "insider" opinions on these cities.
We can't wait to get away from overcrowded, expensive NJ. We are looking for a safe, small, friendly town that's not very expensive and has great schools and people. We love the idea of the desert and we enjoy being outdoors, hiking, swimming, camping, you name it! I'm in the medical field and my fiance is a woodworker, so any info about job availability would be appreciated.
We would be looking to rent a home, and would like to know what expenses are like in the area - rent, car insurance, etc. Please keep in mind we're used to NJ prices ($1,000/month for a 1 bedroom apartment, $2500/year car insurance!).
We would like to start a family in a few years, so any info about the communities and schools would be appreciated. Basically, which is a better town to live and work - Las Cruces or Carlsbad??
Thanks so much and we look forward to reading your responses!
Just my quick 2 cents worth: Carlsbad is a dump, boring, corrupt and not a place to raise a family. Las Cruces is a real city with developments, growth, restaurants, shopping and an airport nearby. Most people don't move to Carlsbad voluntarily. It's usually their job that brings them there - oil/gas, WIPP or FLETC.
I am currently attending highschool in Carlsbad and i think the schools are great here you may want to check out Joe Stanley Elementary or P.R Leyva middle school. If your looking for a particular school we do have a few religion based, private and charter schools in the area. If you ask me more detailed questions on the type of schools your looking for i'd be happy to answer.
I don't know about Carlsbad, but we really like Las Cruces. We were living in Galveston, Tx and did not like it. I had been researching Las Cruces, but couldn't seem to get a good picture of it on the web posts. Then I pulled up the Las Cruces American Classifieds and saw a 2bdrm, 2 bth mobile home in a gated community for $10,500. I hopped on a shuttle to Houston, flew to El Paso, and took another shuttle to Las Cruces. Fell in love w/ the place right off, and ended up buying a nicer mobile home for just $15,000. I am just old enough to qualify for a senior park (55), and saw this as a way to get away from the noise of neighbors that has dogged us in so many other places.
We moved up here 2 mos ago and it has been nice. Beautiful light in the desert. Feels very safe where we are. There are rougher areas, but none that bad. It is growing, but still a small place w/ lots of wide open spaces. I truthfully wouldn't live in most of the subdivisions I have seen because I love peace and quiet, and Las Cruces neighborhoods are a mixed bag. You could have some really nice homes clustered together, then have the Boombox Boys next door. It's like that in a lot of cities. Funny, when I was younger I thought all older people were nuts. Now that I am older, I think all the younger ones are crazy. But life in the senior park is real, real quiet, and safe, and it is an oasis.
The Arts scene is good, they are working on developing downtown. It has flaws like any other place, and winters are cold to me, but it is the nicest place I have been to in a long, long time. Just love the beautiful light. The bus system is small, but it is fine for us. I used to live in Albuquerque and this is a lot nicer, smaller, and safer.
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Thanks everyone so far!!
