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So, we just got back last night from our NM tour. We had only 6 days, and 2 of those days were spent mostly at airports (the ABQ airport is ADORABLE! I can't wait to use it regularly!), so it was a VERY condensed tour. But we got a great idea of some of our likes and dislikes.
We stayed in ABQ, visited Santa Fe as a day trip, and Las Cruces/El Paso over 2 days/1 night. We tried to do a nice mix of touristy things and also neighbourhood scouting.
Initially, we went down to NM with our hearts set on Las Cruces (on paper) with El Paso as our go-to city because of the house values, the weather, and what we thought would be better landscape for what we wanted. In reality, we found Las Cruces too quiet and didn't love El Paso like we had hoped to. Las Cruces had a BEAUTIFUL little mall that was clean and safe feeling. It was very, very quiet though. Actually, that is an understatement. It felt like some sort of global ascension had happened while we were in the car and my husband and I were the only humans left on earth. I am not exaggerating. Now, it was a Sunday so I have zero doubt that the city does liven up a bit... But wow. I've never been anywhere so quiet in my life. Inside the mall there were a few families and people were going about their business quietly.
Everything about Las Cruces felt clean, shiny, new, and safe. I could see it being a very appealing place for families. The subdivisions could not have been prettier, and overall with the exception of the QUIET I liked it, and could have seen us living there if El Paso turned out how we hoped. My husband didn't like Las Cruces because it felt too sterile for him. He did like the houses in the subdivisions we saw. We did go into Mesilla, and again it was quiet (no doubt had a lot to do with it being Sunday) but even quiet aside it was still very small. He said he didn't feel like we'd go into Mesilla too often for patio dining or people watching. Fair enough.
We drove into El Paso late at night. I REALLY liked the city as we went into it, and was looking forward to seeing it the next day. When the sun came up, we went out in search of a downtown core and patio area. We did not find it. Maybe I am missing it on the map, but as far as we could tell in our half-day before heading back up to Albuquerque, El Paso lacks a cute little central area with shops and patios. We found a Mexican-style market that was fairly bustling, and about as unpretentious as a city can get (they sure don't put on a front for tourists in El Paso, do they?!) but unfortunately very little in the shops actually appealed to me. Just not my style beyond a couple of dresses, and I couldn't see it being a real destination for us. It was gritty and very "rundown" feeling, but I don't mean that in an "unsafe" way because the whole city did feel very safe.
We got an EXCELLENT sandwich from a guy in a trailer, and went in search of a historic district. No luck. The park was under renovation, but even had it not been, the surrounding area just did not have the feel we were looking for. We did a tour of some historic missions, and all the surrounding shops were closed. Again, it felt like a ghost town (even though the core of the city was quite bustling) Oh! We did go into a McDonald's to use the bathroom and discovered Green Chile on a Double Cheeseburger. Yummy! My husband and I both felt we could visit El Paso for specific things (like custom boots and belts!!!) but didn't want to live there. If we would choose to live there, Spanish would become a necessity. While techincally not NECESSARY, a person probably won't get the most out of El Paso if they can't speak Spanish. Also, we felt we'd have a harder time setting up our business and breaking into the market in El Paso, which we didn't anticipate. So Las Cruces and El Paso were a no-go.
Santa Fe (and Madrid, on the drive up!) was beautiful, and we really enjoyed visiting. I couldn't live in such a touristy environment full time. Stuff was way overpriced (less so in Madrid, which was actually a lovely little town). In a way, it was the opposite extreme of El Paso. The city does give off a bit of a pretentious vibe. It had the feel we were looking for in terms of shops and patios, though, and we'll be back regularly. I can see how people would love the facade of Santa Fe, but I can't help but wonder if they're often disappointed after they move there and they decide they want to do something OTHER than shop for $5000+ bracelets and pottery. In any case, it was a beautiful city that I can see how it attracts so many (affluent) people... But I think a person considering Santa Fe really really has to look deeper than the facade. It wasn't quite for us as a living city.
One thing I discovered between Las Cruces/El Paso and Santa Fe was that I very much prefer the treed north mountains area over the southern parts without a tree in sight. This surprised me, as I was initially hoping for a very deserty feel. But nope. I far prefer northern NM. I need the changing of the leaves in fall, and the feeling of hiking in a real forest. My husband is neutral on this, so we'll go with my (strong) preference.
Albuquerque was the pleasing middle ground between Santa Fe and Las Cruces. It was close enough to Santa Fe for regular day trips (heck, we missed an exit on the I-25 and were almost half way up to Santa Fe before we could turn around! LOL) but had so much going for it on its own as well. The city had JUST ENOUGH people and traffic that it did not feel empty, stuff was open no matter what day we were out and about, yet it was not congested or frustrating to navigate.
ABQ Uptown had a sterile feel, but it was lively on Friday and Saturday night, and I could definitely see us going there regularly. Downtown was fun! Any number of bars, restaurants, patios, clubs, etc. to choose from. The malls were great and we could get anything we need in comfort and safety. Old Town was SO CHARMING and my husband absolutely loved it. We only had an hour there so we look forward to returning. It was definitely a place to grab a bite to eat and people watch in the park.
We checked out neighbourhoods in ABQ as well: Rio Rancho wasn't quite for us, and while we enjoyed neighbourhoods in the valley parts of the city it was a little too green. We had lots of luck finding homes we love on properties we love in the NAA area (and surrounding) and I loved a lot of homes in Sandia Heights and High Desert areas as well, but my husband felt they were too manicured. In any case, we definitely have narrowed down to the northeast. The prices though... Ugh. So we won't buy right away. But it'll be worth the wait. :-)
All in all, NM is a fabulous state and we know we chose right to visit it. When you know a city is right for you, you just KNOW. Albuquerque is right for us and also our business. Not so much our wallet. Oh well. LOL
One thing I discovered between Las Cruces/El Paso and Santa Fe was that I very much prefer the treed north mountains area over the southern parts without a tree in sight. This surprised me, as I was initially hoping for a very deserty feel. But nope. I far prefer northern NM. I need the changing of the leaves in fall, and the feeling of hiking in a real forest. My husband is neutral on this, so we'll go with my (strong) preference.
Nice review! Glad you liked your visit.
There are plenty of forests in the southern part of the state, just not right on the corridor you drove. The Gila is on the west side of 25, and if you go east a ways you'll hit the Lincoln forest. Either is easily accessible from Las Cruces with an hour or two drive. Also the airport in El Paso is smaller than Albuquerque's, but the flights tend to be cheaper for some reason. It's super easy to get in an out also.
Thanks! Yeah I am sure there are just tons of hidden gems all over the state waiting for us to discover off the highway. We didn't even get to make it out to Cloudcroft or anything, but from photos I think it would have been lovely. So we're super excited to visit all those places in future as well. Our business requires a bit of population, so we have to live in one of the major cities in NM, which is why we focused or search on the "big 3" but I have no doubt we didn't even scratch the surface of what NM has to offer! :-)
We did make it out to White Sands and also Elephant Butte, which were both a treat. We're very sad from an environmental perspective that the water level in Elephant Butte is so low. :-( But some people were out on the water enjoying it, and we'd definitely have a small boat. We will rent a jetski next time and check out "on the water" recreation instead of just from the shore :-)
I read you can go from Elephant Butte to Caballo - is it navigable up and down by motorboat? Or just down, by raft?
Hi all!
But nope. I far prefer northern NM. I need the changing of the leaves in fall, and the feeling of hiking in a real forest. My husband is neutral on this, so we'll go with my (strong) preference.
See you in East Mountains
Thank you for your review and it is great that you liked Albuquerque. I like our airport too - feel so good every time I returning back home.
As a third generation El Pasoan, I was interested in your comments about all the cities mentioned as I have been to all of them several times. Downtown ELP is changing quite a bit. The San Jacinto Plaza has been under restoration for quite a while. They say it will be done next Spring. The new ballpark downtown has also been a game changer in many ways and the Plaza Theater restoration is also really something. However, your other comments are not surprising . There is a lot of the city which is not that great. Reminds me of certain parts of ABQ as well. Lower Middle Class, and very much influenced by the border. We used to go to Santa Fe quite often to the opera and do the gallery scene and bum around. However, the last times I was there, I got the same feelings as you about the place. Been there, done that. Don't really even stop on the way to and from CO. Las Cruces is nice and becoming more "progressive" with many retirees moving in. Sonoma Ranch and other areas are really nice. Property there before the recession really went through the roof . I like to visit ABQ but really don't care about moving there. I have been trying to talk wife into moving to AZ though. LOL
Thanks! Yeah I am sure there are just tons of hidden gems all over the state waiting for us to discover off the highway. We didn't even get to make it out to Cloudcroft or anything, but from photos I think it would have been lovely. So we're super excited to visit all those places in future as well. Our business requires a bit of population, so we have to live in one of the major cities in NM, which is why we focused or search on the "big 3" but I have no doubt we didn't even scratch the surface of what NM has to offer! :-)
We did make it out to White Sands and also Elephant Butte, which were both a treat. We're very sad from an environmental perspective that the water level in Elephant Butte is so low. :-( But some people were out on the water enjoying it, and we'd definitely have a small boat. We will rent a jetski next time and check out "on the water" recreation instead of just from the shore :-)
I read you can go from Elephant Butte to Caballo - is it navigable up and down by motorboat? Or just down, by raft?
AikenHorses, glad you like our state! A word of warning. NM is a very low population state. With less that 2 million persons in the fifth largest state, that low population, creates some challenges for small businesses.
I was able to create and maintain three business over a 35 year career here in NM, but it wasn't easy and I have lived in and operated out of Truth or Consequences. It is a challenge to do with such a limited population. Now, if your business requires a finite amount of customers that can be generated within an area like Alb. then you are good to go. Just be careful and really do the research on what your business is, and will NM support what you are wanting to do.
Born in Las Cruces and going to school there (public and NMSU) I cut my teeth on many small enterprises growing up. I grew up and was raised on a cattle ranch and apple orchard near Lake Valley NM. I painfully LOL know the ups and downs of agriculture here (we are an agriculture state) I eventually created a business environment in the high tech world starting in 1980 and retired two years ago. I have a fairly good grasp of NM and it's business environment.
Anyway, good luck with your endeavor, and welcome!
AikenHorses, when I decided to move to Albuquerque, it was after a similar process of winnowing out the more extreme options, except I did it on paper (actually on a PC screen for the most part). For many of us anyway, applying many different scales, Albuquerque ends up in the "just right" middle part of the spectrum.
We moved here from Ohio to teach a little over a year ago. The job was in Gallup but other than the students (which I love) and the surrounding Native culture, NW New Mexico has little to offer. You're right about Santa Fe being a little snooty (you should visit Taos sometime) but still a nice town and a great place to visit.
I didn't like Las Cruces as much as you did. Downtown too run down and uncharming. NMSU area is ok. And the nearby town of Mesilla is neat.
Albuquerque for us Midwesterners looks right the right move. Big college, bike paths, hopping downtown. We'll give it a try or we'll retreat back to the midwest with our tails between our legs.
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