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I think there are about 50,000 folks in Curry County as a whole.
From the top of my head, some facts I recall about Clovis: The dry headwaters of the Brazos River originates in Curry County and runs across the south end of the City causing the southern part of town to be very sandy (Sandhills). Some of the less expensive real estate is located on the south side. Most of the newer growth, as well as the larger homes, extends north along Prince Street north of 21st. The east side of north Prince has always seemed to be the preferred side of Prince. The downtown area of Clovis is still alive and much of Main Street is still bricked. There is a Walmart Supercenter, a Lowes Building Supplies, several modern auto parts stores (Advance, O'Reilly's, NAPA, Autozone) and modern grocery stores. The nearest towns include Portales, NM (home to Eastern New Mexico University), Muleshoe, TX (home to Old Pete), Fort Sumner, NM (grave of Billy the Kid) and Tucumcari, NM (Tucumcari Mountain).
Buddy Holly and Waylon Jennings seemed to like Clovis during their musical heydays. From my own experience, it is a decent town but like over here on the Texas high plains, it can occasionally get dusty.
Good point about Holly and Waylon. If you're a 50's/60's rock fan an attraction not to be missed is Norman Petty's Recording Studios in Clovis. It is a cool place, been there twice but not in a long time. On my first time there in 1987 the tour was done by Vi Petty, Norman's wife. You not only have all the recording equipment used back in the day but the walls are lined with photographs, RIAA Record Awards, etc. (RIAA stands for Record Industry Association of America.) You'll not only find the music awards by Holly but also by Petty himself, the Fireballs (New Mexico group, and others.)
They're located on the 1300 block of west 7th street. They have an attractive website and they do tours (by appointment only.) Usually late summer is a good time as you have Buddy Holly concert week events going.
Last edited by DOUBLE H; 02-16-2013 at 12:35 PM..
Reason: spelling, addition
I am driving from Houston, Texas to the Bay Area, CA in a Penske box truck with a trailer, towing my car. Is Clovis, NM a safe area? I don't want my truck or car to get broken into and was just wondering if there was any other place in New Mexico that would be a better place to stop.
I am driving from Houston, Texas to the Bay Area, CA in a Penske box truck with a trailer, towing my car. Is Clovis, NM a safe area? I don't want my truck or car to get broken into and was just wondering if there was any other place in New Mexico that would be a better place to stop.
Thanks!
If you're planning on staying in a motel here, any of them east of Norris along Prince/US-70 will do just fine.
Plenty of higher class, chain-type places around there with fenced in parking and plenty of light.
Thanks for the quick reply! I decided to book a room at the Quality Inn. It seems to have good reviews, and the lady at the front desk was nice and helpful, and told me I could park a truck + trailer there with no problem.
Might recommend reconsidering the I-10 route for the following reasons:
*Austin metro has had recent flooding.
*Taking I-40 skips LA traffic but you have to cross from Kingman to Bakersfield, involving a lot more 2-lane roads and risk of getting lost in a bad neighborhood (Bakersfield is actually quite complicated to get across). Plus you'll tick off more people stuck behind you.
*Gassing up in California is expensive, and the eastern edge of California ridiculously expensive (Needles currently costs $4.69/4.29) vs. almost $2 cheaper across the border in Arizona. I-10 gets you south of $4 much faster.
*You're crossing the Mojave desert (Death Valley) during the hottest time of the year. I-10 has a shorter stretch of it, and far more services along its length.
Whichever way you go, the speed limit on I-40 (or I-10) is a ridiculous 55mph for vehicles with trailers. In fact, don't expect to exceed 55mph legally throughout your travel through California. Plan accordingly.
Remember, gas up (exit 9 on I-40, exits 17 or 5 on I-10) before you cross the border into California.
If the OP is planning on staying in Clovis, I doubt he's going via I-10. But, I'll add another to the above. I-10 takes you through Tucson and Phoenix. Phoenix is a horrible place to drive, and I can't imagine pulling a trailer through there. Transiting Tucson should be about the same as ABQ.
If the OP is planning on staying in Clovis, I doubt he's going via I-10.
That's why I said REconsider.
Quote:
But, I'll add another to the above. I-10 takes you through Tucson and Phoenix. Phoenix is a horrible place to drive, and I can't imagine pulling a trailer through there. Transiting Tucson should be about the same as ABQ.
Phoenix does have a bit of a bad stretch between downtown and Tempe, but as long as you don't hit it during rush hour the roads are largely adequate to cross with a trailer. Let's bear in mind that the traffic where the OP is headed is far worse than Phoenix could ever hope for. LA traffic would be more to worry about by taking I-10, as well.
Zoidberg, thanks for the recommendations to get gas. I will definitely keep exit 9 in mind to be able to bypass Needles and Barstow. I got stuck the before and it was definitely pricey, even in my little Miata.
Also, I've driven both I-40 and I-10. I-10 has too much traffic in both LA and Phoenix, and I also didn't like passing through El Paso. I much prefer Albuquerque and Flagstaff over Tucson and Phoenix.
I much prefer Albuquerque and Flagstaff over Tucson and Phoenix.
Me too! And while not all that scenic, I find it more so than IH-10, and a bit cooler too until one reaches the AZ/NV state line. Both routes involve interaction with far too many semis, but that's life on the trans-continental freeways today.
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Is Clovis, NM safe?
