Could you please list your pros and cons (Albuquerque, Las Cruces: real estate, rent)

[canibeyou]

We've been thinking of moving for a little while now and it hasn't been until just recently that New Mexico has come up in our conversations.

Could I bother you all to give me some pros and cons about where you live and then a general area of where you live? Don't have to be specific; I don't want to invade your privacy that much.

Thanks so much for your time!

[sjbasin]

Farmington...

Pros:
Well, it's New Mexico. Four distinct seasons, close to a lot of outdoor activities. We have a pretty good little community college. Better than average health care. With oil and gas prices high there is plenty of money flowing. Lots of restaurants (but all the food comes off of the same truck, the only difference is how fast it's thawed and which plate they plop it down on). Very nice place for kids with all the sports and such. We do have more than our share of drug problems for some reason.


Cons:
Isolated, in more ways than one. It's a 3-1/2 hour drive to Albuquerque. There is no air service to speak of, no train, no public transportation. (Well, we do have some 15 passenger buses). Housing is expensive. I suppose the nightlife for young singles would pretty much suck. The "culture" is a train wreck. Very, very conservative politically. Ethnically diverse; Anglo, Native American, Hispanic. Always an overtone of racism around it seems.

I've been here over 50 years. I make my children leave when they graduate from high school, if that tells ya anything.

[Devin Bent]

Santa Fe has the most expensive housing in NM, but cheap by standards of the East and West Coast. But we have expensive housing because people want to live here.

Santa Fe is not great at job creation. Abq is way ahead on this score.

Santa Fe City and County is not congested -- 140,000 people in a gigantic area.

Santa Fe is the cultural center of the New Mexico and despite its very small size, a cultural center of the US -- the third largest art market in the US after NYC and San Francisco. An opera.

The air is very clean. You can see the Milky Way night after night. The moon shines like a spotlight.

The high altitude -- Santa Fe is the highest state capital is the US -- tempers the climate and protects you against the heat found in other parts of the Southwest.

The sun shines more than 300 days a year and warms you on the coldest day.

Movie stars live here and they make a lot of movies here -- is that a plus or a minus?

Not much water. But because of water conservation and small population, not as much a problem as other parts of southwest.

Vast open spaces protected by National Forests, BLM, and Pueblos.

A lot of tall mountains around.

Spectacular scenery.

[canibeyou]

Originally Posted by Devin Bent

Movie stars live here and they make a lot of movies here -- is that a plus or a minus?

That's a minus! Just kidding. I'm born and raised in LA, so celebrities mean nothing to me. They all pee just like the rest of us! (except you can sell theirs on Ebay and someone would buy it! )

Thank you for the responses so far! More responses, please!!!

[Devin Bent]

Maybe I should have mentioned -- if you are into history, it goes way back here

It starts with the cliff dwellers -- and you can still see the remains of their buildings north of Santa Fe

Then the Pueblo Indians settled in their present locations around 1200-1300.

Then the Apaches and Navajos come.

Then the Conquistadors come followed by Hispanic settlers.

Then the Anglos come from Missouri as traders down the Santa Fe trail.

Then Kearny comes through leading the US conquest of the Southwest.

Then Route 66 comes through.

Then the railroad goes south of us, 66 moves south, and the airport is in Albuquerque. All the jobs, industry and population go to Albuquerque. Santa Fe lives on through art, tourism, scenery and a consistent Hispanic-Pueblo architectural style.

[BrianH]

Pros: People
Food
Isolation (of sorts)
Weather
Fishin!

Cons:
Weather, I know I Listed it as a pro, but it does affect my skin!


For Clayton btw, Clayton New Mexico - Clayton Tourism Department - Sponsored by The Union County Leader

[nmguy]

Things you might like:
* Friendly people
* Landscape
* Culture
* Food

Things you might not like:
* Slow pace
* Lack of intellectual stimulation

[newmex]

Originally Posted by nmguy

Things you might like:
* Friendly people
* Landscape
* Culture
* Food

Things you might not like:
* Slow pace
* Lack of intellectual stimulation

The last one on the"not like" list is very true for the eastern part of the state. I'm moving back to Akron, Ohio for family issues, and to some really great museums, culture events galore, concert events and shopping. Nothing comes close to the kindness of NM people. I plan on coming back, but not to Clovis/Portales. Nicest folks, but nothing there to really stimulate ones self culturally. You have to drive 100 miles to Lubbock to get your city fix.

[Pintada Kid]

I would say most anyplace in N.M. has nice people and GREAT PLACES TO LIVE. My best advice is the East Mountain Area. RENT and explore N.M. for a month or two before deciding where you might want to spend the rest of your life. el pintada kid

[kensgirl]

Northern New Mexico - Taos County

Pros:
Amazing scenery - mountains, trees, rivers - hard to believe we're in the same state as ABQ and Las Cruces
Outdoor activities - Skiing (of course), rafting, hiking, biking, golf
History - between the Taos Pueblo and history of the original Spanish settlers, enough to fill many books
Great food, friendly people (for the most part)
Definitely 4 seasons. Summers are much cooler here (80 is a hot day!). Fall is beautiful. As to winter...well, we've had more than we really wanted this year!

Cons:
Far from the "big city" - no Walmart Supercenters, Home Depot or Department Stores (I know that's a plus for a lot of you!)
The cost of real estate in the town of Taos and in some of the surrounding areas is high. Prices farther out are still affordable.
Not a lot of jobs. Most people either work in the service industry, work for the county or the state or work on their own.