Roswell question (Clovis, Hobbs, Carlsbad: real estate, rental market, crime rate)

[lovinlife]

Hello. My family may be moving to Roswell with in the next six months. I am trying to find out about the schools both public and private. Also how is the rental market as far as housing? Where are the best areas to live? Is the crime rate really that bad?? Thank you in advance for any and all information.

[Mark S.]

My father lived in Roswell for many years and I spent a lot of time there. It's been close to 10 years now since I spent much time there, but I don't think too much has changed.

Crime is pretty bad in Roswell for such a small community. Drugs are rampant and there is a gang presence in the schools. I don't know about the private schools in the area, though unless things have changed, Goddard High School is certainly preferable to Roswell High. Roswell High seemed to have a larger percentage of gang members and violence, but things may have changed.

There are some better neighborhoods, and if you're careful where you live, you don't really need to fear for your safety. My father used to live on the northeastern end of town where the highway comes in from Elida and Portales, and it was a very nice, safe nieghborhood. The southern end of town tends to be the older parts where poverty is more entrenched, and you also get more crime there. Outside and on the fringes of town where the highway leads out to Ruidoso are some very nice (but rather pricey) neighborhoods.

Honestly, if I had a choice, I wouldn't move kids to Roswell. Or anywhere in New Mexico. It is a very poor state, and the schools are a mess. Crime is bad and getting worse, even in the small towns. But if you have no choice about moving there, you can find some nice places if you take the time to look and are careful where you live.

[Disenchanted]

It's been two years since I lived in Roswell. I was an Assistant District Attorney. I prosecuted Juvenile Crime. All I can say is that parts of Roswell are lovely. The water is terrible, and you should purchase bottled water for drinking, and coffee. There are many filtered water kiosks in town. The museums are wonderful, community oriented, and have wonderful community outreach. The public library is top rate.
The crime is outrageous. A tremendous amount of crime is commited by juveniles who have no fear what so ever of the system. In six months the DA's office prosecuted several drive-by shootings. The story is that Roswell (Crazy Town Roswell) is the birth place of the drive-by shooting.
Most shopping is in Lubbock. Better health care is in Lubbock. Goddard High is the good school, but I prosecuted a lot of kids from there. Knives, guns, drugs.
mainly it depends on your outlook and if you enjoy small towns in the middle of no where.
And on to my main rant: NM is just mean. It is cruel. It is ugly. The racisim is intense. You will be an outsider. You will be hated for being an outsider. Any place you go in NM, if you were not born there, you are an unwelcome outsider.

Mark S. Your memories and observations are not out of line.

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by Disenchanted

The water is terrible, and you should purchase bottled water for drinking, and coffee. There are many filtered water kiosks in town.

Yep. Absolutely 100% true. It's not the worst water I've ever had. That dubious honor goes to Abilene, Texas. But it is definitely bad water. Plan on investing in a top-rate filter or buying bottled water.

Originally Posted by Disenchanted

Most shopping is in Lubbock. Better health care is in Lubbock.

And Lubbock is a good 2 hrs away. Roswell does have a mall, but it is indeed pretty poor unless things have changed. And yes, the hospital is certainly nothing to brag about.

Originally Posted by Disenchanted

And on to my main rant: NM is just mean. It is cruel. It is ugly. The racisim is intense. You will be an outsider. You will be hated for being an outsider. Any place you go in NM, if you were not born there, you are an unwelcome outsider.

Far be it from me to contradict your own experience, but my upbringing wasn't quite that harsh. Perhaps it was indeed because I was born there. There is indeed racism in New Mexico, but I never found it any worse than other places, and it's certainly far better than places like South Carolina. Growing up, my best friends were Chinese and Mexican-Americans.

There are nicer parts of Roswell. My grandfather still lives there. If you're careful about where you live, it's certainly a lot safer than most urban areas, but there are parts of town you don't go after dark --- and a few places I'd be nervous about going even in broad daylight.

The public schools are pretty bad, but that's true throughout NM. It's a poor state, and when the schools do get funding, rarely is it spent on computers, new textbooks, or the arts, but you can bet your boots that the basketball and football teams will get brand-new uniforms and statewide tournaments. Gangs are a presence, and there is also a healthy population of gang-banger wannabes.

I'm sure there are private schools, but I don't know much about them. I suspect most are run by local churches. Roswell is also home to the New Mexico Military Institute. I knew kids who went there, and a large part of them are "problem" kids who were sent there to "get straightened out." It seldom worked.

It is pretty desolate if you're used to having a lot of culture, but it isn't totally devoid of things to do. The Bottomless Lakes are nearby. There's the UFO museum, which I've never been to. The public library is indeed quite good. Ruidoso is only about 75 minutes away. They have resorts (Inn of the Mountain Gods is a local favorite), camping, horse races, gambling, and winter skiing. Now, if you want to run into some serious racism, go skiing at Sierra Blanca. It is owned and operated by the Mescalero Apache tribe, but 99% of the people skiing there on any given day are rich Texans who aren't afraid of reminding everyone how rich they are and how grateful New Mexicans ought to be that they have deigned to spend their money there. The locals don't take too well to it. (A teasing term in New Mexico for Texans is Tex-asses. )

Carlsbad Caverns is several hours away, but if you get the chance to see it, it's well worth the trip. It really is one of the natural wonders of the world. I've been there many times, and I never get tired of it.

To sum up, I certainly wouldn't recommend moving to Roswell, but if your husband is getting a job there and you have little choice, it's not the end of the world. There are certainly worse places. (Las Vegas, NM topping the list. That place is truly scary.)

[Mark S.]

Wow. Crime is even worse than I thought.

Check out: http://www.city-data.com/city/Roswell-New-Mexico.html

City-data.com crime index (higher means more crime, U.S. average = 329.7). Roswell's crime index for 2003 was 602.4. Almost twice the national average.

I knew it was bad. I didn't know it was that bad. Wow.

Maybe it's time for grandpa to move.

[Disenchanted]

Chill. If Grandpa has been there for a long time, he knows the drill, is probably in a good area, and will be safe.
If you are really worried, call Roswell PD and request a "Welfare Check". They'll cruise by and make sure he is alright.
Make sure he keeps everything locked. The juveniles commit lots of crimes of opportunity. They will smash the windows in cars of the elderly "looking for collectables." Hey. They are criminals, and prosecutors are grateful that they are not bright.

[Mark S.]

Thanks, Informer. But really I was being rather tongue-in-cheek. My grandpa probably has all the local thugs scared.

[Disenchanted]

Sounds like you've got a great grandpa there! Keep him close and enjoy him.

[Crackerjack]

My advice knowing Roswell and that general area is take the closest UFO and get out! Seriously though, I would mainly be concerned about your kids and them getting caught up in a lot of gang banger wannabes and some true gang bangers then anything else. What Disenchanted and Mark S. said are true. They are not trying to keep you away from Roswell but are giving you what they have experienced. I know crime is high there and Portales, Hobbs and Clovis aren't much better. There are a lot of the military type kids there too and they are very clanish. I'd seriously reconsider moving there and if you do, yes Mark S. is right the northeastern area is where I'd live off of Hwy 70. Oh yes, the water has always tasted bad like that UFO crashed into their water supply. Lubbock has terrible water too. Good Luck!

[luckymeg]

These comments are completely ridiculous about Roswell. I have lived here for almost all of my life and have never been a victim of a crime. It is a small town with a lot of friendly and familiar faces. There are good areas to live in and there are not so good areas like any city. If you stay up North you will be fine. Sure their is crime here but there is crime everywhere. There are some good schools here that include Berrendo, Del Norte, and Military Heights. The private schools consist of Gateway, Valley Christian, and St. Andrews to name few. There is also a military acadamy that attracts many students from all over. This is not a reform school and the cadets are nothing but respectful. I know some adults who graduated from there and are very successful and academically proficient individuals today. They chose to go there because it is an exceptional school. As far as the housing market, it is a sellers market rather then a buyers market. Roswell is finally catching up to the rest of the country when it comes to real estate. You probably would expect to pay around $800 + dollars to rent a house on the North side of town. Roswell is a wonderful community and a great place to raise kids. I have four children of my own and I had a chance to move and didn't take it because I wanted to raise my kids here. It is a wonderful city.

Originally Posted by lovinlife

Hello. My family may be moving to Roswell with in the next six months. I am trying to find out about the schools both public and private. Also how is the rental market as far as housing? Where are the best areas to live? Is the crime rate really that bad?? Thank you in advance for any and all information.