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We like imagining retirement in NM and have found the climate of both Silver City and Alamogordo to suit us. Silver City appeals because we like the Gila. Alamogordo because it is closer to everything else. Silver City has a crime rate that worries us, but is supposed to sit on a nice aquifer. Alamogordo has to rely on surface water and is working on a desalination plan, so big worries there, but its crime rate is much better. Any constructive thoughts or corrections would be appreciated.
There are 13 types of tests conducted. There where 0, zero violations...
The Alamogordo yearly tests going back to 2004 are listed here: Water Quality Report
My thoughts? We have lived in Rio Rancho, New Mexico for 16+ years. I have been to the Alamogordo area in the 60's, 70's and we have visited Silver City, and have met people who lived in Silver City at one time. We have lived in rural areas, which is just not for us. We would prefer Alamogordo over Silver City...
Last edited by Poncho_NM; 02-22-2017 at 11:28 AM..
We like imagining retirement in NM and have found the climate of both Silver City and Alamogordo to suit us. Silver City appeals because we like the Gila. Alamogordo because it is closer to everything else. Silver City has a crime rate that worries us, but is supposed to sit on a nice aquifer. Alamogordo has to rely on surface water and is working on a desalination plan, so big worries there, but its crime rate is much better. Any constructive thoughts or corrections would be appreciated.
Are you planning to sell millions of gallons of bottled water, farm a big spread, or water a few thousand head of cattle? Or just afraid you will have to buy some water to drink? According to city data's crime stats the overall crime rates are similar between the 2 towns but I'm not sure what you looked at.
Silver City has a significantly higher crime rate than Alamogordo based on the City-City data numbers. Make sure you compare the same years.
Overall Crime Rate for 2012 Alamogordo vs Silver City was 201.0 vs 594.1 and the national average is around 294 - 299.0, however, just the raw numbers can be deceiving.
Looks like the overall crime rates are higher in Silver (which surprises me. I don't know why) but the murder rate since 2008 is much higher in Alamo (which also surprises me...not the rate, just that sheer fact that 14 murders have occurred in such a small city in that period).
It should be noted that the Big Bear fire in 2008 seriously damaged the surface water supply from Bonito Lake in the Sacramento Mtns. That water supply also feeds Holloman AFB - which is a significant user - along with a number of other entities that have "rights" to Bonito Lake water.
Looks like the overall crime rates are higher in Silver (which surprises me. I don't know why) but the murder rate since 2008 is much higher in Alamo (which also surprises me...not the rate, just that sheer fact that 14 murders have occurred in such a small city in that period).
Why does Silver have such a high crime rate?
Crime rate and number of crimes are two different issues, which is why crimes in small towns can be misleading. The charts show crime per 100,000 population.
Silver City in 2008 had 1 murder and the crime rate per 100,000 population was 10.1 - Population in 2013 was 10,273. Silver City had a higher crime rate of murders...
Alamogordo in 2008 had 3 murder's and the crime rate per 100,000 population was 8.4 - Population in 2013: 31,368
Some people misread, don't understand, or twist statistics for various reasons. The FBI "Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics: Their Proper Use" pamphlet explains some of the issue, partially shown below. The whole document is at: https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/uc...eir-proper-use
Quote:
Pitfalls of Ranking
UCR data are sometimes used to compile rankings of individual jurisdictions and institutions
of higher learning. These incomplete analyses have often created misleading perceptions
which adversely affect geographic entities and their residents. For this reason, the FBI has a
long standing policy against ranking participating law enforcement agencies on the basis of
crime data alone. Despite repeated warnings against these practices, some data users
continue to challenge and misunderstand this position.
Data users should not rank locales because there are many factors that cause the nature
and type of crime to vary from place to place. UCR statistics include only jurisdictional
population figures along with reported crime, clearance, or arrest data. Rankings ignore the
uniqueness of each locale.
Some factors that are known to affect the volume and type of crime occurring from place to place are:
• Population density and degree of urbanization
• Variations in composition of the population, particularly youth concentration
• Stability of the population with respect to residents’ mobility, commuting patterns, and transient factors
• Economic conditions, including median income, poverty level, and job availability
Why is the Crime Rate so important to so many people? I have lived in places with high crime rates and have not been bothered mostly because I do not travel into the crime infested areas and when I have to I am well armed. Even in the worst parts of town the likelihood of an assault is quite low.
I alway thought road rage in smaller NM towns would be pretty non-existant.
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