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We are up around Taos.We love it. It is poor but we have (had) no interest in McMansions, neighbors voting on haw far back from the street we have to keep our garden, or whether we have keep our firewood out of sight. We have a neighbor who has two gas cookers and a refrigerator on her front porch. Yesterday we stood in her garden with her as she loaded us down with fresh vegetables. In our richer neighborhood in another state our neighbors are pressuring another neighbor to paint his house. We were sued by a neighbor because our boat was visible from the street. No thanks, I will take broken down pickups any day.
Crime? I read about it in the paper every day. Some of it is random, some is gang related, some is domestic. It's like driving, there are things to do to cut down the odds of having an accident, or incident and then sometimes the odds catch up with. Retired no kids so jobs and education aren't important. We love the rich cultural mix here.
We are up around Taos.We love it. It is poor but we have (had) no interest in McMansions, neighbors voting on haw far back from the street we have to keep our garden, or whether we have keep our firewood out of sight. We have a neighbor who has two gas cookers and a refrigerator on her front porch. Yesterday we stood in her garden with her as she loaded us down with fresh vegetables. In our richer neighborhood in another state our neighbors are pressuring another neighbor to paint his house. We were sued by a neighbor because our boat was visible from the street. No thanks, I will take broken down pickups any day.
Crime? I read about it in the paper every day. Some of it is random, some is gang related, some is domestic. It's like driving, there are things to do to cut down the odds of having an accident, or incident and then sometimes the odds catch up with. Retired no kids so jobs and education aren't important. We love the rich cultural mix here.
Thanks so much for the reply! Yes I hear Taos is just beautiful. The house we have is at 5,000' elevation and in a sparse neighborhood where we have lots of land. It's quite a drive to get into town (through a bit of mountain roads) but I think the solitude is worth the minor inconvenience. I have heard most people there are very nice and, in fact, when we went two years ago we went to the Space Museum in Alamogordo. It was about an hour till close and the woman at the desk said "You know, we're almost about to close..." So I expected her to tell us we were too late go in, but no! She then said "So just go on in - I'm not going to charge you for tickets for that." We were stunned! You'd never get that here in Hampton Roads! I think you're right-crime is everywhere although I did see that horrible officer shooting in Alomogordo this week and I saw the perp; he was SCARY! But yes, minimize your risks and just do the best you can
It's quite a drive to get into town (through a bit of mountain roads) but I think the solitude is worth the minor inconvenience.
Not sure where you're referring to specifically - but in general the unpaved roads above Alamogordo/La Luz can be very slick right after a rain or snowfall. Lots of clay in spite of the rocky terrain look. When wet, that clay can be slick as "___________."
Not sure where you're referring to specifically - but in general the unpaved roads above Alamogordo/La Luz can be very slick right after a rain or snowfall. Lots of clay in spite of the rocky terrain look. When wet, that clay can be slick as "___________."
Ha! I can imagine! Yes, it's definitely the unpaved roads of La Luz and I can only imagine they're slick as *&^% when the weather is bad! LOL
My cousin lived in ABQ for a long time and didn't seem to be a fan of the state, however I am not planning on living in the city so I think my experience will be a little different...
Everyone is different and will have a different experience. For me, coming from the East Coast 27 years ago, Albuquerque is the place to be, it is the largest city in the state but doesn't feel like a big city, has everything you need, and close proximity to amazing outdoor activities year-round. No other city has such a variety of landscapes, from desert, to bosque (cottonwood forest) along the Rio Grande, to alpine Sandia Mountain at the eastern edge, and the volcanoes and petroglyphs on the western edge. There is much to explore, and you are still centrally located to get to all the other attractions in the state. Still it seems there are too many folks who seldom get out and explore them. We are always amazed at how few people we run into when hiking in the Sandias. Many times we never see another person on some trails and we are right next to a metropolitan area of close to a million. Some of the same trails we travel on cross-country skis in winter, in conditions much better that I was used to in New England. We feel very lucky to be here.
My point being, many folks from outside the area think of ABQ as just a big city, and don't realize how close to nature we are. You don't have to live in some small town to have access to wilderness and open space areas that in Albuquerque are much more user-friendly and well-maintained than you will find in many other places.
Albuquerque Open Space in the foothills in summer and winter:
WOW those are quite fantastic views, particularly the snowy one! I think natives to ABQ just may not see it the same way as outsiders do. For example, I live near the ocean and have ZERO interest in going to the beach and can never understand why so many tourists come here. I guess it's all relative. Thank you for sharing those incredible photos
Magical!!! Question to you all: How is your work situation there in NM? I work from home so I can take my job with me, but my fiance is worried he may struggle to find something. He's been a fiber optic supervisor for 15 years and wants to get out of the business but he's concerned people will consider him "overqualified" for most jobs. I know NM has a hard time with their economy and jobs so it's something we're definitely a little uncertain about.
Magical!!! Question to you all: How is your work situation there in NM? I work from home so I can take my job with me, but my fiance is worried he may struggle to find something. He's been a fiber optic supervisor for 15 years and wants to get out of the business but he's concerned people will consider him "overqualified" for most jobs. I know NM has a hard time with their economy and jobs so it's something we're definitely a little uncertain about.
I know people who are trained in fiber optics from back east who couldn't find anything close out here. It's not so much "overqualified" as "wrongly qualified" to many would-be employers. They think of themselves as a hammer and they're looking for nails, not screws, staples, or wifi hotspots.
NM also has an undersized industrial base for its population. Except for work coming from the labs and some border stuff, it tends to be specialized and tough for companies to find enough customers to cover their overhead. Semi drivers tend to dislike the state because we have so much inbound freight but so little to send back out.
We also tax on services, so it costs more to hire contractors and operate factories here than in any neighboring state. With so much federal patronage money, that works out to a nice little tax spigot for the state government in some ways, but it keeps the industrial sector anemic.
Magical!!! Question to you all: How is your work situation there in NM? I work from home so I can take my job with me, but my fiance is worried he may struggle to find something. He's been a fiber optic supervisor for 15 years and wants to get out of the business but he's concerned people will consider him "overqualified" for most jobs. I know NM has a hard time with their economy and jobs so it's something we're definitely a little uncertain about.
Well, your husband can start looking. Opportunities in Alamo are very limited. In my case I had a job lined up in Albuquerque before I moved out. It paid more than I was making in Boston for the same work. I didn't especially want to move but couldn't refuse the offer and was ready for a change. I'm glad I did it! There's no going back for me.
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