moving from Holland to Hobbs NM (Albuquerque, Santa Fe: sale, for rent, hotels)

[CountryCar]

I lived in Hobbs back in the oil boom days of 81-83, it was a very expensive, rough place to be. The scenes everywhere were much like you would find described in the book "Grapes of Wrath" with hundreds of people actually living in all the roadside parks, and along the highways with the dream of big money in the oilfield. Everything that could be rented, was, and at top dollar. With the recession of '83, many wells were capped, thousands of people left the area, and things eventually got sort of back to normal. I still read the Hobbs News Sun and it looks like housing costs have gone up again, and everyone is hoping for prosperity. Unless you want to compete with everyone else for worm or roustabout jobs out in the oil patch, have some money or a job lined up before moving to Hobbs. Look at your areas very cafefully before buying a house, I mean real carefully. Visit your areas of choice, even on evenings and weekends before deciding anything permanent!

[tapy277]

I too will be moving with my family to Hobbs, and reading all these comments has just confused me. So many different opinions, but I guess that is what makes the world go round. Can anyone recommend a good Realtor or agency?

[BJB1968]

I joined this forum just to tell everyone what a wonderfull place Hobbs is.

My family lived in Hobbs for over 8 years (late 1994 - 2003) and my entire family would move back today if the right job came along. My oldest is considering going to College at College of the Southwest there, one of the best Free Enterprise private colleges in the US.

I managed a large retail business there for a number of years and served on the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors for several years. My children attended St. Helena's and I have nothing but praise for the school. The tuition is very low for the quality and attention the kids get. The Hobbs Public Schools are among the best in New Mexico and they consitently send kids to top Ivy schools including Notre Dame, Harvard, MIT etc. The Hospital is great, 2 of my children were born there. Crime is far worse in the rest of New Mexico than it is in Hobbs and the police department and fire department both had top national certifications when I lived there.

There is no experience like a Hobbs Eagle Basketball game, what great tradition and history. Go Eagles!!!

It is not a pretty place but Ruidoso and Cloudcroft are a short drive away for mountains, trees and snow. The best thing about Hobbs is the people. They are hard working and family oriented.

[Heather88240]

I was born and raised in Hobbs and I still live here today. Lots of the posts have made Hobbs sound really horrible but it's really not so bad! I'm 28 but when I was in school I went to Coronado elementary, Highland Junior High and Hobbs High. My 8 year old daughter and 5 year old son both go to Broadmoor and I'm really pleased with this school. I really feel like my kids are learning well and are safe there. My husband was raised in Lovington which is 20 miles away and he's a respiratory therapist there. Lea Regional in Hobbs wasn't paying him as well as Nor-Lea in Lovington. I'm a realtor with Century 21 Harvest Realty. My office is out of Albuquerque but the office I work for currently lists all of the HUD homes in NM so I help out with southeastern NM. The weather is really great here. I will have to admit that there's not a lot to do around here but just as other people have posted, places like Ruidoso and Cloudcroft aren't far away. It's really nice to get to one of those places during the hot summers. I feel safe here in Hobbs, my brother-in-law is a police officer and he never really has any negative things to say about crime in this area. I do think we have a drug problem but if you raise your kids well you shouldn't have to worry.
Hopefully I've helped someone in some way come to the conclusion that Hobbs isn't so bad. I really felt that I needed to say something, if it were so horrible I wouldn't be living here.

[1yearhere]

This is the worst place I have ever been in my life. I do not think the weather is nice, it is very severe: fierce wind, storms & extreme temperatures. The cost of living is very high for such a low quality of life. There are many environmental issues: look up cancer statistics. It is ugly & dirty. It had been decades since I'd seen someone throw trash out their car window; now I see it often. Yes, the sky can be beautiful.......hello? the sky is everywhere you go! I do not find the people friendly. I feel that people here are less friendly than in other cities I've lived in. I normally say hello or smile at people I make eye contact with. The norm would be for that person to return the smile. If that happens here, it is a rare occasion. This is a very isolated area & people have not been exposed to much diversity. They tend to be very ignorant & often lack curiousity. They like things the way they are & don't aspire to do great things. If you do not align yourself with a church; you will not ever be a part of the community. If you want to travel (& there are lovely areas 2+ hours from here), it is not easy. The airport is 2 hours away & it is a very long boring drive. The roads are not safe & there is a drunk driving epidemic. Take note of the fact that possibly not 1 person will inquire about your trip upon your return (that lack of curiousity!). Crime here is very high. I do not feel safe. Even the best parents can face drug problems with their children. You can't always be there. Unwed/tween & teen pregnancy is a very big problem. There is very little for children/teens to do around here (except to drink, use drugs & have sex). The movie theatre only shows mainstream mediocrity-----something your republican grandmother would approve of. The food is hideous!!!!! I have never had a meal here that I could get excited about. The service is just as bad, they don't know what good service is. They have never seen it. There is a cultural void. No evidence of what is "happening" in the rest of the country. The art & music scene is NOT. There is not much in the way of recreation. You won't see people bicycling to work..or walking. & watch out for those trucks! I do hate every day I am here. I am missing out on life & the beauty that is out there.
I am moving in July.
My advice to you is to stay where you are. I have been to Amsterdam 7 times. I love it (& the countryside as well). You are progressive people in a city with culture, beauty & brains.
Life is too short.

[1bluesky]

The restaurant food here is, without a doubt, atrocious. JHowardC, somebody, anybody with culinary talents, please come here. This town is devoid of ANY culinary delights. In Hobbs, to not gag on one's dinner at a local restaurant is a compliment to the chef.

[eveshr6]

In order for you Guys to pack up and leave Holland, you must have a good job lined up. I just can not see anyone from overseas moving to Hobbs America. There is plenty of money to be made there, but you have to suffer the elements. The city smell of oil or rotten eggs everyday do to the bad gas in the air. I was born and raised in Hobbs, I left when I was 39 years old and moved to Texas but have to worry about getting Cancer every day. The Cancer rate for that area is off the charts. I know you asked for posiitve things but the negative out weigh the positive. I am now back in New Mexico But I live in Roswell, NM. But I still have 3 daughters and my parents(are still alive) that are still living there. So I'm there alot. The residents in that town are second to none. Hobbs is probably the most friendliest City you will ever live in. They are wonderful. Right now there is not any housing. People are living in Hotels and Motels. But there are several apartments and houses going up all over Hobbs. So by this summer the housing situation will be solved. There are plenty of jobs there for sure, due the high cost of fuel and the opening of LES in Eunice. But the cost of living is as high or higher than major cities. Everyone is trying to make as much money as possible and this goes for housing, food and any other services such as mechanics, plumbing and electrical repairs. I hope I did not scare you but there is not too many positive things to say about Hobbs NM.

[Neutron234]

Originally Posted by 1yearhere

The cost of living is very high for such a low quality of life. There are many environmental issues: look up cancer statistics. .

Regarding the first statement, I agree that the cost of living is quite unreasomable for this area. One of the "perks" for moving to such an area should include a low cost of living. As someone who has previously worked in real estate, I can't understand the cost of some of the new houses being built here. I was always taught in the mindset of location, location, location..... and location, Hobbs is NOT!!
I cannot find any data to back up your second statement. All the statistics I have looked at (to my surprise) suggest that New Mexico has (in some cases) the LOWEST cancer incidence rate of all the 50 states. In the case of Lea County, the stat I looked at (published by UNM) was a death rate of 177 per 100,000 which is low in comparison to other areas of the country.

[6 FOOT 3]

I imagine the reason why Hobbs is getting so expensive is do a couple of reasons.

First ...Oil is at 100 dollars a barrel so that has people and their families moving into the area for all those oil industry jobs.

Secondly with LES building the 1.2 Billion Uranium Enrichment facility in Eunice which has brought in a 1,000 construction workers to build it and then the Full Time employees to run it.

[HobbsResident]

Hello from a Hobbs resident of nearly 5 years. We are in our mid-forties, my husband works in a specialized professional capacity for one of the international gas companies, I stay at home and we have 3 children, ages 9, 6 and 3.

We moved here before the 'boom', or at the very beginning of it. We were able to buy a home 4 years ago as of Jan 2008, after living in an apartment for a few months, and on the 'good' North side before the prices became inflated - if we had to buy now I'm not so sure we'd be here because our income just wouldn't stretch enough. We plan to live here at least until our children are grown.

We're happy with this area of town - middle class families, a lot of older people but more and more families with young children moving in, shopping & services are close (Albertsons Grocery, Home Depot, Walmart, hospital, medical offices, several stores, it's really central to most everywhere except downtown) and there are a couple of parks nearby.

Our two eldest children attend Stone Elementary, an excellent school with very attentive and qualified teachers. All of our children attended or do attend Mother Goose Preschool a couple morning per week, and we're happy with them - it is 'fun' with some attention to academics, but certainly appropriate for that age we feel. Kindergarten (age 5 & 6) here is now full time and the children learn at a quick pace - they will be reading, writing and doing math by the end of the school year. (it's not just coloring and playing like when I was young).

The only crime we've ever experienced is to have our car broken into - it was parked in our driveway, unlocked and someone attempted to remove the stereo. Many cars in our neighborhood were hit that night. We don't see 'hoodlums' or gangs around. The kids we have met are nice and well mannered in general - though I feel they are allowed too much freedom to roam the neighborhood alone (probably because many parents feel comfortable and safe in this small town - I wouldn't feel that way regarding my children about any town). There were 6 or 7 murders here in 2006 and over 20 rapes.

We are used to living in oil towns, boom towns, small towns and the like, we grew up in them and we've worked in them. We are used to rough talking and acting transient workers and their families moving in or out as the jobs come and go, we are used to having to travel for basic shopping and medical care... still...

Restaurants here are not very good - mostly fast food and a few chain restaurants for the tourists; there is no good place to eat well prepared southern, southwestern or Mexican food as you might expect.

Shopping is okay, but for anything out of the norm we must travel to Lubbock or Odessa, Texas. We must also travel for medical care... specialized dental care, surgeries, specialists, etc. And because of the population boom many doctors here are TOO busy with long waits. Our children see Dr. Reddy at the Lea County Children's Clinic. We like and trust him, but it's a nightmare of a wait in a crowded waiting room and you must request a specific doctor or your children will be seen by whomever is available at the moment. Our youngest child was born here in Hobbs, but I used a midwife from Texas to deliver at home so I have no experience with OB's here.

Recreation around here is mostly family oriented and very limited. The city does do a fairly good job of providing special activities, such as swimming lessons during the summer, and I hope they continue to provide more. It's the local businesses that are lacking when it comes to recreation or things to do. There's bowling, a skating rink, an arcade at a pizza joint...and ??? Boy scouts, boys & girls club, the teen center...??? It's hard to think of anything. Our neighbors with older kids take them hunting and out riding 4-wheelers. The community calendar is often empty. Others who have mentioned nearby (within a days drive) vacation destinations are right on - there are many nice and interesting places to visit.

In general this is a very conservative town in both attitude and politics. Most people here have grown up in the area (or in nearby Texas) and have family around. Sometimes that leaves them with little interest in making new friends or in allowing your children into their own children's lives. It's also a very religious town - one of the first questions most people ask you is "What church do you attend?"; If you state that you don't attend a church, the question will be followed with an invitation to their church. Many of the connections and friendships formed here are church based, so if you are not involved then it will be more difficult for you.

Other than a quite large Hispanic population and many financially poor people, there is not much diversity here. You will not notice any homosexual people, or anyone who openly acts much different from the 'norm' - not even very many teenagers who stand out from the crowd. I seem to see a lot of pregnant teen girls and I could be wrong, but I don't think sex education is adequately addressed in the school system here (see 'conservative & religious').

There is also not much opportunity for young adults here - I've heard the local community college is quite good, but diversity of jobs is lacking. I think most children will move away for career opportunities or turn to minimum wage or blue collar related jobs here. If your children, my own children, want to pursue some different sort of job then there won't be much here unless a lot of changes happen in the next 15 years.

Because of the boom here right now, many business are lacking in employees which has lead to some very poor and sometimes rude service... normal in the situation, but annoying. Otherwise, in general, people here are friendly enough (polite type friendly). If you enjoy a quite at home type of life then you will have no problem enjoying your life here...you might have to push to make friends and get involved but it can be done.

Here are some links and phone #'s that might be helpful to someone considering a move here - and check out both Flickr and YouTube for photos and video of Hobbs!

Newman & CO Realtors - (505) 392-7777; http://www.hobbsfinesthomes.com (website includes listings and photos of homes) This is not the only real estate company in town, but they certainly have a corner on the market! Be aware that in most cases the agent will be representing both the buyer and the seller.

Hobbs America - http://www.hobbsamerica.com

Hobbs Freecycle - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HobbsFreecycle

The Carlsbad & Hobbs NM Cafe - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Carlsbad-Hobbs-Cafe

Lea County Tribune Newspaper- http://leacountytribuneonline.com

Hobbs News-Sun Newspaper - http://www.hobbsnews.com

Helping Hands for Hobbs (Free Fun Activities and Information about Hobbs) - http://www3.webng.com/helpinghands

Lea County Public Health Office - http://www.health.state.nm.us

Lea County Children's Clinic - 392-1503

Mother Goose Preschool - 397-4340 (Mrs. Hubbard)

Stone Elementary - 433-2500

KidsKare Dental Care; 3920 N. Lovington Hwy - 392-5437

New Mexico Junior College - http://www.nmjc.edu

Hobbs Parks & Recreation - http://activenet1.active.com/hobbsnm

Hobbs Public Library - http://www.hobbspubliclibrary.org

City of Hobbs - http://www.hobbsnm.org

New Mexico State Taxes - http://www.tax.state.nm.us