Moving to New Mexico......help me please (Las Cruces, Santa Fe: condos, home)

[NMRoadRunner]

As I am bilingual I am going to work as a translator over the internet there. So I don't need to worry about finding work in Alamo.

[AngelaFLA]

Just curious what part of FLA are u in, I'M in Palm Bch Cty. Tired of rude people, traffic, humidity & hurricanes 3 in 16 monthes. Santa Fe & Corrales look good to me, not too hot or cold & plenty of shopping. Also curious about state income tax, we don't have one here?

[smiles48650]

I am planning to move to Carlsbad or Artesia in 2 years, does anyone have any opinions on either of those towns?

[lastra]

If you like smaller towns, Las Cruces is a good, small town. The housing is still relatively cheap ( cheaper than in Albuquerque ). It is a family friendly town. But, the downside is that humidity levels are really low ( for some people is good though ), lower than in Albuquerque and there is not as much greenery as there. My personal choice ( if you have money for real estate ) is Albuquerque because there are lots of stores, weather is not bad etc. But, if you like smaller, laid - back cities, I think Las Cruces is a good one.

[6 FOOT 3]

Originally Posted by smiles48650

I am planning to move to Carlsbad or Artesia in 2 years, does anyone have any opinions on either of those towns?

I think Mikus would be good or best at responding to this but i'll give my thoughts.....
Never lived in either but been to them many times...

Artesia pop 20,000 is an oil town and also has the Fletc federal traing facility there. They have really beautified their downtown area as part of the ''Mainstreet'' program. Has the best high school football program in the states history as they have won ...what 22 or 23 titiles now?? Right on the Pecos river and about 30 minutes from Brantley Reservoir State Park to the south and about an hour from the Sacramento Mountain playground to the west. I've heard that housing/apts is hard to find there do to the booming oil economy there.

Carlsbad pop 30,000 is an tourist town with the Carlsbad Caverns National monument there. Its on the Pecos river and i've seen people Jet ski right thru town and also intertube the river there. Brantley reservoir state park is about 10 minutes north. You have the Guadalupe mountains about 20/30 miles west of the city (check out Sitting Bull Falls). It has major hospitol and shopping where as Artesia does not and is building new housing thru out the city. Usually the hottest city in NM in the summer with temps constantly over 105 degrees although little humidity and lots of water recreation.

I'm know there's other posters who live in eastern NM but thats my take as a frequent visitor out there thru out my life....harry !

[danaj_80]

I am in North Alabama, my family is from Miami and some from Pensacola. So familiar with the state. My husband was stationed in El Paso, Tx, I absolutely hated it. But I went to Albuquerque twice while in El Paso, and loved it. I have since dreamed of returning to NM. Being out West was nice, Albuquerque appealed so much because they actually have grass and some smaller trees. The weather is outstanding, and you can breath easier in the lower humidity. The food is not bad, but I grew up on deep south cooking so hard to adjust at first.
If you dont mind a ton of sun, limited grass, and scorpions then NM could be exciting. One thing I was not prepared for was the stickers in the sand. I have dogs and I personally walk around bare foot occassionally. That stopped abruptly when we got out west. My poor dogs got to where they would not go into the sand to use the bathroom. I tried to run my toes in sand at a park that I considered safe and immediately got stuck in the toe. Either I am a total crybaby or the west has some MEAN stickers!

[ThatTNGuy]

Originally Posted by danaj_80

One thing I was not prepared for was the stickers in the sand. I have dogs and I personally walk around bare foot occassionally. That stopped abruptly when we got out west. My poor dogs got to where they would not go into the sand to use the bathroom. I tried to run my toes in sand at a park that I considered safe and immediately got stuck in the toe. Either I am a total crybaby or the west has some MEAN stickers!

Ah, goatheads! I remember them so well! Growing up, I quickly learned never to venture outside without putting my shoes on. In especially nasty cases, I can recall my foot swelling up due to the toxicity of the plant - not fun at all.

Certainly one thing I don't miss.

[tecpatl]

Goat stickers have to qualify as one of the Worlds Sharpest Seeds. Jeez they hurt in a bare foot. I don't know how my cat stands it, but he just hops on three feet and pulls em out with his teeth. I can't reach that far, myself....lol

[DesertPeace]

Originally Posted by rootseye

My wife and I are planning on moving to N.M. as soon as we can sell 0ur house. After reading comments on here it gives me second thoughts. Wow a lot of negative.
Living in Fla. We are ready to move back out west. My best friend was born and raised in Roswell. He speaks very highly of New Mexico,the people,culture,green chilies. We are from Durango. It has gotten expensive and grown into a beautiful town ,however we are looking for something a bit smaller. Considering Ruidoso or Red River. My wife and I love to spend time in Albquerque. We have always found the folks to be very friendly. And in the small towns we have met some very kind people. We have never experienced the negative things spoken about on here. Does anyone like living in N.M. besides my friend?
The air is very clean there compared to where we live. We see a few stars at night. Sometimes on a clear night you can see the big dipper...however I have never seen the milky way here. Any suggestions?
Dreaming of looking at the stars in New Mexico....... and seeing Chaco Canyon.......We still believe in the Land of Enchantment.......does anyone else????

Dear rootseye, sorry I did'nt see your post sooner. We are the crazy people who moved here without ever visiting, just went on instinct and I don't know why all you got was negative comments, when I first came here to this site all I got was positive info, check out my threads by DesertPeace, you will get a different perspective. We too have lived in Florida for 3 years, too humid and too many bugs, although beautiful. I have lived in California, Wyoming and Puerto Rico and was born and raised and went back to Rhode Island and we just left there to come here. We have been here for a little over a month and we love it, the weather is wonderful, the people are very friendly and it is quite inexpensive to live. We are in Las Cruces which is the second biggest city in NM, althouth it doesn't feel like a big city at all, everything is roomy but there are plenty of places to shop. I think it's about 2 & 1/2 hrs from Albu. Do some research onling like we did, I highly recommend it here. I don't have anything bad to say about LC. I would love to talk to you personally if youd like, Best Wishes, Joanne

[Devin Bent]

If you are thinking about moving to New Mexico -- you will get negative feedback from some. The two I hear most frequently are that
1) Santa Fe is expensive and by implication full of the idle rich
2) ABQ is crime-ridden.

But you will also hear other criticisms of other cities.

What I did:

1. Visited here and talked to people who lived here.
2. Looked up the data. And I found that ABQ is on nobody's list of the US's most crime ridden cities, and that SF is on nobody's list of the US's most expensive cities.

So we came here.