Hobbs... (Albuquerque, Clovis, Pecos: restaurant, vs., to eat)

[ckhthankgod]

Just curious, but is the reputation of Hobbs in NM? I only know about it due to its very good HS Basketball program, but is it more of say a blue collar town? Is it a mix? Is it more like West Texas due to its proximity to that state?

[eddie gein]

Hobbs is indistinguishable from from the Caprock portion of west Texas-Permian basin/Texas panhandle. Probably more like Texas than any other town in NM except for maybe Clovis which is also on basically on the state line. Oil worker town.

The basketball prominence basically revolved around legendary coach Ralph Tasker who coached there for decades. They were New Mexico's answer to John Wooden's UCLA teams from those days.

I was passing through Hobbs once in the '80s when the team was playing in the state basketball championship tourney in Albuquerque. The town was deserted like maybe a Christmas Eve night would be. I stopped to eat and they had the radio on the game. The staff in the small restaurant cheered and groaned as the game went along. Seems like it was Hobbs vs. Albuquerque. Mid 1980s. 1987 maybe. I remember that they won a close game and that I stayed after I ate to hear the end of the game. A fond memory for me.

[elkotronics]

Hobbs is indistinguishable from from the Caprock portion of west Texas-Permian basin/Texas panhandle. Probably more like Texas than any other town in NM except for maybe Clovis which is also on basically on the state line. Oil worker town.

The basketball prominence basically revolved around legendary coach Ralph Tasker who coached there for decades. They were New Mexico's answer to John Wooden's UCLA teams from those days.

I was passing through Hobbs once in the '80s when the team was playing in the state basketball championship tourney in Albuquerque. The town was deserted like maybe a Christmas Eve night would be. I stopped to eat and they had the radio on the game. The staff in the small restaurant cheered and groaned as the game went along. Seems like it was Hobbs vs. Albuquerque. Mid 1980s. 1987 maybe. I remember that they won a close game and that I stayed after I ate to hear the end of the game. A fond memory for me.

Thanks for sharing that memory, eddie gein. I appreciate you bringing it up.

[mike0421]

Hobbs was one of the last major towns in New Mexico that I had yet to visit until September of last year. My son and I went on a road trip to Fort Worth to witness our Giants get slaughtered by the Cowboys. We ate at a wonderful restaurant called Casey's. I have to say in my time spent there that Hobbs was more unlike any other New Mexico city that I have visited in the sense that it did not feel like New Mexico whatsoever. I felt like I was in the heart of Texas. If you see the geographical location, and consider that most of New Mexico's boundary is nothing more than an arbitrary surveyor's line in the earth based on longitude and latitude, you can easily make this distinction. A better way to judge New Mexico culturally is to evaluate the natural features (i.e. rivers and mountains) to understand the cultural separation points. To me, the consummate New Mexico begins once you pass over the Sacramento Mountain range headed west, or the Pecos River, depending on your perspective. Hobbs is far east of both of those.

[C24L]

Originally Posted by ckhthankgod

Just curious, but is the reputation of Hobbs in NM? I only know about it due to its very good HS Basketball program, but is it more of say a blue collar town? Is it a mix? Is it more like West Texas due to its proximity to that state?

Hobbs is a blue collar town and has a bad reputation although i was pleasantly surprised last time i was there when i was in the area of the Rec Center or whatever its called.Hobbs does not feel like New Mexico at all to me.They dont call it part of Little Texas for nothing.Best of luck to u,OP.Hobbs is just like West Texas.