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First, thanks for even thinking about reading this big thing, though I was relieved early on to find that many here don't mind sloshing through these sagas. So please stay with me if you will. Virtually a lifelong Long Islander, I’ve long been strongly attracted to many semi-arid landscapes west of Texas, much more so since my teens than I ever was to lakes, rivers or shorelines. Tall mountains (or buildings) give me the willies, but I’m very attracted to many distant truncated brownish red/orange mesas, almost as much as the surrounding semi arid landscapes of Mecca and Boron, CA and similar areas in CA, AZ and NM.
Sadly, while I’ve made so many friends online at numerous forums, my intense fear of flying has ruined my chances of ever meeting them or the wonderful places where some of them live. Indeed, the only time I expect to be flying again will be when I’ve so narrowed my retirement choices that I’ll need to spend some weeks living there.
My only experience living or even just visiting any of the western states was when I was 13. I had bad asthma since I was 5th months old (until I was 24) and when I had attacks gasping for air my Mom could only hold me over the bathtub, run the cold shower and have me inhale the cold mist. That barely helped until the attack subsided. With the death of my father two years earlier and no doctors offering any alternative therapies or drugs, taking someone’s advice my Mom had me live for 13 months at a children’s hospital for asthmatics in Denver in 1965. They ran tests and had kids use the medicated nebulizers, though which only a year later or less would be available by prescription back home! Yes, timing is everything. Of course, I was too young and sometimes too sick to much care or notice my surroundings beyond the hospital. It was about 12 miles from the Denver metro area. As the city was then comparatively tiny, walkable and even fairly clean, I’d sometimes hop the bus to go there with some other kids to buy records and do some exploring. Coincidentally, I had an Aunt and Uncle who had long lived in Colorado Springs. They took me horseback riding, a trip to the zoo (my first up close experience with a tiger) and some area near the Rockies with a waterfall. Then, back at the dorm where I lived with 23 other boys, I was sitting on afternoon in the inner quad area around the pool table when I felt my first ever earthquake. I looked up at the corner ~ 15 ft windowed ceiling and saw it tremble as the whole building shook for about 2 seconds; then it was over. I never felt a quake again until it happened here on Long Island, of all places, in 2011. I was at my desk at work and suddenly it felt like the entire building was on wheels. It must have been a big one as I read that the epicenter was in VA, though this doesn’t much jibe with my USGS findings for that area. Luckily, there were no injuries or properly losses.
Today, as a municipal planner amassing what I only assume are reasonably accurate USGS, NOAA and other environmental data, I find Colorado while long blessed with relatively vibrant economic and health care ratings, at least east of the Rockies, sinkholes and tornadoes not many miles east Route 25 are not uncommon. And its jagged, looming, silver white mountains get me feeling anxious, as do numerous aging dams and inflated land and home prices. So Colorado doesn’t make my list of retirement locations, nor does home pricey, sinkhole and quake prone UT and/or WY. And even worse than previous years, 2020 has so far seen the worst of human-driven climate changing wildfires in Arizona, MT and OR. Of course, long ago the once beautiful and even partly livable CA is a now a horrifying write off for all kinds of reasons.
Thus, if I find that no areas in upstate NY meeting my alternate retirement criteria, I’ve settled on only two other options: Pima County, AZ and Grant County, NM. In a perfect world it might be Flagstaff or Scottsdale, AZ or Sandoval County, NM. But those parts of AZ and NM are too snake and/or sinkhole prone. While having no issues owning and using guns against would be burglars, people carrying guns while aggressively asserting their right of center political views tries my comfort level, though I could be wrong about the frequency of this being typical in Pima. Indeed, I’d share their views on over immigration (of all ethnicities, ages, economic classes and education levels), but I’d expect not on much else. OTOH, a 16 month Grass Valley resident said politics in Pima seems pretty much like a 50/50 mix, so that's more reassuring.
In a perfect world I’d almost surely head for Sandoval County, NM, as I know of several New Yorkers living in Rio Rancho, and old timers like Norio here really loves it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkP7-_PlIto
But even if a geophysicist had OKed a desirable home or land plot there and for 1000 feet around it, search[ sinkholes Rio Rancho ] at Youtube and see the bad road accidents which have and when continue happening on busy and even not so busy roads there. A real heartbreaking shame in the Land of Enchantment.
That leaves Pima County, which like Grant should be relatively free of sinkholes, high force earthquakes and tornadoes. I’ve chatted a lot here with Pima residents who’ve given me what I believe is a fair and accurate assessment of what retirement life would be like in Green Valley and other places some ways from Tucson-a city I’d hope to visit as seldom as possible. Pima may be a few degrees cooler than blazing Phoenix, which probably isn’t saying much comfort wise, though never having been there I couldn’t say. A possible upside is that while very healthy for my age, I am partially anemic and thus don’t feel the heat quite as much as many do. However, I don’t know how I would fare with the dryness of it all. I have typical skin and suppose that if I have PLENTY of purified water available from my own well where I would purchase or build my house, and use the correct skin cream to lock in moisture I would be okay-and if my HVAC system is always kept in trouble free condition.
But speaking of heat, I read that Green Valley and/or other populated parts in Pima had only narrowly escaped being badly hit by a long lasting wildfire around August. And if the November election goes as many expect, only the miracle workers at MIT (e.g. asbestos absorbing CO2?) and the like will offer any chance to appreciably decelerate human-driven climate change, which will otherwise induce more frequent, numerous, widespread, hotter and longer lasting wildfires hitting every western state. Places like Green Valley may not
be so lucky in the coming years.
Meanwhile, any and all things you Grant folks could say about Pima, good and bad, would be a huge help.
Now here are my questions and what I’ve learned about Grant:
1.) COVID-driven population changes: Grant is ~ 5X larger than Nassau County, Long Island, where I live (~1.35 million) though it’s been home to little more than ~ 28,000. The US NEWS report on Grant County did note a ~ 1.6% population drop. Beyond this, some parts of the US have experienced considerable population gains and losses due to COVID driven exoduses. Has Grant, specifically the Silver City area, noticeably been so impacted?
2.) Housing: Presently. in addition to a somewhat more vibrant and/or diversified economy perhaps more plentiful medical facilities, the biggest attraction Pima has for me over Grant is that quality housing is more plentiful and of much better value. I’ve seen beautiful 2500 ft homes for ~ $360K, while older, smaller and less attractive homes in and around Silver are priced at $400K or more, and with no better property tax savings. What factors may account for this?
3.) Food Availability: While I’d like to occasionally try some of the locally prepared café cuisine, I like plates of green/red/yellow salads and typically make my own food. Therefore, I would be depending on fresh produce from Wal-Mart, Albertsons and some local growers for romaine lettuce, carrots, fat and juicy cucumbers, red onions and red peppers. Assuming authentic king salmon is unavailable, has anyone seen Gortons frozen flounder fillets and fish sticks? Frozen broccoli florets and frozen peas and carrots are also must. And low fat ground round beef on occasion. Some of the Healthy Choice frozen dinners (e.g. Adobo chicken) are pretty good too.
4.) Water quality/quantity: I’d hope to find an acre or so of affordable land not far from Silver Heights Blvd. But at what distance from that or most other roads, along which are quality goods and services, have there been reports of well water shortages?
Or water which for some reasons is especially hard to purify?
And have many of you have problems related to this?
5.) Flood Zone: Though claims of climate change-induced “nonsoons” had been expected, semi-arid and outright arid places in AZ and NM are typically hit yearly but floods, sometimes devastatingly like those which have hit Silver City. I haven’t yet reviewed any flood zone maps or asked Grant’s Planning and Building departments about any specifics, but are there large areas within 15 miles of Silver Heights Blvd which never get hit by floods?
6.) Wildfires & Lightning Strikes: From what I’ve read this year’s Tadpole fire may have killed one person and end up burning ~ 7000 acres. I’m no expert on climatology , but perhaps due to Grant’s higher elevation and cooler temps does it typically get hit less from wildfires than Pima? Otherwise, how badly has Silver, Pinos Altos, Mimbres and other nearby municipalities suffered from wildfires?
Are most fires started by lightning strikes? If yes, how wise is it to try protecting your home from them by installing lightning conductor rods some prescribed distance from your house and detached garage?
Have many homes been hit by lightning?
And have Grant’s nine fire departments been able to consistently protect lives and property in recent years?
7.) Healthcare Quality: Besides Gila Medical Center, is there some number of reputable physicians and dentists in private practice in Silver or nearby? Might one have to travel to Cruces for better health care?
8.) Elevation Induced Breathing Problems: Except for my 13 month stay in Denver when I was 13, I’ve always lived at sea level here on Long Island. Has anyone who’s likewise lived mostly in coastal areas experienced any breathing issues with NM elevations, which likely average 6000 feet?
9.) HVAC & Well Water Services: As much as I’d love hiking in places like the CDT, even youngsters in their early 70s should think twice about spending much time in the hot dry NM outdoors. and where you could meet up with snakes and other such dangers even in the day time. Besides, I’m quite the homebody. Is most of Grant well served by local HVAC and well water service companies?
10.) Car Repair: Might I have trouble getting competent local service a later model Honda Accord or Pilot?
11.) Wifi Access: I hope to make a lot of friends and share good times with them in Grant or Pima, but I do spend considerable time online frequently every week. Are monthly internet service rates no more costly than in Cruces, T or C, Gordo or ABQ?
Frequent wifi outages? Or if problems with streaming from youtube, is that easily fixed with wifi booster devices?
12) Snakes, Scorpions, Hazardous Wildlife: Is it true that Gilas are said to be too slow moving and reclusive to be dangerous, except for the dopes who would deliberately touch one?
And if I have professionally installed snake fencing around my front and side yards, have a detached garage away from my house and keep the yards barren, save for some small trees, what else should I do to be free of snakes?
And if I build a new house with solid and elevated foundations will I likely be free of any indoor scorpion visits?
But will black widows and other poisonous spiders still be a common problem?
13.) Speaking of trees, do the palm trees you typically find in places like Mecca, CA grow well in places like Grant?
14.) Crime & Poverty: The US NEWS report gave Grant and overall public safety score of 47. And it cited property crime rate 20% higher and violent crime twice the national average. Presumably, given Grant’s comparatively small 29,514 population, the + 0.9% higher unemployment rate could be keenly felt. This problem certainly contributes higher propensities for criminal behavior, which might particularly impact seniors; and those with nicer homes and furnishings could be especially at risk, while likely impacting their home and auto insurance costs.
How well have the local police been patrolling residential and business communities?
Chief among the causes of such crime is likely to be poverty in Grant, which the US NEWS report says is 6.3% higher than nationally. What have appointed and elected Grant and Silver government officials been doing to reduce the poverty rate and thereby reduce the causes for more violent crime and home burglaries?
15.) Earthquake & Volcanic Risks: Except for that ~ 5.? force quake the epicenter of which the USGS thought was Lordsburg but turned out to be Duncan in Graham County, AZ, has there been any quake or volcanic activity in Grant beyond occasional tremors?
16.) Dust Devils, Haboobs or Tornadoes: Any such activity? Casualties?
17.) Sanitation Services & Recycling: Do garbage trucks do pickups twice weekly? Does Grant or private companies do any glass/plastic/metal/paper recycling?
Is there a 5 cent or other cash or credit return on water and soda bottles at Wal-Mart and/or Albertsons?
18.) Power Outages: Do residential power grid failures happen often? If yes, do they often persist for more than 24 hours?
19.) Residential Gas Shortages: Do shortages persist more than a day or so?
20.) Building Costs in Grant County: Have you noticed many new homes built in Silver, Mimbres, Pinos Altos or other areas within ~ 16 miles of Silver Heights Blvd within the last 4 years?
Might there have been many new ones in the $350K to $400K range?
Would you know if the contractors were local or from another county or out of state?
Also, when I see land for sale (which hopefully won't be too far from Walmarts, Albertsons and quality medical/dental care) selling for 15, 20, 100 acres or more, will many sellers agree to sell just one acre?
I'm sure there are apps that can estimate comparative building costs for a given type of home in Grant County vs. Dona Ana County vs. Columbia County, NY, vs. Greene County, NY, et al. Of course, other considerations must be factored in: Architect's fee, Non-LLC Building Manager to supervise and verify construction per a punch list of specified materials and building techniques, insurance and other precautions.
Please be generous with your building and real estate advice and experience here, as trusting too much in what realtors or the local chamber of commerce may tell you could be unwise.
21.) Public Library Services: Do local libraries allow patrons to borrow DVDs and BDs of newly released Hollywood movies?
22.) Taxes & Fees: Aside from general and school taxes are there any sales, special district or other taxes or fees that add appreciably to the yearly homeowner tax bill?
23.) Grant’s Long Term Economic Health: While unemployment was rated at slightly higher than the national average, the US NEWS report on Grant gave no serious cause for concern.
It indicates that many are employed in the education and healthcare sectors. But I read that something like 15% of Grant’s work force are employed in the copper and/or other mining industry. Have there been any indications that the mines are shipping out less ore due to natural shortages and/or lack of demand?
Are there any other new or existing economic sectors which seem to be growing in popularity and sales?
Indeed, if one can rely on the accuracy of the otherwise very complete US NEWS report on Grant, it appears that I might have reason to expect a happy retirement there. Please review the report. https://www.usnews.com/news/healthie...o/grant-county
But I am still uncertain about Grant’s crime and poverty rates, at least within 18 miles of Silver Heights Blvd, or other supermarket areas along Route 180.
Also environmental hazards, especially lightning strikes, floods and wildfires.
Again, sorry for the length but seriously contemplating what will likely have to be a one way move from NY to NM is a huge and scary step. And I can't convince any friends or relatives to consider moving out here with me. Therefore, please try to respond to my specific questions as best you can. Thanks!
Last edited by Longislandmire; 11-02-2020 at 12:50 PM..
Take a deep breath, and take a chance. Go with your gut feeling. I did that a long time ago, lived for 11 years in Placitas, and left as a man who had changed for the better.
Take a deep breath, and take a chance. Go with your gut feeling. I did that a long time ago, lived for 11 years in Placitas, and left as a man who had changed for the better.
If yes, may I ask why you left Placitas? Climate? Cost of living?
I appreciate your reply but I’m too old and have only so much disposable savings to spend on quality housing to simply “take a chance” on moving to just any retirement location. As a teacher once said those who fail to plan are planning to fail. But yes, “gut feeling” about a place is a very real though hardly the only factor for making the final choice. Another teacher once said Nature is commanded by numbers and to a substantial extent so are we, in what we are and have and the things which we can do, or cannot do well or without possibly serious consequences.
Thus, I’ve learned the value of how to avoid serious wasting of time and money by conducting thorough research. That allowed me to enumerate and then eliminate important variables, while uncovering problems which may or may not then be suitably correctable.
Applying this process allowed me to narrow my retirement location choices from dozens-including those
outside the US like Canada, Australia, Costa Rica and Brasil-essentially down to three. That took months
of research though one of those choices-upstate NY-additional research will be needed before I can decide
on a specific county. And that must be postponed for a year or so before I retire.
Meanwhile, I’m hoping some Grant County residents here will reply to my questions.
Nice to hear that the place you chose has blessed you with fine living.
Wildfires, flash floods, lightning, hail, earthquakes (albeit small ones), wildlife interaction and water are all risks in the mountain west. Where you are looking, snow, freezing temps and blizzards aren't a high risk, but with the climate changing the way it is, it wouldn't rule it out.
The western US uses Prior Appropriation Doctrine to distribute water. Please deeply investigate your water sources for where ever you decide to land. People fight intensely over water access. Also be aware the acreage size of lots may grant differing rights of use for water.
First, thanks for even thinking about reading this big thing, though I was relieved early on to find that many here don't mind sloshing through these sagas. So please stay with me if you will. Virtually a lifelong Long Islander, I’ve long been strongly attracted to many semi-arid landscapes west of Texas, much more so since my teens than I ever was to lakes, rivers or shorelines. Tall mountains (or buildings) give me the willies, but I’m very attracted to many distant truncated brownish red/orange mesas, almost as much as the surrounding semi arid landscapes of Mecca and Boron, CA and similar areas in CA, AZ and NM.
Sadly, while I’ve made so many friends online at numerous forums, my intense fear of flying has ruined my chances of ever meeting them or the wonderful places where some of them live. Indeed, the only time I expect to be flying again will be when I’ve so narrowed my retirement choices that I’ll need to spend some weeks living there.
My only experience living or even just visiting any of the western states was when I was 13. I had bad asthma since I was 5th months old (until I was 24) and when I had attacks gasping for air my Mom could only hold me over the bathtub, run the cold shower and have me inhale the cold mist. That barely helped until the attack subsided. With the death of my father two years earlier and no doctors offering any alternative therapies or drugs, taking someone’s advice my Mom had me live for 13 months at a children’s hospital for asthmatics in Denver in 1965. They ran tests and had kids use the medicated nebulizers, though which only a year later or less would be available by prescription back home! Yes, timing is everything. Of course, I was too young and sometimes too sick to much care or notice my surroundings beyond the hospital. It was about 12 miles from the Denver metro area. As the city was then comparatively tiny, walkable and even fairly clean, I’d sometimes hop the bus to go there with some other kids to buy records and do some exploring. Coincidentally, I had an Aunt and Uncle who had long lived in Colorado Springs. They took me horseback riding, a trip to the zoo (my first up close experience with a tiger) and some area near the Rockies with a waterfall. Then, back at the dorm where I lived with 23 other boys, I was sitting on afternoon in the inner quad area around the pool table when I felt my first ever earthquake. I looked up at the corner ~ 15 ft windowed ceiling and saw it tremble as the whole building shook for about 2 seconds; then it was over. I never felt a quake again until it happened here on Long Island, of all places, in 2011. I was at my desk at work and suddenly it felt like the entire building was on wheels. It must have been a big one as I read that the epicenter was in VA, though this doesn’t much jibe with my USGS findings for that area. Luckily, there were no injuries or properly losses.
Today, as a municipal planner amassing what I only assume are reasonably accurate USGS, NOAA and other environmental data, I find Colorado while long blessed with relatively vibrant economic and health care ratings, at least east of the Rockies, sinkholes and tornadoes not many miles east Route 25 are not uncommon. And its jagged, looming, silver white mountains get me feeling anxious, as do numerous aging dams and inflated land and home prices. So Colorado doesn’t make my list of retirement locations, nor does home pricey, sinkhole and quake prone UT and/or WY. And even worse than previous years, 2020 has so far seen the worst of human-driven climate changing wildfires in Arizona, MT and OR. Of course, long ago the once beautiful and even partly livable CA is a now a horrifying write off for all kinds of reasons.
Thus, if I find that no areas in upstate NY meeting my alternate retirement criteria, I’ve settled on only two other options: Pima County, AZ and Grant County, NM. In a perfect world it might be Flagstaff or Scottsdale, AZ or Sandoval County, NM. But those parts of AZ and NM are too snake and/or sinkhole prone. While having no issues owning and using guns against would be burglars, people carrying guns while aggressively asserting their right of center political views tries my comfort level, though I could be wrong about the frequency of this being typical in Pima. Indeed, I’d share their views on over immigration (of all ethnicities, ages, economic classes and education levels), but I’d expect not on much else. OTOH, a 16 month Grass Valley resident said politics in Pima seems pretty much like a 50/50 mix, so that's more reassuring.
In a perfect world I’d almost surely head for Sandoval County, NM, as I know of several New Yorkers living in Rio Rancho, and old timers like Norio here really loves it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkP7-_PlIto
But even if a geophysicist had OKed a desirable home or land plot there and for 1000 feet around it, search[ sinkholes Rio Rancho ] at Youtube and see the bad road accidents which have and when continue happening on busy and even not so busy roads there. A real heartbreaking shame in the Land of Enchantment.
That leaves Pima County, which like Grant should be relatively free of sinkholes, high force earthquakes and tornadoes. I’ve chatted a lot here with Pima residents who’ve given me what I believe is a fair and accurate assessment of what retirement life would be like in Green Valley and other places some ways from Tucson-a city I’d hope to visit as seldom as possible. Pima may be a few degrees cooler than blazing Phoenix, which probably isn’t saying much comfort wise, though never having been there I couldn’t say. A possible upside is that while very healthy for my age, I am partially anemic and thus don’t feel the heat quite as much as many do. However, I don’t know how I would fare with the dryness of it all. I have typical skin and suppose that if I have PLENTY of purified water available from my own well where I would purchase or build my house, and use the correct skin cream to lock in moisture I would be okay-and if my HVAC system is always kept in trouble free condition.
But speaking of heat, I read that Green Valley and/or other populated parts in Pima had only narrowly escaped being badly hit by a long lasting wildfire around August. And if the November election goes as many expect, only the miracle workers at MIT (e.g. asbestos absorbing CO2?) and the like will offer any chance to appreciably decelerate human-driven climate change, which will otherwise induce more frequent, numerous, widespread, hotter and longer lasting wildfires hitting every western state. Places like Green Valley may not
be so lucky in the coming years.
Meanwhile, any and all things you Grant folks could say about Pima, good and bad, would be a huge help.
Now here are my questions and what I’ve learned about Grant:
1.) COVID-driven population changes: Grant is ~ 5X larger than Nassau County, Long Island, where I live (~1.35 million) though it’s been home to little more than ~ 28,000. The US NEWS report on Grant County did note a ~ 1.6% population drop. Beyond this, some parts of the US have experienced considerable population gains and losses due to COVID driven exoduses. Has Grant, specifically the Silver City area, noticeably been so impacted?
2.) Housing: Presently. in addition to a somewhat more vibrant and/or diversified economy perhaps more plentiful medical facilities, the biggest attraction Pima has for me over Grant is that quality housing is more plentiful and of much better value. I’ve seen beautiful 2500 ft homes for ~ $360K, while older, smaller and less attractive homes in and around Silver are priced at $400K or more, and with no better property tax savings. What factors may account for this?
3.) Food Availability: While I’d like to occasionally try some of the locally prepared café cuisine, I like plates of green/red/yellow salads and typically make my own food. Therefore, I would be depending on fresh produce from Wal-Mart, Albertsons and some local growers for romaine lettuce, carrots, fat and juicy cucumbers, red onions and red peppers. Assuming authentic king salmon is unavailable, has anyone seen Gortons frozen flounder fillets and fish sticks? Frozen broccoli florets and frozen peas and carrots are also must. And low fat ground round beef on occasion. Some of the Healthy Choice frozen dinners (e.g. Adobo chicken) are pretty good too.
4.) Water quality/quantity: I’d hope to find an acre or so of affordable land not far from Silver Heights Blvd. But at what distance from that or most other roads, along which are quality goods and services, have there been reports of well water shortages?
Or water which for some reasons is especially hard to purify?
And have many of you have problems related to this?
5.) Flood Zone: Though claims of climate change-induced “nonsoons” had been expected, semi-arid and outright arid places in AZ and NM are typically hit yearly but floods, sometimes devastatingly like those which have hit Silver City. I haven’t yet reviewed any flood zone maps or asked Grant’s Planning and Building departments about any specifics, but are there large areas within 15 miles of Silver Heights Blvd which never get hit by floods?
6.) Wildfires & Lightning Strikes: From what I’ve read this year’s Tadpole fire may have killed one person and end up burning ~ 7000 acres. I’m no expert on climatology , but perhaps due to Grant’s higher elevation and cooler temps does it typically get hit less from wildfires than Pima? Otherwise, how badly has Silver, Pinos Altos, Mimbres and other nearby municipalities suffered from wildfires?
Are most fires started by lightning strikes? If yes, how wise is it to try protecting your home from them by installing lightning conductor rods some prescribed distance from your house and detached garage?
Have many homes been hit by lightning?
And have Grant’s nine fire departments been able to consistently protect lives and property in recent years?
7.) Healthcare Quality: Besides Gila Medical Center, is there some number of reputable physicians and dentists in private practice in Silver or nearby? Might one have to travel to Cruces for better health care?
8.) Elevation Induced Breathing Problems: Except for my 13 month stay in Denver when I was 13, I’ve always lived at sea level here on Long Island. Has anyone who’s likewise lived mostly in coastal areas experienced any breathing issues with NM elevations, which likely average 6000 feet?
9.) HVAC & Well Water Services: As much as I’d love hiking in places like the CDT, even youngsters in their early 70s should think twice about spending much time in the hot dry NM outdoors. and where you could meet up with snakes and other such dangers even in the day time. Besides, I’m quite the homebody. Is most of Grant well served by local HVAC and well water service companies?
10.) Car Repair: Might I have trouble getting competent local service a later model Honda Accord or Pilot?
11.) Wifi Access: I hope to make a lot of friends and share good times with them in Grant or Pima, but I do spend considerable time online frequently every week. Are monthly internet service rates no more costly than in Cruces, T or C, Gordo or ABQ?
Frequent wifi outages? Or if problems with streaming from youtube, is that easily fixed with wifi booster devices?
12) Snakes, Scorpions, Hazardous Wildlife: Is it true that Gilas are said to be too slow moving and reclusive to be dangerous, except for the dopes who would deliberately touch one?
And if I have professionally installed snake fencing around my front and side yards, have a detached garage away from my house and keep the yards barren, save for some small trees, what else should I do to be free of snakes?
And if I build a new house with solid and elevated foundations will I likely be free of any indoor scorpion visits?
But will black widows and other poisonous spiders still be a common problem?
13.) Speaking of trees, do the palm trees you typically find in places like Mecca, CA grow well in places like Grant?
14.) Crime & Poverty: The US NEWS report gave Grant and overall public safety score of 47. And it cited property crime rate 20% higher and violent crime twice the national average. Presumably, given Grant’s comparatively small 29,514 population, the + 0.9% higher unemployment rate could be keenly felt. This problem certainly contributes higher propensities for criminal behavior, which might particularly impact seniors; and those with nicer homes and furnishings could be especially at risk, while likely impacting their home and auto insurance costs.
How well have the local police been patrolling residential and business communities?
Chief among the causes of such crime is likely to be poverty in Grant, which the US NEWS report says is 6.3% higher than nationally. What have appointed and elected Grant and Silver government officials been doing to reduce the poverty rate and thereby reduce the causes for more violent crime and home burglaries?
15.) Earthquake & Volcanic Risks: Except for that ~ 5.? force quake the epicenter of which the USGS thought was Lordsburg but turned out to be Duncan in Graham County, AZ, has there been any quake or volcanic activity in Grant beyond occasional tremors?
16.) Dust Devils, Haboobs or Tornadoes: Any such activity? Casualties?
17.) Sanitation Services & Recycling: Do garbage trucks do pickups twice weekly? Does Grant or private companies do any glass/plastic/metal/paper recycling?
Is there a 5 cent or other cash or credit return on water and soda bottles at Wal-Mart and/or Albertsons?
18.) Power Outages: Do residential power grid failures happen often? If yes, do they often persist for more than 24 hours?
19.) Residential Gas Shortages: Do shortages persist more than a day or so?
20.) Building Costs in Grant County: Have you noticed many new homes built in Silver, Mimbres, Pinos Altos or other areas within ~ 16 miles of Silver Heights Blvd within the last 4 years?
Might there have been many new ones in the $350K to $400K range?
Would you know if the contractors were local or from another county or out of state?
Also, when I see land for sale (which hopefully won't be too far from Walmarts, Albertsons and quality medical/dental care) selling for 15, 20, 100 acres or more, will many sellers agree to sell just one acre?
I'm sure there are apps that can estimate comparative building costs for a given type of home in Grant County vs. Dona Ana County vs. Columbia County, NY, vs. Greene County, NY, et al. Of course, other considerations must be factored in: Architect's fee, Non-LLC Building Manager to supervise and verify construction per a punch list of specified materials and building techniques, insurance and other precautions.
Please be generous with your building and real estate advice and experience here, as trusting too much in what realtors or the local chamber of commerce may tell you could be unwise.
21.) Public Library Services: Do local libraries allow patrons to borrow DVDs and BDs of newly released Hollywood movies?
22.) Taxes & Fees: Aside from general and school taxes are there any sales, special district or other taxes or fees that add appreciably to the yearly homeowner tax bill?
23.) Grant’s Long Term Economic Health: While unemployment was rated at slightly higher than the national average, the US NEWS report on Grant gave no serious cause for concern.
It indicates that many are employed in the education and healthcare sectors. But I read that something like 15% of Grant’s work force are employed in the copper and/or other mining industry. Have there been any indications that the mines are shipping out less ore due to natural shortages and/or lack of demand?
Are there any other new or existing economic sectors which seem to be growing in popularity and sales?
Indeed, if one can rely on the accuracy of the otherwise very complete US NEWS report on Grant, it appears that I might have reason to expect a happy retirement there. Please review the report. https://www.usnews.com/news/healthie...o/grant-county
But I am still uncertain about Grant’s crime and poverty rates, at least within 18 miles of Silver Heights Blvd, or other supermarket areas along Route 180.
Also environmental hazards, especially lightning strikes, floods and wildfires.
Again, sorry for the length but seriously contemplating what will likely have to be a one way move from NY to NM is a huge and scary step. And I can't convince any friends or relatives to consider moving out here with me. Therefore, please try to respond to my specific questions as best you can. Thanks!
i wouldnt worry about volcanoes in the area since it was so long ago.
Wildfires, flash floods, lightning, hail, earthquakes (albeit small ones), wildlife interaction and water are all risks in the mountain west. Where you are looking, snow, freezing temps and blizzards aren't a high risk, but with the climate changing the way it is, it wouldn't rule it out.
The western US uses Prior Appropriation Doctrine to distribute water. Please deeply investigate your water sources for where ever you decide to land. People fight intensely over water access. Also be aware the acreage size of lots may grant differing rights of use for water.
As I'm sure many in your part of the country are aware, the entire environmental, economic and political realities of water throughout most semi-arid parts of most western states are steeped in a harsh but often self-perpetuating irony. All of these regions have always naturally faced hazardous water shortages-injurious to the health of all but the most robust biota, the agricultural and numerous other industries-and which climate change will likely escalate. At the same time these same regions are impacted at least once or twice yearly by hazardous flash flooding and/or annual monsoons. Obviously, few seem to have the resources to dam rivers and large lakes and build roads with enough culverts and arroyos for diverting flood waters to within safety limits. And though some western states like CO, including counties like El Paso, have successfully attracted diversified industries to thus enjoy a vibrant economy, CO's ~ 25 hazardously aging dams are in serious need of expensive repair. Meanwhile, thinly capitalized places like Grant County, NM have no where near the funds to re-channel much if any flood waters to reduce public safety risks, much less for water reclamation. And while Pima County, AZ is economically on par with affluent El Paso, it's doubtful whether it will ever amass the political will to raise even limited term revenues for building infrastructure to better mitigate flood risks and contain and regulate those waters for public and commercial use.
But while aware of the water challenges impacting western states, I don't claim any specialized expertise, and can do little more now than to research, select and plan for keeping my retirement future out of harm's way. How successfully I can do this is a very scary and even despairing business, as I will unlikely have a second chance to relocate. One or two mistakes in the entire region and land plot selection, purchase and house building process can eventually cause me serious financial and even physical harm.
Thanks very much for citing this critical piece of information for anyone moving out of state, especially to water restricted regions like the American west. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prior-...n_water_rights This report apparently cautions any prospective newcomer to most western states never to depend on municipal water service for at least two reasons: As reported in this local TV newscast, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W50qIvXHPVE Silver City residents were complaining about "cloudy" and/or foul tasting water. The blame was directed at one or more mining companies in Grant County who the report said were apparently attempting to placate plaintiffs by gifting them bottled water for some period. I couldn't find any follow up reports on this and the Grant Planning official I spoke with claimed he never heard of this incident. So potable water quality alone could be a concern, though there are likely practical and affordable ways around this for one or two person households. https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/sto...ad&flyout=true
Of course, far worse would be limited water availability and the doctrine you cite generally holds that "…. water rights are unconnected to land ownership, and can be sold or mortgaged like other property. These rights can be lost over time if non-use of the water source is demonstrated or if the water has not been used for a certain number of years."
And while the Grant County planner had "freshened my glass" with news that the land where I'd likely want to build my home would have access to the municipal water mains (for which I'd certainly be charged for), wouldn't it be much wiser for me to hire a drilling company to drill for and purify my own water supply?
Please share any knowledge on how best to manage this very critical reality.
My "dream house" would sit on between 1/2 and 1 acre. It would like be little more than a one story 2500 sq home made of quake resistant reinforced brick or adobe looking material, like some of the great looking homes I've seen for sale in the Tucson area. It would have a breezeway, small kitchen, a few big rooms with 12 foot sloping ceilings for acoustical reasons, a partially finished and hopefully fire resistant basement, a hallway with narrow rooms for the stackable washer/dryer, HVAC system and storage, and a detached garage. A ~ 3 ft fine mesh steel fencing around the property to keep out scorpions and snakes and concealed wifi assisted video surveillance for when I'm out food shopping or at the doctor's office. If affordable, practical and hack proof, 6 ft electrified fine mesh fencing might be a sensible option.
Besides Grant and Pima, I had investigated many other counties throughout AZ and NM, but the greater risks for sinkholes, wildfires and/or lower access to quality goods and services ruled them out. Also considered were NV and CO, which while perhaps more practical for retirees with decent income portfolios, savings and heath benefits, housing and land values, such as east of the Rockies, are usually too pricey. Ditto for most of southwestern CO, like Durango. OTOH, going not much further east of Loveland, Denver, Fort Collins and high priced Erie along Rte 25 and you can meet up with tornadoes and sinkholes, say NOAA and USGS maps.
Of course, I've yet to find a place that's anywhere near perfect:
Among things that trouble or at least deeply concern me about Grant county is its long term economic health (a concern even for reasonably comfortable pensioners in their 70s), reliability of essential public services, violent crime, burglary, teen pregnancy and poverty rates versus, availability of at least one pharmacy offering reputable Rx drug compounding, potential wifi reception beyond boosting needs and service rates, reputable HVAC and car repair services, continued disparities of educational attainment between communities and better health care quality and accessibility for seniors.
As per the above report Grant needs to hire more police, impose harsher sentences for repeat offenders and hire and/or fire social workers to reduce these misbehaviors which badly impact Grant's reputation and economic stability. Indeed, this negligence is likely why Grant appears not to be actively pursuing and/or having success in attracting outside industries, probably for at least some of the reasons most NM counties haven't either. Can Grant really afford to flirt with the potentially fatal mistake of becoming over confident and over reliant on the viability of its mining sector which employ ~ 1.5% of Grant's ~ 29000 people and from which it likely draws revenues for mining rights and other use fees? https://fcx.com/sites/fcx/files/docu...wMexico_EI.pdf
Obviously, if this major economic sector were ever to close or even partially downsize in Grant's small economy, despite its equally small population, the financial repercussions would be very serious. Thus, while the age old atrocities of urbanization that have plagued much of America should hardly be an acceptable future, Grant needs to work harder and smarter to minimize those cited impediments to enable it to attract greater and more selective economic diversification and thereby achieve a better and safer quality of life.
I won't bother discussing what the metro NY COVID exoduses have to done to my prospects for finding desirable vacant land in the northeast except to say it's all very bad news. And if it's bad enough by the time I get close to retiring and then narrowing my search for relatively safe and desirable land, I may then have little choice but to take my chances in places like Grant or even more wildfire and water challenged threatened Pima, where in Tucson homeowners were concerned that Big Aggie could tap too much into their water supply. They best learn of and heed that doctrine and drill for their own water.
Needless to say, both human-induced climate change and more anticipated over immigration-legal as well as illegal-of all ethnicities, ages, economic classes and education levels will only make everything more hazardous and expensive.
Last edited by Longislandmire; 11-20-2020 at 12:21 PM..
What a pleasure it is to see someone residing on the east coast take a long and serious investigative approach to understand the water situation in the west. You have certainly taken an approach to understanding the impacts it will have on your retirement much more seriously than most I've seen on these forums. My hat's off to you.
At this point, its difficult to predict what our current healthcare crisis will do for these more remote towns in the mountain west. While this current situation has made a percentage of persons leery of living in urban areas, this is only a blip on the radar and the vast majority of people will not change their lifestyle at all as a result. I also suspect of those willing to radically change their life after this pandemic, some of them will eventually migrate back into urban areas. There is simply too great of a difference between major urban areas and minor urban or even predominately rural areas that will mean a very small percentage are able to adapt to the change. I see it all too regularly in the CO forum where even those who think Denver is a big city may find it too boring a place to live for the highly urbanized dweller. Where you may fall in this equation I can't begin to assume. You may already have a propensity to succeed in less populated areas and this will be a natural fit for you.
The difference between drilling a well and tapping a local municipal supply is something that will have to be determined by the specifics of the state, county and/or town you live in. There may be restrictions on drilling based on the size of the property you own or even eliminating drilling if access to municipal supply is possible. Too many variables here for me to guess at.
At this point, its difficult to predict what our current healthcare crisis will do for these more remote towns in the mountain west. While this current situation has made a percentage of persons leery of living in urban areas, this is only a blip on the radar and the vast majority of people will not change their lifestyle at all as a result. I also suspect of those willing to radically change their life after this pandemic, some of them will eventually migrate back into urban areas. There is simply too great of a difference between major urban areas and minor urban or even predominately rural areas that will mean a very small percentage are able to adapt to the change. I see it all too regularly in the CO forum where even those who think Denver is a big city may find it too boring a place to live for the highly urbanized dweller. Where you may fall in this equation I can't begin to assume. You may already have a propensity to succeed in less populated areas and this will be a natural fit for you.
The difference between drilling a well and tapping a local municipal supply is something that will have to be determined by the specifics of the state, county and/or town you live in. There may be restrictions on drilling based on the size of the property you own or even eliminating drilling if access to municipal supply is possible. Too many variables here for me to guess at.
My 25+ years in the municipal planning field here on Long Island have further taught me to anticipate trouble and avoid its consequence by thoroughly collecting and evaluating pertinent data before completing every assignment-and especially in this case, where my life savings and personal welfare are at stake. But what I’ve hated more and more about trying to plan for a future in the southwest is that the more I learn by asking questions here and visiting local and state government and realtor websites the harder I get hit with how grim things really are, and which may only become more so.
I thought I had cleverly worked out effective home protection strategies like 6 ft electrified and/or barbed wire fencing with the lower 3 ft fine mesh to keep out scorpions and snakes. Wifi assisted video surveillance for when I’m out food shopping or at the doctor’s office, and building my home well towards the center of my grassless property in case of wildfires. And to hear that Grant planner tell it things seem stable enough for Californians however many, to have moved there. But I reiterate my concerns with Grant’s apparent over reliance on its mining sector https://fcx.com/operations/north-america#tyrone_link ; how it hasn’t, created enough desirable jobs, better health care services (e.g. accredited compounding pharmacies) nor encouraged enough outside investor interest to further diversify Grant’s economy and thereby create a big enough job market to quash Grant’s high crime, teenage pregnancy, obesity and poverty rates, or even to hire more police and social workers . And I’ve found no signs of any improvements or any indication that local government or the school boards are actively challenging these behaviors. https://ibis.health.state.nm.us/comm...eoCnty/17.html https://ibis.health.state.nm.us/comm...eoCnty/17.html
As for Taos County, while property taxes are comparably low land and home prices are much higher there.
I might get lucky and find desirable land not far from quality goods and services which while not currently for sale may be owned by someone who might accept my offering price for ~ 1/3 acre. But even it was also located far enough away from FEMA designated flood zones Taos is no less subject than is Grant to wildfires, the trajectories of which are virtually unpredictable. https://cpaw.headwaterseconomics.org/project/taos/
Likewise, as we’ve been discussing, are the deadly hazards and/or serious economic risks posed by water scarcity. Furthermore, how likely could power grids in Grant, Taos or grids shared by contiguous NM counties fall off line if most of them are driven hydroelectrically?
A life time of movies and TV shows have had me dreaming of life along NM landscapes so badly that I’m often driven to tears. From this you can deduce that while I do require certain “offline” services not especially commonplace in even the more developed southwestern locations (e.g. accredited compounding pharmacies https://www.achc.org/compounding-pharmacy.html), I am essentially a suburban/semi rural inhabitant, albeit in dreadfully overpopulated Long Island. But though crime, environmental hazards and/or inflated land and home prices are pretty much everywhere these days, it seems very clear that the southwest packs more of these threats and hardships than even the northeast. So I’m strongly compelled to conclude that I’m likely unwilling or even unable to endure what certainly must be the austere and treacherous living which many have accepted throughout most western states. After months of study I am largely left with very painful and ugly truths to bear.
If yes, what then are my options? I could hope that you’re right that semi rural upstate NY living will bore most of those who fled COVID threatened NYC badly enough for them to return there by the time I want to retire. But if not and if homes and land in Sullivan and Delaware counties and those not far from the MA/CT borders-even via a reverse mortgage-are well above my budget, then I may have to end my days in this stifling senior co-op. But more likely, I’d find an upstate home-far enough from the Hudson, Susquehanna, Mohawk and other flood prone rivers-which I can afford to enlarge and modify for my home theater needs. If I’m lucky I might be able to transform it into a very nice home.
But it will not be a home in the Land of Enchantment.
Last edited by Longislandmire; 11-27-2020 at 08:26 PM..
I'm from sea level (Bay Area & Seattle), and have had no breathing issues at over 7000 feet, in Santa Fe. Nor at 9000+ feet at the SF ski basin.
OP, IMO you're going about this wrong. You're asking about current conditions. You need to be investigating futureconditions. RE: water, for example. Look into what your target location (county, town, whatever) is doing to plan for reduced water availability as temperatures rise during the remainder of your lifetime. RE: fire risk--ditto. What plans are there to reduce fire risk in your target area. Locales all over the US are looking ahead to 2050 and 2100 regarding weather changes (floods, fires, sea level rise where relevant, etc.), and are in a planning process. Some locales are securing alternative sources of water for example. That's not likely to happen in NM.
Search out articles by climatologists on the prognosis in AZ/NM for the remainder of your lifetime. I guarantee you, climatologists have discussed that, given public lectures on it in cities in those states, and have written about it.
Where do your target locations get their energy supply? NM is transitioning to renewables, and for now has natural gas as well. As the climate warms, winter snow will turn to winter rain, and spring/summer snowmelt will be unreliable to nonexistent. So people dependent on hydroelectric will be out of luck. It might not be a bad idea to consider equipping yourself with your own power supply, depending. AZ shut down the coal-fired Navajo Generating Station. What have they replaced that energy source with? I haven't heard. AZ was pretty aggressive at one point in removing incentives for renewables, because so many people were converting, that the state's power providers were running out of revenue to maintain their facilities. I don't know what the current situation is. You'd better check, if you're considering locating in AZ.
And so on. You get the idea. The current situation is fairly irrelevant. You need to know what conditions will look like in 10, 20 and 30 years. You may find, that the better approach would be to figure out which locations will have water and lower fire risk between now and 2050, and then look at those areas more in detail vis-a-vis your other criteria, rather than visa-versa.
RE: Taos Co.; it's already in water shortage. One community there is surviving on bottled water. Their water supply ran out some weeks ago. This surprised me, because Taos always looked like it had a fairly plentiful water supply, so, go figure. In any case, I had to cross it off my list. Taos' fires are in the wooded areas, btw. There are plenty of properties on open land, and the more affordable ones are south of Taos, in Ranchos de Taos.
You can find affordable properties in unexpected places. There was a nice old ranch house that was remodeled by a quality contractor, located on the river (which is dry most of the time) in Cuyamungue, across the road from the Pojoaque reservation. Cuyamungue belongs to Pojoaque, I was told, but it's all fee simple land, not trust land. But the chances that something like that would be on the market when you need a place are slim. Still, you never know what you might chance upon, and where. It's good to keep a positive outlook. There are pockets of fee simple land here and there within reservation boundaries around NM, and they can be pleasant places to live. Some of the scientists at the national labs live on properties like that, and have enjoyed their stay, and raised families there.
More than actual fire risk on any property you might buy, the concern would be more about smoke from fires elsewhere. Though I know someone living in the next county south of Taos, who said he didn't get any smoke from the Taos Co. fire this fall. Still, it's something to keep in mind.
After you research all this stuff, you may come to the conclusion, that there's no place to run, no place to hide from the effects of climate change, so it's more a matter of choosing which effects can live with or figure out work-arounds to, and which you need to avoid to the extent possible.
Last edited by Ruth4Truth; 01-25-2021 at 09:57 PM..
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