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It's a state of misfits as well. And here I am!
In a lot of ways, it is an Island of Misfit toys. A lot of quirky people from the Midwest or East that arrived for different reasons than new arrivals to, say, Colorado. Many transplanted New Mexicans came for cheap living, as remote as you can get it. Also many came to escape whatever, family trauma, abuse, a new fresh start in the desert air, or looking for, as Don Henley said about the West, looking for a place to stay, or a place to hide. A lot of suspicious characters in NM. Reminds me Alaska that way... yes there is scenic beauty blah blah blah but a lot of times it's a personal story deeper and darker than fresh desert air for many NM transplants. A lot of these folks are running away from something. Or someone, who knows.
Another, and this might ruffle the NM rose-colored homers' feathers here on this forum, is that the beauty isn't overwhelming. Yes it's pretty and remote, and there's desert, but there's no desert like death valley, the mountains are pretty but not Telluride or Aspen jaw-dropping, the forests are here but aren't like the ones in California or even northern Utah, the cacti are here but they're not iconic Saguaro, the canyons are here aren't as grand as the Grand; NM's got all of this but none are the ones that really make calendars. (White Sands, maybe.) The beauty's not as in your face, sometimes you gotta go find it, but it is certainly here, just underpublicized. And it is all here, just not the way it is elsewhere in those states you mentioned.
Sprinkle in the petty crime and the uranium and the "manana" attitude as it applies to work and school around here (getting a car fixed on time or a speedy cocktail around here is a futile exercise), and those seeking upscale or success as the world sees it can be daunting.
And you go to those other states (most other states actually), and you see the hope and pride and middle-class spending that NM just doesn't have. I visit Colorado or Texas or Utah, and then I come back to NM with the bars on windows and the neck tats for days and the broke folks just about everywhere in every setting and it reminds me of how NM is just.....lacking. I'd say creature comforts based on appearances and nice cars and clothes and good colleges and public schools are the main draw for suburban folks coming out West with money and why NM gets passed by. But for many escaping (as I said earlier), NM is a good place to hunker down, perhaps for that reason.
The native culture here, however, is still stronger and more viable than anywhere besides maybe the Dakotas. Their art and music and sheer presence of tribal life, especially in NW NM, is amazing to see. NM has this over the rest of many states in spades.
I'm a Midwest transplant and I have no desire to work and live in those other states you mentioned. The people here appreciate me and my work and are kind and terrific. In those other places, landmark beauty or not, the NM "enchantment" charm is non-existent in many ways.
The beauty's not as in your face, sometimes you gotta go find it, but it is certainly here, just underpublicized. And it is all here, just not the way it is elsewhere in those states you mentioned.
I don't think you include Texas in your assessment, do you? One reason Texans flock to New Mexico is our natural beauty.
To me, that's the great thing about New Mexico. It has way more natural beauty than any state to the east. You know you're not in Iowa or New Jersey when you're hiking our mountains and deserts, wandering through Indian ruins, skiing Taos, riding the Sandia Peak Tram, or walking down Canyon Road in Santa Fe. And we don't have the most iconic scenery of the West, which, if you want to see that, expect to wait in line behind a million other people falling over each other trying to see the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Arches, and Yellowstone. So what we do have is still stunning, just not the "most" stunning, and therefore not as crowded.
So what we do have is still stunning, just not the "most" stunning, and therefore not as crowded.
Exactly... that's the point he was making. AZ and CO have some outstanding features that set them apart. NM is almost as good but a bit less, so avoids being on bucket lists for the most part.
I just took a trip to Fort Davis, Alpine, Terlingua, Big Bend. I like it quite a bit... but it's the only part of TX I like.
Same here. All of Texas has its specific charms for whatever the reason but the area around Alpine to Big Bend is just neat. Start at Van Horn and head southeast, basically. A cool part of the country. The observatory, the little college in Alpine and the vibe in the bars and restaurants there. That town seems like a misplaced Midwest town with a small college and the nicest local folks: maybe that's why I like it so much, it's familiar to me as a Midwest kid.
I have to see and do the famous Terlingua chili cookoff one of these days. I keep forgetting about it till I see that I missed it again on the calendar. Marfa's part of that whole pile too, as is the local area observatory: do the tour there if you get the chance.
NM generally speaking, is very low key, not flashy. AZ created the illusion of plentiful water in the desert, which NM never attempted to do. That attracted developers and transplants flocked to the developments. And California is... well, California. It has that beautiful coastline to attract vacationers, as well as redwood forests and Lake Tahoe, not to mention: Yosemite.
Texas? IDK, beats me what the attraction is. Go figure! lol I guess--the Gulf coast? *shrug* I've never heard of Texas as anyone's tourism destination.
NM was a majority Hispanic state until sometime in the 1960's or 70's. The Anglo world didn't "discover" it until then, with the exception of early artists' colonies in northern NM. It was a sleepy little backwater, where the locals all operated on the barter system, the original cashless society. Even now, it's 50% Hispanic + another roughly 10% Indigenous.
NM's is a rustic type of charm, which isn't what most people are looking for. It's about old-fashioned Mexican furniture from the Colonial era (or imitations of that), adobe-style architecture (or facsimiles of it), and a lot of xeriscaping (with the exception of a few neighborhoods in Albuquerque), which most people don't want. They want greenery, lawns, lush-looking landscaping.
I guess AZ also managed to attract employers, which NM hasn't done very well, so people don't go there looking for jobs. Some bring their jobs with them. A few are able to get jobs with non-profit orgs in the state, or with the colleges and State offices, and small businesses. There's an active hospitality industry and spa industry in a few locations, but that sector of the economy is shrinking. Santa Fe and Taos have been attracting fewer luxury tourists. Galleries, spas and other luxury services have been closing, though there are still a few. There's a reason why the state has a high percentage of retirees. It attracts retirees from New York and California, and people who can afford second homes in NM. People who don't need jobs.
The "jobs" factor was the impediment for me. I absolutely love NM. I went to HS in Santa Fe as a teen and did a massive amount of running in the big foothills of Santa Fe to train for basketball. It was the greatest athletic time frame of my life - the pure joy of running through the adobe neighborhoods and then coming back to campus to play basketball with teen friends. I was on cloud 9 back then.
Decades later, I returned to relive the outdoor exercise and got a brief job in Albuquerque. I tried to expand my short-term job into a long-term job as a multi-disciplinary software engineer. I have worked at multiple fast-paced startup companies with Agile development sprints. I also worked at "startup-style projects" within large Fortune 500 companies. I focus on automation and advanced, ultra-efficient software design using the latest tools and rigorous coding - usually thousands of lines. That type of project is hard to find in ABQ. The main employer for engineers of high pedigree is Sandia Lab. I applied for a job there but the waiting period was many months due to the massive background check. It's a federal job site.
Meanwhile, I had multiple job offers out-of-state in Metro Denver and Metro Phoenix within a few weeks while that Sandia Lab application stagnated. Hence, I wound up leaving.
I miss NM though and go back every now and then for a mountain race or hike up Sandia Peak. I remember one time I was in my mid 30s and ran up La Luz Trail and down with HS students from the area. It gave me great flashbacks of the 1980s. I miss NM. It was great running with those teens up Sandia Peak even though I was in my mid 30s by then - lol.
The "jobs" factor was the impediment for me. I absolutely love NM. I went to HS in Santa Fe as a teen and did a massive amount of running in the big foothills of Santa Fe to train for basketball. It was the greatest athletic time frame of my life - the pure joy of running through the adobe neighborhoods and then coming back to campus to play basketball with teen friends. I was on cloud 9 back then.
Decades later, I returned to relive the outdoor exercise and got a brief job in Albuquerque. I tried to expand my short-term job into a long-term job as a multi-disciplinary software engineer. I have worked at multiple fast-paced startup companies with Agile development sprints. I also worked at "startup-style projects" within large Fortune 500 companies. I focus on automation and advanced, ultra-efficient software design using the latest tools and rigorous coding - usually thousands of lines. That type of project is hard to find in ABQ. The main employer for engineers of high pedigree is Sandia Lab. I applied for a job there but the waiting period was many months due to the massive background check. It's a federal job site.
Meanwhile, I had multiple job offers out-of-state in Metro Denver and Metro Phoenix within a few weeks while that Sandia Lab application stagnated. Hence, I wound up leaving.
I miss NM though and go back every now and then for a mountain race or hike up Sandia Peak. I remember one time I was in my mid 30s and ran up La Luz Trail and down with HS students from the area. It gave me great flashbacks of the 1980s. I miss NM. It was great running with those teens up Sandia Peak even though I was in my mid 30s by then - lol.
Your story is a familiar one. The jobs that you applied for in Metro Phoenix and Metro Denver, were those private sector jobs? The federal government is a loser, in my view. You could lose 80% of the federal workforce tomorrow, and no one would notice. Your background check waiting period is ridiculous.
Here's a riddle: how many government employees does it take to screw in a lightbulb? The answer: 4. 1 to climb up the ladder to hold the lightbulb, and 3 more to lift the ladder and turn it clockwise. This mentality is why talent like you is lost to Arizona and Colorado.
the part of the Columbia river that cuts through the cascades, east of Portland
Quote:
Originally Posted by kpl1228
The native culture here, however, is still stronger and more viable than anywhere besides maybe the Dakotas. Their art and music and sheer presence of tribal life, especially in NW NM, is amazing to see. NM has this over the rest of many states in spades.
a plus, I think
Quote:
Originally Posted by aries63
we don't have the most iconic scenery of the West, which, if you want to see that, expect to wait in line behind a million other people falling over each other trying to see the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Arches, and Yellowstone. So what we do have is still stunning, just not the "most" stunning, and therefore not as crowded.
less crowded so far! maybe you should stop telling people about it!
Quote:
Originally Posted by aries63
Here's one person's take on why New Mexico isn't growing like Arizona or Colorado. He makes some good points.
thanks for the link, Aries, I love Geography so I'm enjoying his channel.
Scenery in NM is varied and sometimes an acquired taste. How many times have you heard some malcontents complain about "how brown" everything is. Are they actually seeing or simply repeating something they heard said? There is an amazing display of color, changing by the hour. It's not all green, but a lot of it is. But NM is not for everyone. Probably good.
My dad had the idea that if a scenic attraction was not visible from the car window it wasn't worth seeing. People passing through NM on interstates see the route of least resistance. With exceptions, that is sometimes the most boring scenic views here and in many states. You have to get off the interstate and sometimes off the pavement and on to the gravel or dirt roads to see some of the most outstanding scenery. It will probably be different from what you see elsewhere. With a population of 2.2 million, it will not be crowded when you get there.
Two road trip examples -- the highway from Tierra Amarilla to Tres Piedras is gorgeous. Highway 4 from San Ysidro to Los Alamos is another. There are a number of designated scenic byways.
It helps if you have a little understanding of geology and history and culture to appreciate some areas. New Mexico is a volcanic state with every volcanic feature other than erupting volcanoes. Our hot springs are evidence of that.
How many times have you crested a hill in NM and had to stop for picture? I always carry a camera driving anywhere.
Here is a stop out beyond Cabezon Peak.
Here is a view west from Rio Rancho.
The Sierra Ladrones near Socorro.
Valles Caldera
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