moving in from europe-am I right about NM? (Albuquerque, Las Cruces: real estate, tornadoes)

[SoggyInSeattle]

Sunglasses are never needed (I never use them) but the rest is good advice.

The sun is more intense there - husband & I both had to use sunglasses on our visit.

[ThatTNGuy]

Originally Posted by Towanda

We needed a LOT of lip balm, lotion, saline nasal spray, eye drops ... and we needed to drink a LOT of water.

Whenever family members came to visit us in New Mexico, it seemed that one of them always managed to get a nosebleed. It was usually worse in the colder months, but the dryness will certainly have an effect on anybody who's not used to the climate.

Additionally, when I think of extreme weather conditions in New Mexico, I think of fire. I never experienced an earthquake, tornado or flood in my time there, but fires were a pretty common occurrence (some being much worse than others - read about the Cerro Grande Fire to see what I'm talking about).

[butwick]

Thanks for all the insights guys-they're very helpful in giving me the general picture of what people think of NM in terms of pace,weather and ahh..crime ranking. I have to check the google ranking of NM again. Im sure I got it right.

[butwick]

Just checked crime ranking- I got it wrong! 2007 says NM is 2nd most dangerous state to live in. But Im pretty sure this is not true to all counties in NM. Would you know the roughest county in NM?

[mrgoodwx]

A few comments butwick:

Weather - Eastern New Mexico is in the western portion of tornado alley. The farther east you go in this state, the more likely you could experience a tornado, although much of the severe thunderstorms in eastern New Mexico produce damaging hail instead. We actually get some storms (mainly May and June) that produce hail up to the size of baseballs or a little larger. You don't hear much about these (or the tornados) because there is so much open territory out there and the likelihood of a tornado actually hitting anything is quite small. We did have two tornado-related deaths last year though (Clovis).

The greatest weather hazards are lightning and flash floods. The main thing that gets people into trouble is attempting to drive through low-water crossings and arroyos when the water is flowing. Deaths would be a lot more rare if people would just stay out of the way when an arroyo is "doing its thing." Lightning is the greatest hazard. Lightning can zap you as far away as 10 miles or so from the base of a thunderstorm, which can really catch someone by surprise if they are waiting till they get wet before seeking shelter.

Someone mentioned fire. Fire is definitely an issue, especially for those who live near the bosque along the Rio Grande, or anywhere in or near the forests in the state. A lot can be done by creating a defensible zone near one's house, though.

Earthquakes - There is a risk in some areas of the state, especially along the Rio Grande from south of Albuquerque through Socorro. I actually have earthquake insurance in Albuquerque, although I really have no concerns about quakes. However, with my track record in the stock market, I know that if I were to cancel my earthquake insurance, we would have an earthquake!

Crime? Well, by most measures, Albuquerque does have a high crime rate and a "well represented" gang culture. It's just part of the city. Although crime doesn't seem to be an issue in most of the smaller towns, there are exceptions...that is...there are some small town with significant crime issues, especially where illegal drugs seem to be embedded in the culture.

Perhaps folks on this forum can help more once you have zeroed in on an area of interest within the state. Good luck on your search!

[Old Gram]

I have lived in Farmington And Bloomfield for 9 years now. I am originally from Seattle. I have lived in Oregon and Oklahoma. I have several grown children and grandchildren here. We ALL want out of New Mexico. Housing is ridiculous, especially if you are low income. Food prices are high with low quality. The schools here have been in trouble with Barbara Bush. The health care here appears to be substandard unless you are one of the elite.

[malamute]

Originally Posted by butwick

Just checked crime ranking- I got it wrong! 2007 says NM is 2nd most dangerous state to live in. But Im pretty sure this is not true to all counties in NM. Would you know the roughest county in NM?

I would find that hard to believe -- what kind of crime? I don't think the cities of NM match Los Angeles, Detroit, Phoenix or Houston in crime rates. I've never felt unsafe in NM.

[loborick]

Originally Posted by rruff

Sunglasses are never needed (I never use them) but the rest is good advice.

butwick... are you sure you didn't get the crime stats backwards? NM usually rates pretty high for crime...

Sunglasses are always recommended. The UV rays are dangerous to the eye. Good sunglasses should be worn outside in New Mexico. Just as you can get sunburned easier, your eyes can also suffer the effects of UV rays.

[rruff]

Originally Posted by loborick

Sunglasses are always recommended.

Just saying... I never wear them and I'm outside a lot (at 6,000-10,000ft). And before sunglasses were invented everybody got along fine without them.

[malamute]

Originally Posted by rruff

Just saying... I never wear them and I'm outside a lot (at 6,000-10,000ft). And before sunglasses were invented everybody got along fine without them.

You have to be careful with sunglasses, I read that the problem is they make your pupils dialate because your eyes think it's dark out but the glasses may allow in too much UV light that damages your eyes, not wearing them, your pupils will become pinpoint size and natually block out the sun rays, but you can get squint wrinkles.