Clovis here we come..... EEEK? (Albuquerque, Santa Fe: relocation, tornadoes, military)

[Fickle]

So my husband is active duty Air Force and we found out that we are moving from Germany to Clovis, NM!!

Whenever I tell anyone here (not German people.."anyone" as in Air Force) where we got stationed.. we always get, "Ewww" or " Oh man that sucks".

I have looked around on the internet and found almost nothing good about Clovis. My husband and I are used to living with humidity and not dry heat, so thats the only thing that we know FOR SURE that we will have to deal with.
We are both from the east coast and have never lived this far west... (Not counting Korea haha).

Is Clovis really as bad as so many people say? The crime rate doesn't seem to be alarming. I have heard about the 14th street thing and will make sure we buy/rent a home way above that.

The school systems there.. my 9 year old daughter is gifted and thrives on learning, I am worried about her being bored or distracted .. I haven't heard many good things about the schools in the area.. I have heard about the private Christian schools there, we are Christian however not strict (as in we are cool as hell and like to have a good time) lol

We have been warned about snakes. I lived many years in North Carolina and was warned about snakes and yet to see any, and we lived on a farm. Is it the same there? or are they all over the place?



We just would like to hear it from the horses mouth v/s charts and data.

Thank you for any replies and excuse the length.. wine tends to make me babble

[clairz]

Hi, Fickle. Welcome to City-Data.

You will be fine in Clovis, just come with a positive attitude. We've been here a year (via ME, CT, Canada, WA, CA, and NH) and are liking it very much. You can't beat the nice sunshine, big sky, lovely houses, the relaxed pace, and friendly people.

Use the search feature for this forum to find my attempts to beat back the negative naysayers who like to complain. See my blog for lots more Clovis info and photos (especially the earlier entries), and go to YouTube and check out the "My Clovis" videos that I have posted there.

Is it Santa Fe? Nope.

Are snakes crawling around everywhere? Maybe. Will they crawl around you? Nope. I've seen one (dead) since I've been here.

Will your daughter be bored in school here? Nope, not unless she wants to be. I volunteer at an elementary school and love the kids and staff.

Have most of those people expressing negative opinions actually ever lived in Clovis and given it a chance? Maybe not.

Will you be treated nicely by the friendliest people you'll ever meet? Will you be amazed by the beautiful flowers you can grow here? Will you be happy to have nice dry air and to leave behind sweaty old humidity? Will you love going for months at a time without using either heat or A/C? Yep, yep, yep, and yep.

Think about it. You have a chance to live in awesome New Mexico. This part might be a little bit more like Texas than New Mexico, but rejoice! You get to try out two states for the price of one.

And while you're here, you can sample a wonderful part of southwestern life--chuck wagon cookoffs, rodeos, and real cowboy culture. You'll be in a place full of history, both recent and ancient, with lots of things for you to learn about.

Or, you can listen to those grumpy old miserable people who say Ewww.

~clairz

[Towanda]

Awesome post, clairz.

Big time rep points for you!!!

[Towanda]

Fickle,

Welcome to the City-Data New Mexico forum.

This is JUST the place for you to get your questions answered.

I have been in Clovis, years ago, but just passing through from our home in San Antonio TX to Santa Fe, NM to visit cousins there. I cannot tell you one single thing about Clovis.

BUT ... I can tell you a little story about my own life as an active duty Air Force dependent in 1970. We were stationed at Travis Air Force Base in California...a pretty nice location and we loved it there. When my husband finished tech school, he got orders for a little research lab at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, NM. (This was after requesting bases closer to our home in upstate NY. )

New Mexico??
Was this someones idea of a cruel joke???

New Mexico????
I am not even sure I knew at that point that there WAS a state called New Mexico.

Albuquerque?
HUH?
I think I heard a few "EEEEEWWS" from his buddies who thought they got better assignments.

So off we went to Albuquerque, a little scared of what we were going to find.

I can say now, many, many years later it was the BEST experience of my life. I totally fell in love with the city, the state, the scenery, the culture, the diversity, the architecture, the food, etc. etc. etc. It was a love affair that lasted for 38 years, and recently brought me back here to New Mexico where I am going to live my dream for the remainder of my life.

I am not saying Clovis will be Albuquerque. I am just saying to try to ignore the naysayers and have a positive attitude. It may not turn out to be the pivotal experience of your life, but it can be as good as you make it.

clairz has told you a whole lot of good things to offset some of the bad things you are hearing. Hang on to that.

Best of luck to you!

[clairz]

Originally Posted by Towanda

Awesome post, clairz.

Big time rep points for you!!!

Thanks, Towanda. And thanks for your great story about your first time living in New Mexico. You are so right--it's as good as you make it--and that's another way to say bloom where you are planted.

~clairz

[newmex]

You will see the difference...in Common Courtesy. Pleasant people in NM.

Boy, do I miss it being back in Ohio. If you miss one convenience from back east, "CC" will fill that void. Have a little patience and kick back a little, and you will do fine.

[desert sun]

I use to live in Portales which is 20 mins. from Clovis which is like our second home.
Most people I know of said they dreaded the move to Clovis and some really hated it when they were there and couldnt wait to leave and some liked it.Its a town that has remained stagnant for a very long time up untill the past couple years it is seeing a tiny growth in businesses.

I want to be real with you and not sugar coat anything so you will hear negative and positive. The crime is a little above average, some years not so bad but nothing major, just bored kids, I was one of them once cruising the streets of Clovis.I know many people who want to leave the town most never do and just rot in the town.
Clovis is different than the rest of NM, it is more like Texas.There is not all that much to do in town, most people have to go to Lubbock or Amarillo,TX for shopping and I know this since almost my whole life was spent in Portales.

personally I would like to live in a town like Portales or Clovis again except that I already know most people there and I dont like to run into people everywhere I go and most of my family still live there. Clovis has nice people and the town is a good size and it has a good community feel.


oh and the snakes are not a problem, the only time I have seen snakes is out in the country, we use to spend lots and lots of time roaming the country following dirt roads into nearby towns and Texas and we would harass the snakes a little when we found them.

[Fickle]

Well thats good to hear! Thank you for the speedy replies.

For the people that have lived, or do live in Clovis:

What part of the city would you not want to live in?

What part would you like to live in?

What part of town is the safest? As in my husband will be deploying at some point and I will be a single mother with 2 small children...

Seeing how we are still in Germany it is very hard to get a straight answer out of realtors.

Anyone have anything to say about Cannon Air Force base? As in is it old and falling apart, how is the BX, commissary etc

Also (way off topic) we are looking forward to ,at some point, dipping down into Mexico for some shopping etc.. When I am looking around the net for the closest town in Mexico that has great shopping.. I am having trouble finding what I am looking for.. any suggestions?

I have heard about hail, wind, and tornadoes (My husband is a weather guy) I am curious about how often things that this happen there. Would you suggest that we buy a house with a garage (to protect our cars etc)
I realize that it doesn't happen every weekend etc.. but you would know better than I if it is worth getting a garage

Also does the city have a "lights out" policy.. as in Some of the smaller towns I have lived in have these rules/laws about having to be quiet after 10 pm. Not that we are trying to start up a rock and roll band.. however we would love to be able to have a cook out and not have to cut it short due to time etc.

I am sure I will think of new things to ask! And yes I know that an assignment is what you make of it, however this is the only place that I have heard... "Wow I would rather be stationed at Minot than Clovis".. which made my stomach drop. I am sure I will love Clovis and we will make long lasting friendships

[Boxkicker]

Hi Fickle...

I am moving to Clovis when I retire from the Navy in 4 months. I have been there 3-4 times (and in fact going there tomorrow for a week). I have been all over the world and living in many places in the US, and I am ready for some slowdown. Clovis will give that to you. I grew up in a small town in SE Oklahoma, so Clovis is actually BIG compared to it.

Like others have said, it has its good and bad. Really depends on what you want to do. I am ready to relax and play golf and just enjoy my "retirement" years as well as go back to school and get a Master's Degree.

As for the schools. My future stepchildren are all in Gifted and Talented (7th, 8th, 10th grades) and they are all doing well and enjoy the things they have them do. They challenge themselves, so you shouldn't have issues in regards to that.

Crime from what I have seen just depends on if you are in the wrong place at the wrong time. That is pretty much everywhere in the US. Take San Diego for example..it is notorious for having cars stolen. I have lived here off and on for 8 years, and haven't been affected by it. You can't judge a book by its cover.

Since you are military...have you checked out Automated Housing Referral Network (AHRN.com) v5.2? That is what I found to be the most valuable in houses. It is a military relocation website provided by DOD. It's good.

If you haven't seen this website, here is Canon's Services website Cannon AFB Services Online - Home

The BX and Commissary are good sized and the base is in good shape and with the mission to SpecOps, difference buildings are being built.

Good Luck and Enjoy Clovis...I KNOW I WILL

Erik

[Fickle]

Hey Box!

Yes that website is where we have been doing most of our house hunting...

I just really hate how this is all working out, time and location wise.

As I have stated before we are currently still in Germany. It is not an option for my husband to burn so much leave to go to the other side of the world (NM) and hunt homes. So we have to wait until we get there, find a home.. then live in TLF or w/e until the house closes.
(My husband said he needs to stand in the house before he will buy anything... so buying online is not an option)

Blahblahblah

We just started to look at Portales. It seems the homes there are better priced than in Clovis. How small is Portales.. not the size.. but the feel.
Am I remembering this correctly, there is a Super Wal-mart in Clovis AND in Portales?? Arent they just like 20 min away from each other? (I never thought I would say this.. but after being overseas for years I cannot wait to go to Wal-mart at 3am.. Buy tampons, Paint, and socks!) haha