Winter in southern New Mexico (Albuquerque, Las Cruces: pros and cons, live, housing)

[malamute]

If you're from Illiniois, you've got worse summers up there. I was in Chicago once when it was 96 degrees and 95% humidity and it was pure misery, something the SW never is.

You have to knock off 15 degrees for the arid factor. 100 degrees here as pleasant or more pleasant than 85 degrees in the Midwest. Nights cool off, something you don't see in Illiniois where the night time temperatures are high and even muggier than the day.

The day time highs are misleading because if it reaches 100 degrees, it usually doesn't reach that until 2 pm or so, and starts cooling off by 4 pm. The worst thing you notice at first is a constant thirst but learn to walk around with a big cold iced tea and you won't notice much heat or dryness.

The desert isn't really a desert, it's filled with all kinds of plant life and animal life. The desert (or what is called a desert) is amazing. It's big and open. It's almost like the feeling you get looking out over the ocean. Lots of Midwesterners are perfectly happy in the SW. A lot of snow here is when it snows 1 inch and people can't drive in that.

[Devin Bent]

Originally Posted by jecc

If 80 is your comfort limit, you could look even higher than 7K feet. You didn't ask about northern NM, but the Santa Fe and Taos areas might suit you. I think ABQ would be too hot for you in summer. I know it would be for me, and my comfort zone ends around 75-80 F.

I'd second that. Just make sure that your driveway, walk, steps, etc., have good southern exposure and any snow will melt or sublimate quickly.

However, I suspect that Ruidoso and other high places in the south are still cheaper than Santa Fe or Taos.

[Devin Bent]

Originally Posted by malamute

I

The day time highs are misleading because if it reaches 100 degrees, it usually doesn't reach that until 2 pm or so, and starts cooling off by 4 pm.

This is good point. Because the temperature goes up and down radically, we spend little little time at or near the extremes.

[EnjoyEP]

Originally Posted by malamute

If you're from Illiniois, you've got worse summers up there.

Nope.

I have spent much of my life (young-30s) in Wisconsin / Illinois, and summers are more temperate than sub-5000 feet New Mexico or West Texas (outside of the miserable mosquito factor up here).

With me having spent 27 or so odd years in WI / IL and plenty of summers, plus 4+ summers in Albuquerque, Las Cruces, and El Paso, I will say that the weather in ABQ/LC/EP is laughingly better than up here, but the summers up here are far more temperate temps-wise (again, outside of the d*** mosquitoes up here).

Originally Posted by malamute

I was in Chicago once when it was 96 degrees and 95% humidity and it was pure misery, something the SW never is.

Yeah, days like these *do* happen in Chicago (or Milwaukee, Detroit, Minneapolis, etc.).

It is funny, as visitors by legions always seem to hop into Chicago on days like these, even though they occur maybe once or twice a year.

Milwaukee averages only 9 - NINE! - days at 90 degrees or more for a high PER YEAR...Chicago averages a few more, but not many. Sub-15.

So sure...cities up here do have a handful of miserable days like that per summer, but they also average most days in summer a very cool, pleasant 70s and 80s for highs with many 70s and 60s for lows. Very pleasant.

Again, I far, far, far prefer the climates of ABQ/lower NM/EP, but summer is the one time of year where I will readily admit that the upper Midwest could give the desert areas a run for their money. The only significant area where the desert of NM / West Texas has the advantage is in the significant lack of the mosquitoes up here.

Chicago has a few sweltering days per year. But then there are days like today where, did it even break 80? With the cold breezes off of Lake Michigan, it is very cool and pleasant most of the summer.

Originally Posted by malamute

100 degrees here as pleasant or more pleasant than 85 degrees in the Midwest.

Its close. I prefer the hot, baking, dry heat for sure. The humid "heat" of 85 though isn't "hot"...it is just wet and warm. Humid "heat" of the 80s isn't more hot than dry heat...it is just more uncomfortable.

To me, comfort-wise, I think 100 and dry and 85 and humid is pretty comparable in comfort-level. I will cede though that 94 and humid and 100 and dry I would easily go with the 100.

Again though, in the upper Midwest, the days of well into the 90s is few and far between. Why did all of those people die in the Chicago heat wave of, what, 1995? Because those places didn't even have A/C!!! In places like the Southeast, they'd never even consider having apartments, etc., without A/C...it just shows that large, significant "heat waves" are so uncommon in the Midwest that when they do happen, people just aren't used to it!

[6 FOOT 3]

Originally Posted by malamute

If you're from Illiniois, you've got worse summers up there. I was in Chicago once when it was 96 degrees and 95% humidity and it was pure misery, something the SW never is.

Summers up there??? I'd worry about the winters more than the summers .

[mike0421]

Originally Posted by 6/3

Summers up there??? I'd worry about the winters more than the summers .

Completely agree. Winters cause many more problems in every aspect than summers do.

[EnjoyEP]

Originally Posted by 6/3

Summers up there??? I'd worry about the winters more than the summers .

Originally Posted by mike0421

Completely agree. Winters cause many more problems in every aspect than summers do.

Yep, the other thing I forgot to mention about the summers in the upper Midwest is how brief they are. You won't get any truly hot days (as few as there are in a year) until June, and by Labor Day weekend, they are over for sure.

Whereas in the SW, summer-type temps are common for 5 months...

Milwaukee, only 80 miles directly north of Chicago and also on the west shoreline of Lake Michigan, hasn't seen 1 - 1! - day of a high at 100 degrees or more since 1995. It has been 13 years since a 100 degree day here! Now Chicago may have hit it once or twice since then (on a day Milwaukee got into the high-90s), but once or twice would be about it.

But yeah, not only are truly *hot* / humid streaks here fairly limited and rare, and broken up by a ton of coolish summer temps, but summer is truly at most - at most - a 3 month affair. Heat just doesn't stick around. Heck, the high today in Chicago is 75! Tomorrow a dry 80.

Summers - mosquitoes withstanding - are just fine here and very nice. It is the winters - the length and intensity - that are something to deal with up here!

[james57]

A very big thank you to all contributors. My take from what has been said is that spending the winter in southern NM is a piece of cake for someone like me from NW Illinois.

so my search will depend more heavily on other factors such as cost and medical care. I have been to Santa Fe , Alb, Taos, etc. and know the cost is more than i can really afford. Especially Santa Fe. I did enjoy Alb, but that was before I discovered the joys of country living. don't think I could go back to a big city.

For health reasons, I feel better to be not too far from a hospital in case of an emergency. For that reason, my choices seem to be Alamogordo, Ruidoso, Socorro, las Cruces, and Silver City. Guess i should include Demning which i think does have a hospital.

As far as living in the desert, perhaps that would be an option in the winter. i have toured west of Tucson and the desert was quite nice. This was before all the immigration problems with the border area.

Anyway, sorry for this long response. Just wanted to make sure I said a proper thanks to everyone.

Jim

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by james57

A very big thank you to all contributors. My take from what has been said is that spending the winter in southern NM is a piece of cake for someone like me from NW Illinois.

so my search will depend more heavily on other factors such as cost and medical care. I have been to Santa Fe , Alb, Taos, etc. and know the cost is more than i can really afford. Especially Santa Fe. I did enjoy Alb, but that was before I discovered the joys of country living. don't think I could go back to a big city.

For health reasons, I feel better to be not too far from a hospital in case of an emergency. For that reason, my choices seem to be Alamogordo, Ruidoso, Socorro, las Cruces, and Silver City. Guess i should include Demning which i think does have a hospital.

As far as living in the desert, perhaps that would be an option in the winter. i have toured west of Tucson and the desert was quite nice. This was before all the immigration problems with the border area.

Anyway, sorry for this long response. Just wanted to make sure I said a proper thanks to everyone.

Jim

It all depends on how you feel about the areas you visit, of course, but if health/medical issues are at the forefront, Las Cruces first, then Alamogordo.

While all areas you listed do have some form of medical care/ clinic/hospital, etc. Las Cruces comes out way ahead of the rest. It's also closer to EP, which has many more options for major medical.

I just personally prefer Alamogordo because it is prettier (though LC is also pretty with the Organ Mountains), smaller, a little higher elevation, and a little cooler.

[james57]

Thanks Cathy. It also looks to me that housing is perhaps a little lower in cost for Alamogordo compared to LC. Actually, when I started my considerations over a year ago, Alamogordo was number one based on a visit I made there many years ago. So guess that is a very good starting point for me.

EP has also given a very good argument for summers in NW Il. He is correct in that this summer has been nice. Actually cooler and wetter than normal. We do get the hot and muggy weather, but normally that's only several weeks a year. I will factor that in also.

Its fun to think about these things, but better to check out on a visit. Chilegal suggested this to me right from the beginning and I think she is definitely correct. So I will make a concerted attempt to spend most of the month of January visiting southern NM this winter.