New Member Intro (Alamogordo, Ruidoso, Raton: new home, buy, camping)

[Vinegaroon]

Originally Posted by SwansDown

How do the land prices compare? Weather?

I would guess that the land prices may be comparable, and there might be more vacant land in the Taos area than Ruidoso. Taos is more northerly, so I assume the temperatures in the winter might vary by 5 or 10 degrees. Taos will get more snow.

As for towns, there is no comparison. Ruidoso is a quaint little tourist town, and Taos is a middle-sized tourist town. Ruidoso has more of a "Texas" feel to it. Taos is more liberal, and definitely has more of a local culture that you would have to get used to.

I like both towns, but I think you should visit both and decide for yourself if you are not set on Ruidoso. From the sounds of it, maybe check out Silver City, Cloudcroft, Los Alamos and perhaps Abiquiu.

[rybert]

Ruidoso seems like more of a blue-collar place (better in my opinion).

[jecc]

Vinegaroon is right on.

The Ruidoso area is beautiful and ideal for weather. But it swarms with tourists and part-time residents during summer and during winters when skiing is good. If you don't like tourists, crowds, and streets you cannot find parking on, then look elsewhere.

Do you plan to build your home? If so, fine, but look for land without any restrictions. Ruidoso has more of a Texas mentality -- a bit of glitter and a bit of excess with its gambling industries (casinos and race track). It may or may not be as amenable to progressive (green) building.

When I moved to the Cloudcroft area four years ago, I was thinking about building an eco-friendly house. I could not find one builder willing to do it. The very few reputable builders I could find had two-year waiting lists and insisted on building their way, not mine. I ended up just ordering a small, efficient prefab cabin that I'm very happy with. But it's a very telling fact that southern NM welcomes prefab mobile homes more than progressive, green building.

I would guess that things are not much different in Ruidoso, though maybe the recession has made builders more available and more flexible. I just don't know, but it's something to ask about and research carefully. If you're going to build on your own, be sure you won't tick anybody off. Rammed-earth housing is not welcome in all places.

Taos, OTOH, is a major area for progressive building, especially rammed-earth construction. You would have no trouble building your house there, or having it built for you. Ruidoso is quite affordable, and I would guess that Taos is more expensive. That was definitely the case a few years ago, but I have not kept up with NM real estate enough to know what the situation is now.

In any case, if you are of the "green building" mind-set, you would definitely fit in better in the Taos culture than in the Ruidoso culture. I'm not saying you could not do what you want in either place. I'm just saying that Toas has a lot more already leaning in your favor. It's about the same elevation as Ruidoso, so climate is similar but colder because it's 300 miles farther north.

If I were you, I'd take Vinegaroon's advice and look at Taos at least as seriously as you're looking at Ruidoso. Both are great spots but for very different reasons. Do not visit Ruidoso without also visiting Taos. That would be doing no more than half your homework.

[Pipeweld]

Originally Posted by SwansDown

Thanks for the warm welcome!

I've done the list -- sight unseen Ruidoso seems to fit the bill. Of course until I see it in person I won't know for sure.

As far as size-wise, I want to be within 30 minutes of a decent sized town (e.g. Ruidoso) and within two hours or so of a pretty major city.

One of the reasons that being *too* rural won't work for me is that I need high-speed internet for my work. Satellite internet is progressing, but I just don't think it's quite there yet.

One thing to think on is land prices in Timberon are by far more reasonable than Ruidoso or Taos. Timberon does have high speed Internet service. You are with in an hour and 15 minutes to Alamogordo, and 3 to El Paso.
Pipeweld

[SwansDown]

Originally Posted by jecc

Vinegaroon is right on.

The Ruidoso area is beautiful and ideal for weather. But it swarms with tourists and part-time residents during summer and during winters when skiing is good. If you don't like tourists, crowds, and streets you cannot find parking on, then look elsewhere.


--This is not ideal, but not too troublesome to me. Blue Collar doesn't bother me one bit either.


Do you plan to build your home? If so, fine, but look for land without any restrictions. Ruidoso has more of a Texas mentality -- a bit of glitter and a bit of excess with its gambling industries (casinos and race track). It may or may not be as amenable to progressive (green) building.


--What types of restrictions should I be looking for?


When I moved to the Cloudcroft area four years ago, I was thinking about building an eco-friendly house. I could not find one builder willing to do it. The very few reputable builders I could find had two-year waiting lists and insisted on building their way, not mine. I ended up just ordering a small, efficient prefab cabin that I'm very happy with. But it's a very telling fact that southern NM welcomes prefab mobile homes more than progressive, green building.


--Hmmm, there are at least 3 (that I've found so far) builders in Las Cruces that specialize in eco-building (2 specifically rammed earth). I think I'll contact them and see whether they'll travel this far and what the time frame would be.


I would guess that things are not much different in Ruidoso, though maybe the recession has made builders more available and more flexible. I just don't know, but it's something to ask about and research carefully. If you're going to build on your own, be sure you won't tick anybody off. Rammed-earth housing is not welcome in all places.


--Although I'm not strongly motivated by what others think, I definitely do NOT want to start a never-ending grouchfrest with my new neighbors who I hope to live in harmony for many, many years.


Taos, OTOH, is a major area for progressive building, especially rammed-earth construction. You would have no trouble building your house there, or having it built for you. Ruidoso is quite affordable, and I would guess that Taos is more expensive. That was definitely the case a few years ago, but I have not kept up with NM real estate enough to know what the situation is now.

In any case, if you are of the "green building" mind-set, you would definitely fit in better in the Taos culture than in the Ruidoso culture. I'm not saying you could not do what you want in either place. I'm just saying that Toas has a lot more already leaning in your favor. It's about the same elevation as Ruidoso, so climate is similar but colder because it's 300 miles farther north.

If I were you, I'd take Vinegaroon's advice and look at Taos at least as seriously as you're looking at Ruidoso. Both are great spots but for very different reasons. Do not visit Ruidoso without also visiting Taos. That would be doing no more than half your homework.

--Point taken. I'll look into Taos a bit more on the 'net. My first glance showed property way out of my price range. And, it doesn't seem to be as nicely wooded. But I'll look. The idea of a bit more "progressive & green" minded community is definitely appealing!

[rybert]

Yeah, I think Taos would be more "glitz + glamour." However, I haven't been to either city in a few years.

[jecc]

SwansDown, ask about covenants and building restrictions. Subdivisions around here have some surprising rules about what you can build and how. This is due to the big-city mind-set that comes to small towns when people from big cities buy vacation homes here.

If you buy land outside of town and outside of any regulated subdivisions, you should be fine. Except you might make your building process more difficult and more expensive. And the No. 1 thing to ask about: water!

Also, if you are green-minded, you'll want to find a local builder. The last thing you'd want is construction crews driving their trucks 200-plus miles a day round trip from Las Cruces. Kind of defeats the purpose of going green.

Rybert, yes, Ruidoso is not glitz and glamour like Vegas, but it does have its upscale shops and casinos that cater to fashionable urban folks, most of them from Texas. It also has its earthy, rugged aspects, which makes for an interesting combination. I actually really like Ruidoso. It's a great road trip for occasional shopping, getting out, etc. But it would not be my first choice for a home. Even in the off-seasons, it's way too crowded and busy for me, and don't forget all the flooding problems. Yikes!

[Pintada Kid]

Ruidoso is a Beautiful place but Forest Fires and Wild Animals are not that Great. Ruidoso also is a Very Cold Place in the Winter and Dangerous Driving in the Winding Roads and trying to Avoid hitting the Herds of deer that are everywhere in town. My Suggestion is Rent to own and check out the Capitan, White Oaks and Carrizozo, Ancho Areas. This Places are Way lower in Price then Ruidoso or Taos and much more peaceful and private and less restrictions. If you want Trees you can always put trees in Strategic locations on your property but most places have some trees. pintada kid at webtv.net

[SwansDown]

Originally Posted by Pintada Kid

Ruidoso is a Beautiful place but Forest Fires and Wild Animals are not that Great. Ruidoso also is a Very Cold Place in the Winter and Dangerous Driving in the Winding Roads and trying to Avoid hitting the Herds of deer that are everywhere in town. My Suggestion is Rent to own and check out the Capitan, White Oaks and Carrizozo, Ancho Areas. This Places are Way lower in Price then Ruidoso or Taos and much more peaceful and private and less restrictions. If you want Trees you can always put trees in Strategic locations on your property but most places have some trees. pintada kid at webtv.net

LOL -- How *dare* you cut/paste a reply to me! I'm onto you Pintada Kid!

[SwansDown]

Originally Posted by Towanda

Hi SwansDown!

Welcome to the New Mexico forum!

You will get lots of good information here.

I am glad to see you say you will be flying out here in several months to do some in-state research. There is no substitute for seeing the area for yourself and getting a feel for whether you think you like it enough to relocate to the state.

Thanks Towanda! I have already gotten a ton of good information -- it's a great group!

I've spent a few hours looking at the areas between Taos and Santa Fe as was suggested earlier in the thread, but that area just doesn't seem to "click" with me.

Any thoughts on Cloudcroft vs. Ruidoso?