infor on small towns in NM (Albuquerque, Las Cruces: university, live in, pit bull)

[Towanda]

Adding to Devin's suggestion of Las Vegas, I would add Pecos, NM.

To me, it is in one of the very prettiest scenic areas of the state ... and a short drive to Santa Fe. Lots of outdoor possibility in the mountains there.

Lamy and Galisteo are two tiny places just south of me on Hwy 285 -- but they would be an option for someone who likes to be out in a small town and yet close to a bigger town (Santa Fe is close) for amenities. Galisteo seems to be having a little growth spurt.

There are also Madrid and Cerrillos (on NM 14 between Santa Fe and the East Mountains) which qualify as small and rural and both have kind of a funky atmosphere -- and are a short drive into Santa Fe.

[Tim Rankin]

Originally Posted by Towanda

My husband's cousins lived in Santa Fe../..and they LEFT to move to New Hampshire. (Of course I think they were crazy to leave NM...)

As was I, Towanda...

As for the "draw" of NH, check this thread out [starting with about the 5th pic down...]


http://www.city-data.com/forum/new-h...read-nh-3.html

[6 FOOT 3]

Originally Posted by 4wainwrights

Alamogordo is one of hte hottest ''flattest'' places

Alamogordo might be alot of things good and bad but it definately is not FLAT .....as there are Mountains all around it.

[rruff]

Originally Posted by 6/3

Alamogordo might be alot of things good and bad but it definately is not FLAT .....as there are Mountains all around it.

Yup... and it also isn't that hot. It's at least 10 degrees cooler than Phoenix for instance.

[sjbasin]

Originally Posted by 4wainwrights

A brief note on a few Specific small towns:
-Aztec: Aztec, NM seems very nice. Old houses and trees. Not as quaint as what I've seen in our NH research, but I don't think you're going to get that anywhere in NM. I do not like Farmington at all.

Farmington is a relatively "new" town, having really only begun to grow during the oil boom of the early 1950's. It's populated by the survivors of various boom-bust cycles throughout the years. The first people who came here in any appreciable numbers were those who had starved out somewhere else or were sent here by their companies. I don't know anyone who actually chose to come here. As a border town, we have our share of racial tension. We're also experiencing an influx of gangstas for some reason.

We have great golf courses, swimming pools, tennis courts, etc., and we're smack dab in the middle of all kinds of outdoor activities like camping and hunting and fishing and skiing.

The education system is horrid. Housing costs are high relative to income. Architecture here is "Southwest Oilpatch", which means lots of metal buildings and houses that pretend to be Pueblo or Spanish or something but really aren't even close.

We are a crimson red county when it comes to politics. The disparity between the richest and poorest is probably as wide as anywhere in the US, and children are taught to point out their families wealth to the less fortunate at every opportunity.

If you're a big fan of doublewides, pit bulls chained to chainlink fences, 4x4 trucks, guns, George W. Bush, dirt, sand, and sun, then Farmington is the place for ya!

(I'm only half-joking. I've lived here many, many, many years and I'm not completely off base. It's not a place for everyone.)

[ziaAirmac]

Originally Posted by 6/3

Alamogordo might be alot of things good and bad but it definately is not FLAT .....as there are Mountains all around it.

Yeah, I always thought of Alamogordo as nestled in the foothills overlooking Holloman and White Sands. I know the Organ Mountains are on the Las Cruces side, but I actually don't know the name of the range just to the east. Feel free to chime in. They (Alamogordo, not the mountains) came close to being washed away by floods not too long ago! There's a great space museum there.

One time, when I was going to State I was doing some light climbing with buddies on the White Sands side of the Organs and a couple of F-15's came screeching thorough the canyon where I-70 goes through. They were banked over as they flew through the canyon and it was hard not to get a silly grin. It's a pretty rugged and desolate stretch, but there are a lot of things I miss about that area.

Tim Rankin: Thanks for the link to the pics. I would NEVER had guessed there were vistas like that in NH. Eye opening!

sjbasin: Thanks for the laugh. You got me with the doublewide-pitbull line. As for the influx of gangstas, I don't think Farmington has a monopoly on that one.

[6 FOOT 3]

Originally Posted by ziaAirmac

Yeah, I always thought of Alamogordo as nestled in the foothills overlooking Holloman and White Sands. I know the Organ Mountains are on the Las Cruces side, but I actually don't know the name of the range just to the east. Feel free to chime in. They (Alamogordo, not the mountains) came close to being washed away by floods not too long ago! There's a great space museum there.

One time, when I was going to State I was doing some light climbing with buddies on the White Sands side of the Organs and a couple of F-15's came screeching thorough the canyon where I-70 goes through. They were banked over as they flew through the canyon and it was hard not to get a silly grin. It's a pretty rugged and desolate stretch, but there are a lot of things I miss about that area.

Nice story about the F-15's flying over the U.S. 70 canyon ZiaAirmac .

The Sacramento mountains are directly east of Alamo and the Capitan mountains are east of Carrizozo as they are New Mexico's only range that goes east/west and not north/south. Also the Orogrande Mountains are to the south of Alamogordo as well and the Organ mountains to the west.

We may be hot as hell but we are definately not flat .

[DIABLO172]

hi rruff, and everyone thanks 4 asking about more info regarding what we are looking for in NM. We are from a small town in Weare, NH population 9000 cold in winter short summer days. This year we had no summer. We are looking for a town maybe a little bigger. It takes us 30-40 to go into the city to run errands.

We both have arthritis and bad backs. We caught every cold & flu that comes around.

I appreciated everybodys input about NM, you folks are all friendly here, can't wait to get to NM.

[rruff]

"Bigger than 9000" narrows it down a bit. That's a pretty big town for NM! In NM, 9000 people usually means Walmart sized and not much else. Is that enough, or do you want more variety? First one that comes to my mind is Alamogordo... around 40k people, decent town and climate, not too expensive. On the smaller and cooler side you might consider Silver City, Ruidoso, Las Vegas. All these will get snow, but winter is still much sunnier and warmer than NH. Here is a great site for checking out the climate around the state: New Mexico

A couple things that people from NH tend to dislike about NM... if you are in the warmer parts of the state then it's also a desert... ie it isn't green most of the year. Also, it will be hot in the summer... mid 90s on avg but dry. Alamogordo is surrounded by mountains, so it's easy to visit cooler and greener land anytime you wish. In the northern part of the state you have Farmington/Aztec... I don't know much about that area, but the climate is more severe up north. I wouldn't consider places like Roswell or Carlsbad prime places to move to (dry, flat, windy), but some people like it.

One other thing... if you are used to a small town atmosphere where everybody knows everybody and has for generations, and everybody looks and talks the same, that will be a switch. In some ways a good one, and in others maybe not. At any rate, you'll have to come for a visit and see how you like it.

[GregW]

Hell is 10 deg cooler than Phoenix and without the traffic.

I suggest checking out the stretch betwen Albuquerque and Socorro. FWIW Google maps has street views of much of central New Mexico. Very revealing pictures.

Just looked at the NH pictures. Yep that what parts of NH look like.