Useful Information for Those Moving to Clovis (Albuquerque, Santa Fe: skateboarding, house)

[clairz]

There will be lots of people moving to Clovis over the next couple of years, and a question in a private message that I received yesterday made me realize that it would be helpful to have a thread with some newcomer information. This is stuff that I've collected over the year and a half that I've lived here. Most of it is not readily available to newcomers and took some digging around to find.

Exercise Facilities
I'm not really familiar with commercial gyms but I do, however, know a bit about the facilities at the Clovis Community College. You can sign up there for a "self directed PE class," which gives you weight room and swimming pool privileges (you don't actually attend a class; you just have to refer to their schedule for open times). The cost at present is $72 per semester. The weight rooms (there are at least three) have lots and lots of machines and are rarely crowded. The pool is divided into lap lanes (slow, medium, fast, and water walkers). I found the pool to be kind of crowded, but there are different times during the day when it is available. Shower, locker, and changing facilities are nice. There is a whirlpool, too. Let's see--also basketball and handball facilities, and a dance studio, too.

I am waiting for the indoor pool on 7th to open again; it is closed to the public for repairs until the end of March. The cost there is $30 for 20 swim sessions. It's very spacious, uncrowded, and has a friendly staff. Drafty changing rooms, I'm afraid (especially in winter). No hair dryers. Brr.

There is an outdoor pool down near Martin Luther King Blvd. that is open in the warmer weather. It is, like the indoor pool above, under the administration of the city parks and recreation department.

For really, really cheap exercise (if you are a senior, which I am) the Senior Center on Hickory has 2 stationary bikes and a treadmill. You toss a quarter into a jar whenever you use them!

The flatness of the land here that some complain about makes it a wonderful place for riding bikes. If you want a more exciting ride, there are lots of trails for bikes and ATVs at Ned Houk Park, 10 miles north of town.

Volunteering in Clovis
As a newly retired senior, I was looking for some ways to give back to the community when I first moved here. I couldn't readily find a nice listing of volunteer opportunities in Clovis, so I wrote one myself and posted it on my blog. See Volunteering in Clovis--Nice Work if You Can Find It. I see that some of the links there no longer work, but I will get them revised later today.

These are just two areas where I had to search for information, and I can certainly add more if there is interest. I am hoping that others reading this thread will have additional information to share.

~clairz

[Towanda]

I am a big proponent of Curves, which is an exercise program for women, many of whom are older and will not go to a regular gym to work out. It is also a nice place to meet other women who are concerned about fitness. There is a Curves in most good sized towns and in all sized-cities.

I see that Clovis has a Curves on Prince Street.

I highly recommend it.

My Curves in Santa Fe costs about $40 a month, but in Kansas I only paid $31 a month, so the price varies from place to place.

Map.

[debra86]

Do you know if there is a gym on base and if it's decent? Also, what about the hospitals? I am moving to Cannon in April and I am definitely nervous. I am a little over 13 weeks pregnant. I heard there wasn't a hospital on Cannon AFB from multiple people! =(

[clairz]

Originally Posted by debra86

Do you know if there is a gym on base and if it's decent? Also, what about the hospitals? I am moving to Cannon in April and I am definitely nervous. I am a little over 13 weeks pregnant. I heard there wasn't a hospital on Cannon AFB from multiple people! =(

First of all, congratulations on becoming an expectant mom!

The hospital in Clovis is Plains Regional Medical Center. I have had a couple of surgeries there and have found them to be very eager to please, if their follow-up surveys and phone calls are anything to go by. You can see their information for moms-to-be here.

I'm sure that there are lots of people reading here who know about the base and can answer those questions for you.

~clairz

[debra86]

Originally Posted by clairz

First of all, congratulations on becoming an expectant mom!

The hospital in Clovis is Plains Regional Medical Center. I have had a couple of surgeries there and have found them to be very eager to please, if their follow-up surveys and phone calls are anything to go by. You can see their information for moms-to-be here.

I'm sure that there are lots of people reading here who know about the base and can answer those questions for you.

~clairz

Thank you. I saw that Plains Regional didn't have a women's specialty. Presbyterian is located in Albuquerque isn't it? That's what I read from the website. So Plains Regional doesn't have a women's specialty? =(

[clairz]

Originally Posted by debra86

Thank you. I saw that Plains Regional didn't have a women's specialty. Presbyterian is located in Albuquerque isn't it? That's what I read from the website. So Plains Regional doesn't have a women's specialty? =(

I guess the company (Presbyterian) is headquartered in Albuquerque. Rest assured, we have a hospital and a good sized medical complex right here in Clovis, including a Women's Clinic with ob/gyns and all the equipment for the kinds of tests that women require (including bone density scans, for us older ladies). Lots of people are having babies here, don't worry!

One of the things I really like about Clovis is that going to the doctor is just a 10 minute drive from just about anywhere in town through absolutely no traffic. No parking problems, either.

~clairz

[Debbiefos]

Originally Posted by clairz

First of all, congratulations on becoming an expectant mom!

The hospital in Clovis is Plains Regional Medical Center. I have had a couple of surgeries there and have found them to be very eager to please, if their follow-up surveys and phone calls are anything to go by. You can see their information for moms-to-be here.

I'm sure that there are lots of people reading here who know about the base and can answer those questions for you.

~clairz

I have 2 boys who are really in to baseball and soccer, is that something they have there local

[New West 2020]

Portales is a great choice for kids and adults, including couples and singles. Being a university town makes a huge difference in both the quality of the people and the many diverse recreation choices available. Soccer and baseball leagues are very active, facilities are new, and fields are lighted and busy. All league play is in both Portales and Clovis, so there will be some kid-schlepping, but Portales is much quicker and easier to get around than Clovis is if you are a soccer mom on the go.

Recreational offerings in Portales include a golf course, parks, swimming pools, tennis courts, playgrounds, softball and baseball fields, a youth recreation center, an archery range, racquetball courts, fitness center, a two-screen movie cinema and musical and theater productions. There are four parks in and around Portales, including a new skateboarding park and the Oasis State Park (fishing, giant playground equipment, picnicking, camping, hiking) located on the highway between Cannon and Portales.

The Portales Recreation Complex offers walking trails, four lighted baseball parks, senior citizens center, soccer fields and a model airplane landing strip. This complex and the Portales Recreation Center offer a lot of action for kids. The Center's class schedule speaks for itself: http://www.portalesnm.org/residential/recreation/center/programs.shtml .T

Then there is ENMU, which offers many more fields and courts with adult and kid sports classes of all types, plus two indoor pools, one of which is newly remodeled (Natatorium). ENMU also has a giant dome with an 8,000 person stadium, 10 basketball courts, tracks, giant weight room and pool that anyone can join for something like $100 a year! There is also an ENMU rugby league and soccer team, golf classes, etc. - just check out Eastern New Mexico University. Of course the college also has any academic class you want: nursing, broadcasting, languages, biology, whatever. Sports training and sports medicine are huge in Portales, with Dr. Joel Seivers being a top sports PT in the west.

Portales has a few festivals like the Winter Wine Fest, Christmas Parade and a few live music coffe house events, but it is ENMU that has the full schedule of national and international theatre, dance, jazz, orchestra, opera and live events of all types. There are music and theatre classes for kids and adults, and a first class and inexpensive child development center for preschoolers - with a huge waiting list. Out of town there is horseback riding at Abrazos Stables, and the Dixon Dirt Bike Track on Highway 88 - which is becoming very popular around the region as a challenging motocross venue.

Now for Adults:

There is a new 24/7 downtown gym in Portales (forget the name) - kind of like a Gold's Gym, right on the Portales town square, very clean, with decent machines, yoga, aerobics, free towels, etc. for about $20 a month. Road biking highways include US 70 and 457- pretty safe during early AMs. The best mountain biking is on San Juan Mesa where the wind farm is, 20 miles south of Portales and just south of Elida. Best hiking is Grulla Wildlife Refuge on Highway 88 at the Texas line.

The Portales County Club has 9 holes and a full bar. For 12 oz. curls, interesting but educated crowds and spicy hot wings, nothing in the Portales/Clovis dustplex beats the Dawg Houze in Portales - a clean sports bar with no grease on the walls and less riff raff than all the rest. Goobers is an OK bar and music dive next to Cattle Baron Steak House on Avenue C, which also has a decent but quiet bar. You can't lose on the crowd choices when college is in session .

[Northanna_2001]

Clairz, you have a great attitude and great info on Clovis. When we got here four years ago ~ from Anchorage AK ~ I got to know some people through the Red Hat Society and others. I had not had any health concerns in Anchorage at all as the doctors we used were superb. However, I did hear good things about Portales Hospital and Dr. Bruce Owens, which of course he has moved to Lubbock now.

[Debbiefos]

'Portales is a great choice for kids and adults, including couples and singles. Being a university town makes a huge difference in both the quality of the people and the many diverse recreation choices available. Soccer and baseball leagues are very active, facilities are new, and fields are lighted and busy. All league play is in both Portales and Clovis, so there will be some kid-schlepping, but Portales is much quicker and easier to get around than Clovis is if you are a soccer mom on the go.'

I appreciate the info, I can breathe and relax now, those sports are a lifeline for our boys and they are also nature lovers. We fish and crab a lot here in Fl, get out and shoot the BB guns. We are really excited. Thanks.