Why did you move to New Mexico? (Los Alamos, Taos: apartment, high crime)

[ajzjmsmom]

Originally Posted by tecpatl

The smell is probably Creosote bush. It gives up a pretty memorable smell after a good rain.

That's what they told me it was. No where else smells like that I just wish it would rain more so I could smell it more.

[TigerLily24]

Originally Posted by Towanda

I feel like I may be one of the few people on this thread who loves this state and has no complaints about it. I dreamed for nearly 40 years of moving to New Mexico. I have been here for one year now. The state and living here in Santa Fe has not only lived up to my expectations but has surpassed them so much I regret that it took so long for me to be able to move here. I have lived in many places, but this is the last stop on my journey through my life.

I hope that all of you who are unhappy here will get to leave New Mexico just as soon as possible. I don't mean that in an unkind way, just that life is just too short to dislike where you live.

My feelings exactly

[Vinegaroon]

Originally Posted by loborick

This is a very strange thread. Usually most posters are very defensive of New Mexico. It seems like this one hasopened it up for those that aren't happy here. As you say, to those that aren't happy, I hope you can move quickly to somewhere you can be happy. Life is way too short to live your life somewhere you aren't happy.

I think you need to go back through the thread and read more carefully. If you count the number of people that said they like New Mexico v.s. dislike, the number liking it appears to be higher. There are some people that don't enjoy New Mexico, and there are others like myself that enjoy living here, but might move elsewhere at some point. Happiness comes from within by the way, it cannot be provided by some location. I think I could be happy living in Des Moines, New York, Louisiana, or even.....(shudder) Texas.

[BRMan]

Originally Posted by Vinegaroon

I think you need to go back through the thread and read more carefully. If you count the number of people that said they like New Mexico v.s. dislike, the number liking it appears to be higher. There are some people that don't enjoy New Mexico, and there are others like myself that enjoy living here, but might move elsewhere at some point. Happiness comes from within by the way, it cannot be provided by some location. I think I could be happy living in Des Moines, New York, Louisiana, or even.....(shudder) Texas.

I think you'd like Louisiana. We're similar to NM in that you have a lot of poverty, but there's also a lot of culture and history.

The humidity and weather (hurricanes, floods, etc) may take a bit of getting used to, but somehow 4 million people manage to make do

[mike0421]

Please don't interpret my post as a blanket dislike for New Mexico. There are several aspects of living here I wouldn't trade for anything, including the weather, the lack of traffic, low population density, and the cuisine here is first rate. My major axe to grind here is a predictable one when you move from an area of the country that is completely unlike NM.

I thought about this more over the weekend, and I've concluded that a place such as New Mexico might be a less forboding area to transition into if have children that are out of the house, or have already been educated. I will maintain that the level of educational emphasis, coupled with a high crime rate are major, major stumbling blocks when attempting to draw an objective analysis. But I say this as a middle aged person with two small children. I don't think I fit the bill of a typical relocator. I think most come here after they've earned their money and are in retirement or semi-retirement mode. In contrast, if you are younger, and your career is on the ascent, you might very well develop a negative perception of the lifestyle here. And I think this acid test probably holds true for not just New Mexico, but other typical sun belt, retirement destinations.

[ajzjmsmom]

Originally Posted by Vinegaroon

I think you need to go back through the thread and read more carefully. If you count the number of people that said they like New Mexico v.s. dislike, the number liking it appears to be higher. There are some people that don't enjoy New Mexico, and there are others like myself that enjoy living here, but might move elsewhere at some point. Happiness comes from within by the way, it cannot be provided by some location. I think I could be happy living in Des Moines, New York, Louisiana, or even.....(shudder) Texas.

I totally agree with you on this. Somedays I am happy with NM and others not so happy. I do know hubby cannot climb any further up the career ladder in NM and if we want a nice retirement we will have to leave. We have discussed whether or not we would be willling to come back here after he puts in his time in DC but because of the education system in place here and the fact that I have kids that will be in school for another 10 yrs and I want them to get a quality education, we probably won't. Another big issue with us is the water issue in NM or should I say the lack of water.

[tecpatl]

Originally Posted by mike0421

Please don't interpret my post as a blanket dislike for New Mexico. There are several aspects of living here I wouldn't trade for anything, including the weather, the lack of traffic, low population density, and the cuisine here is first rate. My major axe to grind here is a predictable one when you move from an area of the country that is completely unlike NM.

I thought about this more over the weekend, and I've concluded that a place such as New Mexico might be a less forboding area to transition into if have children that are out of the house, or have already been educated. I will maintain that the level of educational emphasis, coupled with a high crime rate are major, major stumbling blocks when attempting to draw an objective analysis. But I say this as a middle aged person with two small children. I don't think I fit the bill of a typical relocator. I think most come here after they've earned their money and are in retirement or semi-retirement mode. In contrast, if you are younger, and your career is on the ascent, you might very well develop a negative perception of the lifestyle here. And I think this acid test probably holds true for not just New Mexico, but other typical sun belt, retirement destinations.

I can certainly understand your concern about education here, as I have come to believe it's generally second-rate compared to some other areas.
Of course, parents are the chief reason kids do well in school and get a good education, so you can influence their's pretty easily and I'm sure you will.

The ones who really suffer are kids who's parents think it's just fine the way it is....meaning the way it was when THEY were in school here.
I think of the hubub when the Dona Ana CC nursing students crashed and burned in such large numbers on a mandated test this past winter. So many people wrote the newspapers and commented about how unfair it was to give those kids such a hard test, lame excuses,etc. Kinda gave me a clue about where the problems really lie.
By the way, I very much enjoyed your earlier post. You obviously gave it a lot of thought, and I appreciate that.

[bradly]

Originally Posted by ajzjmsmom

IAnother big issue with us is the water issue in NM or should I say the lack of water.

Water issue? Are you kidding they are just saying that so we can all conserve for the future. Thats what they are doing in Albuquerque. That city has water sooooooo much water, And I should know I work for it (the city).. they just wanna scare you. Seriously.

[karmathecat]

"That city has water sooooooo much water, And I should know I work for it (the city)"

Really? What position do you have or what department do you work for that is giving you the inside scoop on the H2O issue?

[bradly]

Originally Posted by karmathecat

"That city has water sooooooo much water, And I should know I work for it (the city)"

Really? What position do you have or what department do you work for that is giving you the inside scoop on the H2O issue?

I work in Planning. I know just about everything in this town.. If its being planned or being built, I'm there! thats my motto!
Its not so much "scoop" its just the facts.