Truth or Consequences (Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Silver City: crime, house, find a job)

[SaraT]

We are beginning to think of moving to NM when we retire in a few years. I would like to have some opinion of the area of Truth or Consequences from some who are familiar with it. We are looking for a place that we could live economically (decent property available for under $100,000), and safely in a area that doesn't get hot and humid in the summer and doesn't get too cold in the winter or recieve alot of snow. We also would be most happy in a smaller population area. Any other comments that you could make on this area or others you could recommend would be appreciated.

[Dean Halbert]

We are tired of Texas politics, etc. wind, humidity, you name it -- is TorC our answer? We are retired and looking for our "last" home, doctors and hospitals available, friendly people, older ones, that is.

[Waterlily]

It's been a few years since I was there. I spent a lot of time there in the 90's and before as my parents lived there.

It is a small town with a downtown area and some things spread out along the main streets. The Rio Grande river goes through part of the town. There's lakes close by.

It has a hospital and just a few doctors I believe. It was a peaceful kind of place back then. I was thinking about going out there again to see what it's like now.

It has gained a little population but not much. There is a lot of older people there. It seems there are some snowbirds from the northern states too.

I'd consider giving it a look and see if it meets your needs. Me I like a small town.

Now I have seen where some folks say there has been a certain amount of crime there. I never saw anything like that when I was there. I'd look at the stats and see exactly what these crimes are and if it would have any effect on an ordinary peaceful retired person. After all no place is quite heaven.

[designer]

I have lived in T or C for a little more than 3 years and like any small or large
town it has it's positives and negatives. I would think it would depend on your background, education level and age how well you might like it here.
Medical like most small towns is not all that good especially compared to
larger cities like Albuquerque or Phoenix. People here seem to spend a lot of
time in their autos driving to Las Cruces to see specialists. With gas at $2.99
per gallon here that could be a factor for many. Also if you have worked in
a professional setting all your life you might find T or C a little more blue
collar than you like but maybe not. It does have a large amount of older retired people which most seem to have lived in small towns or on farms
most of their lives. The politics here seem very backwards and the city fathers seem to have a very non-progressive attitude about change in the town. It does not snow very much in the winter and is hotter than I like in
the summer but being dry it is not as bad as Phoenix. Housing is much lower
here than many places but it seems to be climbing but I would think you could
find a smaller house for under $100,000 without to much trouble. Of course
there are usually solid reasons for housing to be cheaper in some areas than
others. I do think T or C is up for change especailly with the new Walmart
under construction and possibly more to come.

[Wisteria]

I'm reviving this thread as I am still considering Truth or Consequences, especially now that I know of a co-worker who is retiring there in March, 2008. She and her sister were raised in New Mexico, but my co-worker has been in California the past 30 years. They are looking to jointly open a small confectionary business in TorC.

She also kindly gave me some of the TorC newspapers (the Herald) and I have been perusing those. One thing I noticed was the new NASCAR/motor speedway proposed to be built, along with other amenities by the founder of the Comfort Inns. Does anyone know just how far away that would be from downtown? I understand it will be near the airport and the airport runway extended. I'm concerned about hearing loud "roaring" noises from a racetrack nearby, but don't know just how close to the city it actually is. Being a small city, it can't be that far, but, hopefully, it is more on the edge of town and the sounds won't carry to the residential areas. It wasn't very clear about the proposed amenities, and do any of you know more specifics? I was a bit surprised that these are Florida developers....and Florida is not known for great development ethics....as far as I know (obviously, there are ethical folks out there, but in the larger scheme of things Florida seems to shelter unethical folks a lot).

I know that the arts are rising in TorC, but wonder if they will continue to rise, or are there rumors that they will decrease? (I like the presence of artists in a town because they often can revive an area.)

Waterlily, since you have been there a lot and have a long history of family there, perhaps you have some perspectives on this -- the pros and cons of development.

Thanks!

[mike0421]

Try Hillsboro about 25 miles west of T or C. It's one of the most beautiful small towns in New Mexico, IMO.

[Wisteria]

How small is Hillsboro? I will be moving by myself and do not want to be totally isolated. I already live in a very small town (7,000 population), and realize I need a larger town. Thanks.

[Waterlily]

I am going to make an attempt to answer your questions as much as I can Wisteria. The arts have been a part of Tor C for many years. Let me see. It was about 1970 when I first laid eyes on T or C. I was a young adult then. That's about when my parents bought a home there. Yes there were artists aplenty even back then. It seems to be ingrained in the culture.

I don't know anything about this race track going in. We'd need some one who lives there now to tell us about it. Now your friends are interested in creating a business. Well...that could be good or not. It needs to be something that will appeal to the local people. They do get some tourists but not all year long. There are a certain amount of snowbirds who live there during winter. There is a festival during spring that brings in a lot of people. Plus the lakes bring some people to town.

Some cities may not like a Walmart coming to town,but I think it will be welcomed in Truth or Consequences. There are just some things a person may want to buy that are hard to find in Tor C. People do make trips to one of the big cities once in while to stock up or maybe buy clothes. They could use a few more businesses in T or C.

I believe you said that you visited the city so you know it is high desert. It's not a bad climate. It would be a place to consider for retirement. Now if you were expecting to find a job there it would not be such a good location. Good Luck searching for your perfect place.

[Wisteria]

Thanks, Waterlily. Yes, I like the high desert -- better than lower desert! (I lived in Phoenix and that is way too hot, and I lived in Colorado and that was a perfect altitude for me...)

My friend who is starting the confectionary business will be retired, so it's not like she needs it for a primary income -- I think it's more for the fun of it, and a little extra, if possible. She's retiring from our county after 30 years, so she will have a good retirement package, plus Social Security. (Lucky her!)

I have a copy of the newspaper with the article about the racetrack. It sounds like a mixed bag to me, and I'd love to hear what the locals think.

TorC would be for retirement for me, not a job (lucky me!). I will have a small pension, and have to wait for Social Security to kick in. But...if I can sell my house in this housing market, that will certainly be good.

I'm not totally against development. Where I currently live, outside of Santa Cruz, California, development is fought tooth and nail. It took years and years and years to get approval for a Home Depot (which I'd like to see), and they are finally starting to build it. Walmart isn't exactly my cup of tea (and we don't have one here, either), however, when there aren't many options, I can see where it would be useful.

My concern would be more in the line of health care services for us retirees who seem to be flocking to more and more places in New Mexico. I don't know why dry weather and sunshine seem so much more valuable when one is older, but it sure seems that way to me. I never understood the "snowbird" concept until I got older. Now it kind of appeals to me (except I'd just rather live in the nice place and not travel to it).

Thanks, Waterlily. Any insights are appreciated!

[6 FOOT 3]

Originally Posted by Wisteria

How small is Hillsboro? I will be moving by myself and do not want to be totally isolated. I already live in a very small town (7,000 population), and realize I need a larger town. Thanks.

Wisteria...Hillsboro is a quasi Ghost Town with about 200 inbabitants. Its just on the edge of the Mogollon mountains and the drive from there to Silver City is absolutely awsome.

I think with the SpacePort being built about 20 miles south of TorC will provide some economical benefit.