Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Ruidoso is mostly conservative right wing Christian... but I'm not and I like it anyway. I think it is slowly changing as more people who aren't from west Texas move here.
What does a writer or artist need to make a town "good" for them?
Yep... plenty of nice land for sale for a good price.
If you're thinking of comparing it to somewhere like Branson, MO - then it does NOT have "that sort" of music scene. Nor is it another Austin, TX. But this is a tourist town - that and real estate development are the two principal industries. Tourists demand a certain degree of "night life." I know only a very few musicians who actually live here and make a living performing and they are "locked into" the local business scene with their long-standing reputations. Otherwise it's traveling performers who get booked by local venues.
I live very close to Ruidoso and go there for something to do when there really isn't anything better to do.
At times, it can be pretty unbearable to be a "local". Sure, the visiting people can be friendly, but it gets old after a while. While I dislike that many of the local businesses are owned by Texans, run by Texans, and pretty much cater only to Texans, I cannot complain about the fact that it brings money into the area. This has led to slowly improving quality of life there.
My biggest pet peeve is the drivers, though. Always too slow, or too fast, or just..ignorant. I'm not going to say I am a great driver, but when someone is going 20 MPH through the whole town, or cuts me off in their gigantic turbodiesel pickup, it gets pretty annoying. Also, not being able to find parking in Wal-Mart on a weekday morning is quite amazing in itself.
It leaves me wishing that there were more places for Ruidoso locals, specifically youth and young adults. The music scene is sorta lacking, unless you like the same people over and over again in the bar, and the nearest real venues for music/entertainment is Las Cruces.
Also, no really decent music or bookstores to speak of =(
jaxart: Thanks, I was afraid of that. No, of course I didn't expect Branson, MO (nor would I want Ruidoso to be like Branson).
JordanJP: Your response concerning having to go as far as Las Cruces answered my unexpressed question concerning Alamogordo. I can't say I'm surprised.
Also, not being able to find parking in Wal-Mart on a weekday morning is quite amazing in itself.
I find this statement VERY puzzling??? I shop weekdays at Walmart and never have a problem with parking. I can only assume you meant to write "weekends." Weekends can be crowded, but usually only when there is some special event or it's a holiday weekend. I avoid going to Walmart on weekends generally - getting all of my shopping done during the week.
But weekends are problematic anywhere there are shopping malls or big box stores. Not just a Ruidoso problem.
As for the music scene, my friends who enjoy that sort of thing tend to favor the Cree Meadows Country Club for a more varied experience - dancing. What is generally true of all the music venues in the evening is that C&W predominates. Ruidoso is very fortunate to have the SPENCER THEATER for higher quality performances. Last weekend was Camelot, preceded on previous weekends by Cabaret and Cats. There is also a "dinner theater" that is open year around on weekends - Mountain Annie's.
I find this statement VERY puzzling??? I shop weekdays at Walmart and never have a problem with parking. I can only assume you meant to write "weekends." Weekends can be crowded, but usually only when there is some special event or it's a holiday weekend. I avoid going to Walmart on weekends generally - getting all of my shopping done during the week.
Nope, meant to write weekdays. If you are unfortunate enough to go there during the week and randomly pick the day where everyone gets paid, it can be pretty hectic. There's a reason why I wait until Saturday night at 9PM to go.
Don't mind me, though, traffic in Ruidoso can be problematic for a variety of reasons, and sometimes I think it would be faster to ditch my vehicle at the edge of town and ride a bike.
Spencer Theatre- Never been there because I'm not the theatre type of person, but all I hear are rave reviews- the cook at the restaurant I worked at said that it "brings culture into this area, thank God"
Don't mind me, though, traffic in Ruidoso can be problematic for a variety of reasons, and sometimes I think it would be faster to ditch my vehicle at the edge of town and ride a bike.
It's only problematic for those who think there is only one road going through town.
As for riding a bike... with pretty much zero lanes or wide shoulders, it isn't very friendly to that. But like driving, it isn't tough to find a decent route.
As for the music scene, my friends who enjoy that sort of thing tend to favor the Cree Meadows Country Club for a more varied experience - dancing. What is generally true of all the music venues in the evening is that C&W predominates.
Music tends to be geared towards old people with a western/cowboy theme. Dreamcatcher had some interesting music playing outside last summer but they got in big trouble for making too much noise.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Thanks!
