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Actually you are making Chama sound more attractive to us all the time. I have not been to a movie in over 30 years other than what comes on TV. Personaly I think most of the movies I have seen on TV are just awful. I am not into snake coming out of the belly things. GAG I am an artist and depend on my own creativity to keep myself entertained. Shopping is the only done out of necessity for groceries. I do not enjoy shopping just to go look . I can do all of that I want on the internet. With no medical insurance we have both decided we will just die when the time comes.No doctors for us. If I break an arm or leg then I just have to deal with it. We have lived where thare were no hospitals for 60 miles another 40 miles oh well. In Challis ,ID we had to go over Willow Creek Summit to get to shopping. We would only go weather permitting. Stock up in the spring and fall. Even here we only go grocery shopping every three weeks or so weather permitting.
Thanks again. I will see about finding pictures. Our town cambridge idaho com leaving out the periods is an ok town but getting too crowded for us.
Crackerjack my husband just sent me the link to Chama Camber of commerce and it looks like Chama is a metropolis compared to Cambridge. We only have ONE restaurant to choose from the other one keeps going broke. LOL I did not see internet service listed but there must be one since there appear to be so many websites/links to businesses. I know the chamber of Commerce is out to paint a rosy picture but Chama sounds like a dream area. It has so much more to offer than Cambridge. If it is so far removed then it might not get much larger???
We are a population of 360 here but it is exploding and property values skyrocketing because of a big development going in right over the mountain from us. With big publicity because the Pres was here last summer and a new highway going in this area could become a bedroom community of Boise is a few years. That would totaly suck. We are looking for a place that will NOT explode on us like it is here. We are getting too old to keep moving around running away from people. The only thing after seeing the chamber site is Chama might already be too much for us. Going to look into it further.
Chama has quite a few restuarants and hotels. They do have a train and of course the mountains to bring tourist. Lots of fishing and hunting in the area also. Quite a few folks from the bigger cities have vacation homes in the area.
It is still a small quiet little town. I worked on a project there for a few months several years ago. Never had a problem I even went into some of the local bars and mingeled with some of the locals without incident.
Shades of Idaho, you are welcome! Since isolation and winter doesn't bother you and you don't mind lack of stores and such, you might look into Silverton, Colorado. The winters are harsh with lots of snow but the summers are always cool. It is small and I don't see it getting large due to it being so high up and isolated. It gets some tourists in the summer but almost a ghost town in the winter. It doesn't have any big developments like so many mountain places. Days in the 60s and 70s and nights in the low 40s to even the high 30s in the summer. It can get internet though. It may be what you are looking for but also you might check into Eagle Nest, NM is a small town of about 300, near Eagle Nest Lake. It is more of a meadow area with mountains around it. Days in the 70s and nights in the 40s in the summer. Also, Red River is about 500 people but gets more tourists and summer home type people and does have some larger but not huge motels, hotels and condos, but has really pretty scenery. 70s days and 40 nights in summer. Those are the small isolated towns that come to mind. Good Luck on your search.
Last edited by Crackerjack; 07-23-2006 at 11:42 PM..
I personally feel Chama has a far brighter outlook than is being reported here. I get the feeling someone may not want to share this with you...
Chama is about 2hrs from ABQ. Yes it comes up short on the big city things that we know and take for granted. But it also has open land and recreation not found in the bigger cities of NM.
Will it blossom into a resort town? I doubt that. At least not any time soon. On the other hand I think there are some growth options there not yet seen. Just as Payson is to Phoenix, Chama is to Albuquerque. It's a matter of time.
There is no question the land around Chama is beautiful. The winters can get a lot of snow. If the town ever decided to make a planned small city that had enough shopping to be self-supporting, it would be a really nice place to live. If you don't mind traveling to other cities for amenities, snow in the winter and like natural, rural and beautiful land, Chama would fit you.
I was wondering if someone could tell me the amount of snowfall this place gets? Are the winters mild?
Also, since the town mainly exists on tourism from that train (am I wrong in assuming that?) what do the shops and restraunts do when there are no tourists?
Are the people friendly and open to new people moving in or is it like the movie "The Village"? LOL
I can't speak to the basis of the local economy or the openess of locals to outsiders, but I can give a little input regarding the winters in Chama.
Let's just say that the phrases "mild winter" and "Chama" are rarely used in the same sentence. We're not talking North Dakota-esque cold & snow, but some of the coldest winter weather in NM is going to be found in Chama. Single digit low temperatures are not uncommon Dec. thru Feb.
Thanks for the response. I'm not looking for a super cold place. I live in Michigan now and I am sick of the cold. That sounds worse then here.
True...but why then would you pick probably THE coldest place in the state of NM, by far? Chama and Red River are the two places I think of as being by far the coldest here, as they are extremely high in elevation and in mountains.
Pick almost any other place in this huge state - NM - that is just a bit lower in elevation, and you'll find much, much more temperate, mild winter weather than you are used to in MI! (I would heartily endorse Albuquerque...I moved here from Wisconsin 3 years ago...however, based on your interest in Chama, I am guessing you are looking for a smaller town than a big city? If so, there are tons of those in this vast state as well too!)...
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Chama Questions?
