Northern New Mexico Vs. Southerm New Mexico (Albuquerque, Las Cruces: to live, assess)

[Dobelover]

Any opinions as to which part you prefer and why? Which do you think is more scenic, safer, has more to do, friendlier people, etc?

[jaxart]

Apples vs Oranges!

[Wicked Felina]

Oh man, I opened this thread hoping to get more perspective on New Mexico from people who actually live there. And I got fruit -

[bradly]

Northern... Its wow... The Mountains are bigger and better.
Well i'm from northern so i'm biased haha

[catman]

I think northern NM is gorgeous, but the winters are much easier to take in southern NM, so I'd prefer to live there. I think of Las Vegas and Albuquerque as just being on the fringes of northern NM. Red River, now, that's really northern NM.

[JDTH]

I really only know two areas fairly well. One in Northern (Albuquerque) and one in Southern (Ruidoso). I've been to both over 15 times. They both have great qualities. I only go to Albuquerque on special occasions (GON) so I probably can't assess it fairly.

Ruidoso to me is heaven on earth even with all the tourists. I grew up in a horse racing village (Arlington Heights, IL) and absolutely love the track. The ponderosa pines are just amazing. I've been there in all 4 seasons and would rather avoid winter if possible, but that is just me, desert rat in Tempe.

[jaxart]

In defense of Southern NM, which is forever getting slighted when any discussion about state affairs arises, permit me a short list:

Carlsbad Caverns National Park.
Sitting Bull Falls park (NW of Carlsbad).
Pecos River Park in Carlsbad.
Bottomless Lakes state park (E. of Roswell)
Otero Mesa natural areas.
White Sands National Monument.
Organ Mountains State Park. (E. of Las Cruces)
Historic Old Mesilla.
Pancho Villa State Park (Columbus).
Rockhound State Park (Deming).
White Mountain Wilderness area and Lincoln Natl. Forest
Mogollon Wilderness area and Gila Natl. Forest.
Silver City and the massive copper mine.
City of Rocks State Park. (S. of Silver City)
Bosque del Apache National Wildlife area. (San Antonio, NM)
Elephant Butte Lake state park and largest lake in NM.
Caballo Lake state park.
Truth or Consequences hot springs.
Three Rivers National Monument petroglyph site. (NE of Tularosa)
Fort Stanton state park. (N. of Ruidoso)
Lincoln state park (Town of Lincoln)
Gila Cliff Dwellings Natl. Monument (Gila Natl. Forest)
Fort Union Natl. Monument (N. of Las Cruces)

And I could go on for at least twice as long with just the recognized scenic and historical points of interest. As I already succinctly stated in my first response to this thread, comparing North to South NM is like comparing apples to oranges - it's all a matter of taste!

[malamute]

All of NM is beautiful and scenic. The north is pretty cold in the winter and the southern part has mild temperatures unless you're up in the mountains.

[DOUBLE H]

Jaxart! SOLID list! It's been a while since I've talked up southern N.M. but I love it there, have friends in Edgewood, Tucumcari, and Hagerman, south of Roswell. I've been through Roswell and Carlsbad lots of times in January and temps usually have been mild. One thing, though. When those winter systems come rolling in from the Pacific, it might not snow very much, but the winds will knock ya for a loop, especially on I-10 from Deming to Las Cruces.

[jaxart]

Originally Posted by DOUBLE H

Jaxart! ...the winds will knock ya for a loop, especially on I-10 from Deming to Las Cruces.

Sssssh!!! That's one of our better kept secrets!