Questions about NM...HELP (Albuquerque, Las Cruces: house, neighborhoods, scorpions)

[Newbee1]

I am currently living in MI and considering moving to NM. I will be moving with my boyfriend, our 2 dogs, and 1 or 2 horses. I will be a new graduate and looking for a job in Occupational Therapy for me and a heavy equipment operator/construction job for him. We are wondering about the career opportunities, best place to live with horses, and house pricing. I would like you to keep in mind that we are just starting out and will possibly have a family one day so a good neighborhood too Thank you for the help, any information would help us out. Not sure where to live in NM, where is the best place to live??

[jmmcnally]

From my own knowledge, northern NM would be best. Better schools, better jobs, better standard of living. This is all word of mouth though. Good luck.

[RamblinRoseRanch]

Depends on how close in you want to be. We're in the East Mountain area, midway between Santa Fe and Albuquerque- 45 minutes or less to either place. It's a ranching community with tons of horsey events. Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions.

[nmnita]

I agree with RamblinRose, East Mountain area is great, there are parts of Valencia county that are as well. Some of the county isn't desirable, but there are many areas that are part of Los Lunas school district that are farming and also very popular. It is a growning area, as it grows and there is a lot of new construction the area will improve even faster.

Yes, the north part of ABQ offers the best of many things, but you will pay for it. I love Corrales, certainly just what you are thinking of, but it will probably be out of your price range.

Nita

[linicx]

Unless you have a job, it is very unwise to move 1400 miles. from home. NM is a unique SW state that is very unlike any state east of the Mississippi River. NM is not a wealthy state. Cost of living in Santa Fe is as much as Chicago. Taos and Angelfire are pricey. I am used to cold weather and I like it, but I"ll tell you the mountain winter cold will make you wish you were in Chicago.

Ruidosa os hprse country. You will need a 4x4. It is also a pricey art colony. Go down south into warmer country and worry about snakes and poisonous spiders. And don't forget to shake out your boots, clothes and hats before you put them own every day. Scorpions like to hide in those places. When you go south, the summer heat makes Makes Michigan feel like downright chilly. Hospitals and airports are far apart.

I love New Mexico, but I've spent enough time here that I know what I am getting into. You won't find me in the summer or winter.

[Santa Fe]

Occupational therapy -- I don't think you will have any trouble as long as you are near some sort of medical center. Heavy equipment is a different matter. You might think about places that are experiencing growth. Before the recession, I would have said ABQ and LC. Not sure now. Maybe somebody from those cities can tell you.

Schools are pretty weak in New Mexico so you need to be careful about that. There are websites that rank schools, pretty much based on test scores. If you care about education look for systems that are in the top third. You can't put much faith in what parents say, because there seem to be plenty of parents who are happy with bad schools -- that is a big part of the problem. In ABQ, if you live in the right neighborhoods you can find good schools. I suspect that is true of LC but don't know.

If MI is like WI where I have lived, then you will find just about anywhere in NM warm except for perhaps the highest mountain towns.

Cost of living in New Mexico is about average for the US. Where it is more expensive -- eg, Santa Fe, the higher cost is in the housing.

Horses? It is not hard to find a place in NM where you can keep horses. One thing we have got -- it is space. Finding water to keep grass growing in the pasture can be a little trickier some places.

[nmnita]

I think you will want to stay away from Sante Fe because of the cost of living for one thing. Consentrate on areas near Albuquerque. That would be the best for your job prospects.

Nita

[jaxart]

Las Cruces, Alamogordo and Roswell all have (or will have, in Roswell's case) state of the art medical facilities. There was a recent announcement of a new "rehab" hospital being built in Roswell - but didn't read the article so don't know if that means drug rehab or physical rehab.

As for heavy equipment/contracting business, there is a new "space port" being built near Las Cruces, as well as ongoing activities at White Sands Missile Range and Holloman AFB, both of which have been designated for major new installations in the past year. Same for El Paso and Ft. Bliss. Las Cruces has been at the top of the list for several years now as one of the fastest growing cities in the USA. It's now the second largest city in NM, having overtaken Santa Fe in recent years.

All three of the towns I've named are "family friendly" places to live.

[Santa Fe]

Yes, Santa Fe is not the place to look for growth. We are actually down to number four now having been passed by LC and Rio Rancho. We have some construction slated on the southside of Santa Fe, but I suspect that we have more than enough heavy equipment operators already.

LC, on the other hand, has been booming for some time. Sometimes the whole area from LC to ABQ is mentioned as a growth corridor.

Nobody has mentioned the Farmington area. That tends to be boom or bust with energy prices.

[TKO]

I think with the OT career you'd actually be better off moving to the southern part of the state (with all the retirees). Construction goes on year round here too.