Cloudcroft info please (Las Cruces, Alamogordo, Ruidoso: crime rate, homes, employment)

[White Mountain]

I would like a overview of Cloudcroft; Does it have extreme weather throughout the year? The overall feel of the people, friendly/snobs? How do they take to people from California wanting to move there? Conservative, moderate or liberal? Different activities to do year around?

My wife and I are a 50 year old couple that have yet to buy our own home as it is waaay too expensive here in Ca, so that is a big reason I am looking at Cloudcroft. Not really worried about jobs as we make our money online as I create web sites, though my wife is a nurses assistant and a massage therapist so she may look for work along those lines.
No children living at home so schools are not an issue.
It would seem the crime rate would be pretty low...
So anyway, any thoughts would be greatly appreciated..
Thanks
White Mountain

[catman]

I don't live there, but I've been there several times and can comment on the climate. The summers are absolutely delightful, but winter can get rather cold (I won't say "severe" because to someone from Wyoming or North Dakota, or even Eagle Nest NM, they are comparatively warm!). Have a look at the info about Cloudcroft on city-data.com itself. There is a lot there.

[mike0421]

The weather won't exceed 80 degrees during the hottest 100 + Summer days in Alamo. Winters, the night time temperatures will approach zero degrees. It's a completely different biosphere than what you will find 20 miles west in Alamo. You will literally see the landscape transform during that 20 mile drive from Alamo to Cloudcroft. Pine trees begin to predominate just before the town limits. My wife and I strongly considered Cloudcroft when we first moved to NM, because of the superior school system, but the home prices per square foot were more expensive than anything in Alamogordo or Las Cruces. As far as activities go, you have a golf course (the highest in the USA), and not much more. Ruidoso is about 40 miles away, and there are more activities there, such as a racetrack, casino, and more shopping options.

As far as politics go, I would venture to say that Cloudcroft is probably center-right.

[jaxart]

Foremost - Cloudcroft's elevation is 9,000 ft - with all that implies for year around weather. Used to be, in my youth, that the area got much more snowfall than it has in the past couple of decades (global warming?). There used to be an active (but small) ski area there that hasn't operated (to my knowledge) in years due to lack of consistent snow.

As has already been stated - it's a rather challenging but short drive down to the much larger community of Alamogordo, where there is a truly fine new hospital that offers employment opportunities for those in the health fields. And ample shopping for the general needs of most folks.

The town of Cloudcroft is limited in growth by the surrounding Nat. Forest and many of the homes there are basically cabins. It's a very eclectic mix of housing, to say the least. Water shortages have become a real problem in recent years, with the village surviving on trucked in water one recent summer. That is NOT going to change for a number of geological reasons.

Outside the village limits of Cloudcroft, there are many more options but again lack of water and access to properties mean an informed and thorough review before purchasing is much more important than in better developed areas.

[Cathy4017]

The ski area in Cloudcroft is tiny, and rarely opens, but it did for the 2006-2007 season.

Ski Apache had its best season in years at the same time.

It's not going to happen often, especially for Cloudcroft, since they have no snowmaking...and even with snowmaking, Ski Apache isn't what it was in the 1970s-to 1990 or so.

[danieloneil01]

It's very mild in the summer but it has gotten past 80 this year. But 99% of the time it's upper 70's with little humidity. It's a really beautiful place but not a lot to do. But you can find a decent home for less than 150k and property taxes are so nice there.

[White Mountain]

Thanks for all the info...
I guess the biggest concern is how cold it gets and if it is a "wet" cold or "dry" cold.
I am trying to find a happy medium, as I like a cooler climate, but my wife is smaller and real wet cold hurts her bones..
Thoughts?
Thanks so much!
White Mountain

[Cathy4017]

It's (to me) a very dry cold, nothing like a Midwestern cold.

[White Mountain]

I know that when I was in Wisconsin it was a dry cold, so I could go out with hardly a shirt in 50 degree weather, but, there was no way I could do that in a place that the cold was wet as it would go right through you... Big, Big difference....
White Mountain

[chilegal]

Originally Posted by White Mountain

I know that when I was in Wisconsin it was a dry cold, so I could go out with hardly a shirt in 50 degree weather, but, there was no way I could do that in a place that the cold was wet as it would go right through you... Big, Big difference....
White Mountain

If Wis was a dry cold, then CC is a super dry cold. I have lived in Wis and Illinois and the winters in NM are so much better. I hate the cold wet snow.