N California Cold vs S NM cold. (Las Cruces, Santa Fe: crime, how much)

[rruff]

Originally Posted by White Mountain

fiddlehead
Anyway, cool is not a problem, it is "bone chilling" cold that really has adverse affects on my wife.

The most annoying weather will be when it is fairly cold and also windy. Those always seem to be sunny days though, and also not that cold IME (3 years here)... like 50s and 60s. The March and April winds can be annoying, but then it isn't very cold either.

Where has your wife experienced "bone chilling cold"?... ie, what is her reference point?

[Fiddlehead]

Hi WM,

I do think Ruidoso would feel warmer than Ashland, due to the abundance of sunny days. Although the annual precip. is only moderate, Ashland will be cloudier and rainer than Sonoma. The rains will be frequent and light. I am used to it, and I actually enjoy the 4 season climate of the Rogue Valley. I will say it can get very hot here, probably as hot or hotter than Sonoma area. Also, and you might laugh at this, it is cold because it is not cold enough. Most winter storms around here have a snow line between 2500' and 4500' This means that the valley is in a very cold rain many days. When it actually gets cold enough to snow, I find it more comfortable. Springs and Falls are great and the area is lovely. I don't think you wife would divorce you if you brought her here.

Ashland is much, much more expensive though.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by White Mountain

This is a shot in the dark, but, I am hoping some people that know the Northern California cold because the have experienced it that have now moved to NM preferably the Ruidoso/Cloudcroft areas, can give their thoughts on the differences of the cold between the places.

I have started another thread getting info from NM, and I have been looking around this forum and I must say that I am quite impressed with the friendliness of the people.
I know that I am going to have to make the trip a few times to feel the area myself, and I will,,,but, for the time being, and info along the cold line or any other kind you would like to provide would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
White Mountain

ok, where in Northern Ca? We lived in Eureka, Sac and marin County and my dad in Paradise. The cold in NM is very different. It is colder and of course much drier but the winters are not all the long and all the sunshine makes it seem warmer.

I just read your other posts, you will not find Ruidoso any colder than Ashland, Or. yes, you need to visit and yes, there will be some days that will be bone cold, but not a lot of them.
Nita

[Cali-girl]

Originally Posted by White Mountain

This is a shot in the dark, but, I am hoping some people that know the Northern California cold because the have experienced it that have now moved to NM preferably the Ruidoso/Cloudcroft areas, can give their thoughts on the differences of the cold between the places.

I have started another thread getting info from NM, and I have been looking around this forum and I must say that I am quite impressed with the friendliness of the people.
I know that I am going to have to make the trip a few times to feel the area myself, and I will,,,but, for the time being, and info along the cold line or any other kind you would like to provide would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
White Mountain

I live in 2 States: The Real Bay Area and Las Cruces. I've been to Cloudcroft and Ruidoso many many times at different times of the year. Cloudcroft is what ....9k feet? Very high elevation and quite small. For comparative purposes for size, I would place Cloudcroft as smaller than Wrightwood, about the size of Bluejay up near Arrowhead.

Ruidoso is larger and about the same elevation, albeit it is lower than Cloudcroft. Ruidoso has ski slopes, although the ski area has suffered from the effects of a 2-year drought, and so the ski "season" has been very short like about 1 week long.

If you're coming from Cali and want an upscaler area, I think you would like it better. Ruidoso is about the size of Big Bear and *half* the size of Lake Tahoe without Harrahs or Harveys or the big casinos like Caesars.

Ruidoso has a WalMart, Walgreens, and a cute downtown area with a Starbucks and Ruidoso Downs which is one of the well-known racetracks for horseracing. Cloudcroft is much smaller and is more basic however it has a great library and schools, imo.

Ruidoso has a very nice town hall and community center. Also has an upscale ski shop that sells Bogner outdoor wear which is hard to find outside of Denver, Vail, Aspen, and Neimans.

Also re temps: the difference is that the air is dry in NM and so the cold feeling is enhanced. The atmosphere is different due to elevation as well.

However, the big difference between Sonoma County in NorCal and NM is the air dryness. Not even is Yolo County as dry as it is here in southern NM. To get this sort of dryness you'd have to check out Inyo County (Ridgecrest) or the Antelope Valley in northern Los Angeles County.

Here in Cali, being close to the sea and bay is huge. The proximity to a massive body of temperate water makes a big difference in temperature and moisture here.

So, depends what you are looking for. Two different areas and two different temperature/climate/humidity/atmospheric oxygen - two very different areas. Advantages to both.

For myself, a coastal chick, I prefer moist air even when its cold. Just a preference and I tell the difference with the dryness of my skin.

hth

~Cali-girl

Edited to add: nmguy is a member who posts in the San Jose Forum. If you need further info, he may be able to offer you his .02 cents.

[Cathy4017]

Ruidoso is larger and about the same elevation. Ruidoso has ski slopes.

Ruidoso is about 1800 feet lower than Cloudcroft...and Cloucroft also has a tiny ski area, nothing compared to Ski Apache.

Neither area has been worth a damn as far as skiing goes for the past two seasons.

Also re temps: the difference is that the air is dry in NM and so the cold feeling is enhanced. The atmosphere is different due to elevation as well.

You feel colder when the air is dry? Most people are colder when it's cold and humid rather than cold and dry.

[White Mountain]

Thanks everyone for your advice,help and insight!

I do think that overall it will be warmer in the Cloudcroft/Ruidoso areas than Ashland Oregon.
The great thing about being self employed and my wife and I not having children to worry about, we can try a place for a while and if it does not work out, we can up and move with very little problems.
My wife and I have been looking and visiting Ashland for a few years now so it would be best to try Ashland for a full year then if it does seem to be too cold for her, we will try Ruidoso/Cloudcroft after that.

Out of curiosity; my wife and I lean quite a bit to Eastern philosophy, so we enjoy going to places that sell Buddha type statues, or metaphysical books or things such as prayer flags etc. Where would I go to find those kind of shops in NM.
Also my wife is from India and enjoys Eastern Indian food or Thia food. Is there many if any such restaurants there?
We are very respectful of all religions and treat all peoples with respect, but not being of any traditional American type religions, how will we be looked at in NM ? As we don't flaunt our spiritual beliefs but we do not hide them either.
Thanks so much.
Much peace to all.
White Mountain

[rruff]

Like I said earlier, you won't find a progressive town like Ashland in NM. Some places in northern NM sort of think they are (Santa Fe has plenty of "newage" stuff for instance)... but they aren't IMO. I think Ashland is probably the best group of people congregated in one town that I've ever seen. I can't afford it though, and don't care for the long, cold, dark, drizzly winters.

What I like here is the great climate, mountains, affordability, and the people are generally friendly and don't really care what you do.

[jaxart]

Originally Posted by rruff

Like I said earlier, you won't find a progressive town like Ashland in NM. Some places in northern NM sort of think they are (Santa Fe has plenty of "newage" stuff for instance)... but they aren't IMO.

I think that is an excellent comparison. Ashland has its world famous annual Shakespeare Festival and Santa Fe has its world famous outdoor opera. Other things being equal - I suspect cost of living is not that much different between the two. The nouveau riche have made S.F. into the second largest art market in the USA after NYC (according to some sources) and driven up the price of real estate to unaffordable levels for the average person. Whereas S.F. was once one of the most affordable small cities in the USA, it's now up there with the most expensive. I don't think Ashland can come anywhere close to comparing in terms of public access to museums and other cultural venues open year around, but then S.F. is the State Capital whereas Ashland is not.

Santa Fe has many world-class museums. Many are located around the historic downtown Plaza or close by:

• New Mexico Museum of Art – collections of Southwestern Arts.
• Institute of American Indian Arts Museum – Native American arts with political aspects.
• Georgia O'Keeffe Museum – devoted to the work of O'Keeffe and others whom she influenced.
• New Mexico History Museum – located behind the historic Palace of the Governors, showcasing the history of New Mexico.
• Site Santa Fe – A contemporary art space, located at 1606 Paseo De Peralta. Known as the forefront for contemporary art presentation in the Southwest.

Others are located on Museum Hill [23]

• Museum of International Folk Art – showcasing folk arts from around the world.
• Museum of Indian Arts and Culture – exhibits Native American arts.
• Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian – Native American art and history.
• Museum of Spanish Colonial Art[24] – Tradition arts from the Spanish-colonial era to contemporary times.

Other than that, comparison on the basis of progressive government is not something I'm able to judge. After all, S.F. is known otherwise as "The City Different."

[jaxart]

Originally Posted by Cali-girl

Ruidoso is larger and about the same elevation, albeit it is lower than Cloudcroft. Ruidoso has ski slopes, although the ski area has suffered from the effects of a 2-year drought, and so the ski "season" has been very short like about 1 week long.

while the ski area in Cloudcroft has been totally shutdown for some years now due to lack of consistent snow, Ruidoso's "Ski Apache" has been open every single year and for MOST of the ski season - not just a week! In recent years Ski Apache has invested heavily in snow making equipment that keeps the lower 1/3 of the mountain skiable even though snowfall has been lacking in some years due to intermittent drought conditions. Wet winters are interspersed with dry ones - last year being an unusually dry one. But even last year the ski area operated from sometime in mid December to late March, if memory serves, mostly on man-made snow.

[Cali-girl]

Originally Posted by jaxart

but then S.F. is the State Capital whereas Ashland is not.

Sacramento is the State Capital, not SF.

~Cali-girl

Added: Sorry for my lack of exact snow fall levels and temps in Ruidoso. The OP asked for opinions, I gave mine with the caveat that I have visited there many many times.

white Mountain: If you wish, you can go onto latimes.com, click on weather, Extended forecast, and choose "Regional Maps" from the drop-down and choose dewpoint, heat, precipitation, etc. in order to learn more exact stats about an area you're considering.