Housing situation in Northeastern NM (Albuquerque, Las Vegas: condos, buying a home, find job)

[Foxygirl12]

Hello,
I've lived on the East coast in big cities all my life, so I'm unfamiliar with how things work in the SW. While on a visit to northeastern NM, I noticed that small villages like Maxwell, and small towns, like Springer, had a lot of vacant homes, especially mobile homes. And other homes, while not vacant, seemed really run-down. Is this normal for rural NM, or is it because of the current economy? If someone wanted to relocate to the area, would they be taking a huge financial risk buying a home there? Would they be stuck with the home, if later in the future they decided to move?
Thanks to anyone taking the time to reply!

[Mike Horrell]

When you drive through really rural areas anywhere, you have to ask yourself
"What do these people do for income?" as there isn't exactly an overabundance
of high salary jobs in really rural areas.

Same rules apply here as in Appalachia ...

According to the US Census Bureau, New Mexico is the 10th poorest state in
the US and I'd guess that the rural per capita / per household income is far
less than it is in urban areas thus concentrating the percentage of poverty.

The 10 poorest states
The states with the lowest median household income
State Income
New Mexico...$40,629
Montana.......$40,627
Tennessee....$40,315
Kentucky......$39,372
Louisiana......$39,337
Alabama.......$38,783
Oklahoma.....$38,770
Arkansas......$36,599
West Virginia $35,059
Mississippi.... $34,473



So dead pickups and rusting out mobile homes are part of the landscape
as ski-condos and Porsche SUVs.

[Foxygirl12]

I see what you mean. I have asked myself that question about rural areas here on the East coast that I have driven through. I've never had to consider living in an area like that before, so I honestly just thought that it seemed kind of dead and depressing and dismissed it from my mind. Now, however, I am faced with the possibility of living in a rural area of northeastern NM and this urbanite/suburbanite is trying to wrap her brain around the idea and not totally freak out!

[Mike Horrell]

It's just reality.

I'm a city boy at heart so even though I love the mountains and largely unpopulated
areas, I just don't find them appealing places to live in. Others do.

I take it this is some sort of career opportunity, not just a change of locale that
is possibly moving you to that area?

[Foxygirl12]

I'm engaged to a man that lives in northeastern NM in a mobile home. Whether we live in his place or not depends mostly on where I end up finding a job.
As far as living in a rural area, I don't mind that per say, in fact, over the years, I've been moving further and further out of the city. But having said that, I realize there is a big difference between living in a nice updated house about 1.5 hours outside of Washington DC and rural NM. The isolation doesn't really bother me as much as being surrounded by the apparent poverty and whether we would ever be able to sell my fiancee's place, if we needed to. I can't help but feel nervous and anxious about this.

[Vinegaroon]

Just learn to play the banjo and you will do fine.

[Mike Horrell]

I wouldn't be so concerned about the mobile home aspect itself as the isolation
from Kulcher, slow to nearly dead internet access and so on. As a matter of fact,
the mobile home may be an advantage if you both need to relocate because it's
a lot easier financially to walk away from than a 3br/2ba/2car with a big mortgage.

FWIW, I grew up in the DC area and lived there until a couple years ago. I don't think
it's possible to get as isolated within 1.5 hours of DC as you can get in rural NM...

[DOUBLE H]

I like NE New Mexico, lived in Raton and Tucumcari for a good portion of '82 and '83. Not really sure if one can call Tucumcari NE!

There are just no good paying jobs and it's been that way for a long time. I always wondered why Maxwell has been dormant all these years, but you're right, there are a lot of abandoned mobiles there, the last time for me going through there to scope the area was May of last year.

Raton never really recovered from when the coal mines shut down in the 80's. One of my old construction friends still lives there 27 years after the both of us worked there and still really likes it. Same scenario with Tucumcari.

One of the long time New Mexico posters on the forum lives in Clayton, which is in the NE corner of the state. He is Brian H, hopefully he can chime in here and help with info on the town. There IS something going on there economy wise, not sure what, though. He posts a lot about what goes on with different community activities. I've been through Clayton a lot, but not recently. I like it.

BTW, if you don't mind me asking, are we talking about the same towns here? Where exactly are ya?

[jaxart]

Originally Posted by Foxygirl12

Is this normal for rural NM, or is it because of the current economy?

It has nothing to do (or very little) with the current economy. Anywhere you go in rural NM you'll find "trashy" (by other state standards) properties, often right alongside somebody's upscale contemporary layout. Just as when traveling through other poverty stricken areas of the USA. The difference in NM is that you'll find some of the best people you can hope to meet living as their ancestors lived in such areas - family owned tracts being one of the reasons the more remote communities continue to survive.

The major challenge (IMO) for anyone moving into one of the struggling rural communities is finding any sort of gainful employment. And secondary to that is being accepted into the communities where historically there are strong family associations.

[Foxygirl12]

Double H: Yes, the area I'm referring to includes places such as Las Vegas, Wagon Mound, Springer, Maxwell, Raton, on up to Trinidad, CO, etc.
You have a point, Mike, about it being easier to take the financial loss of an inexpensive mobile home. But is it true that I would have trouble getting my connection with civilization fix on the internet?! I was hoping to be able to maintain frequent communication with family and friends through Skype.
I'm applying to any available jobs in my field in health care between Albuquerque and Denver, so who knows where I'll get a job offer. My fiancee has a steady job and a home to tie him down to where he is, but there's no telling where I'll find a job. If it's not close enough for both of us to commute to, I don't know what we will do.
Oh, in reply to the comment about fitting in, maybe I'm being naive, but I'm hoping it won't really be a problem because my fiancee seems to be well liked and accepted even though he is a transplant and has only lived there for about 16 years. As for myself, I hope this doesn't get interpreted in a bad way, but I think I might be accepted more easily by some because I am hispanic. Is it really difficult to get accepted by the locals?