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Old 01-24-2008, 09:53 PM
 
1 posts, read 3,641 times
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I am 23 years old and I just quit school. I am from birmingham, alabama. I have wanted to move out west for a couple of years now and I think I have decided on new mexico. I am just going out there and look until I find a place I like . Could any one recommend a place that would be affordable for me, a fun place and great scenery, and outdoors.

 
Old 01-25-2008, 05:08 AM
 
Location: Londonderry, NH
41,478 posts, read 59,634,586 times
Reputation: 24860
Start with albuquerque. Lots of variations, jobs and housing. If I were 45 years younger and just out of school, that is where I would start.
 
Old 01-25-2008, 08:24 AM
 
946 posts, read 3,259,093 times
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You still thinking about Los Alamos?

Los Alamos Labs has been going through turmoil so this currently is your best time to buy there -- the other day I noticed a house that seemed to have dropped several hundred thousand in price -- presumably a motivated seller. It is a small city, or big town with everything you need, but not a great deal going on there besides outdoor activity. A number of people drive into Santa Fe on the weekends. Some people who live there say they can do it in 20 minutes, but take that with a grain of salt. There is bus service between the two cities on weekdays.

Los Alamos has a different ethnic mix than most places in this part of the state -- fewer Hispanics and more people from all over the world who came in to work at the lab or its contractors. The other day they shot a movie at my grandson's elementary school because it had the ethnic mix they were looking for.

There is some weird climate thing such that it gets hail, I believe more than any other place in New Mexico. If you think of hail as a type of ice, then avoid Los Alamos.

Last edited by Devin Bent; 01-25-2008 at 08:32 AM.. Reason: typos
 
Old 01-25-2008, 09:50 AM
 
Location: Rio Rancho New Mexico
16 posts, read 100,541 times
Reputation: 28
You have a few options. Albuquerque is the "big city" and therefore has a lot of opportunities for work and also has some very nice mountains on the east of Albuquerque. Las Cruces is a beautiful little town, very affordable housing and is close to El Paso for those big city amenities you need. Farmington is doing well right now because its economy is based on oil and oil is very expensive right now as I am sure you have seen. Part of my youth was spent there and I loved it there. I don't know many people who haven't liked it there.
I am not sure this narrows it down for you, but it should give you some factors to consider.
 
Old 01-27-2008, 03:56 PM
 
Location: Ruidoso, NM
5,667 posts, read 6,562,806 times
Reputation: 4817
Quote:
Originally Posted by kansaslady View Post
I prefer a mid-sized city, mountainous, and affordable housing (am I daydreaming?).
I'm not retired, but I moved to Ruidoso a little over a year ago. I think this is one of the last good mountain towns in the country with a good climate that is also not too expensive. We considered Silver City, but liked it better here... and it was also much better for my wife's work. Winters are mild with the the avg high in Dec and Jan ~50F, and *sunny* most days. There is some snow but last year we got by without 4WD even though it was a very snowy winter. We've had very little snow this year. It is much warmer in winter than Las Alamos and Sante Fe even though it is at about the same elevation (7,000ft). In the summer it is very nice... if it ever gets over 90 (rarely) it is super dry. True of all of NM it gets windy at times, especially in the spring.

Silver City is a little lower in elevation and a little warmer year round. one not so good thing is that it is small (10,000 people, about the same as Ruidoso area) and isolated; ie 110 miles to a bigger town (Las Cruces). Ruidoso is only 40 miles from Alamogordo which has ~40k people. Silver City also isn't *in* the mountains but rather close to them. Also it is generally poorer with not much of an economy, but the cost of housing is at least as much, since Californication is in full swing there.

I grew up in Illinois, and I think you'll find that the climate is much better here.
 
Old 01-27-2008, 04:50 PM
 
946 posts, read 3,259,093 times
Reputation: 299
Wink avoid invidious comparisons

Maybe we could say good things about the town we favor without knocking other towns?
 
Old 01-28-2008, 12:21 AM
 
Location: Ruidoso, NM
5,667 posts, read 6,562,806 times
Reputation: 4817
Nothing invidious there... and it is only via comparison that someone can discuss what is "good" about the place they favor, since all descriptors are relative.
 
Old 01-28-2008, 05:35 AM
 
13,134 posts, read 40,552,366 times
Reputation: 12303
Quote:
Originally Posted by rober163 View Post
I am 23 years old and I just quit school. I am from birmingham, alabama. I have wanted to move out west for a couple of years now and I think I have decided on new mexico. I am just going out there and look until I find a place I like . Could any one recommend a place that would be affordable for me, a fun place and great scenery, and outdoors.
I'd pick either Albuquerque to the north or Las Cruces to the south.

They both have outdoors activities and mountain ranges like the Sandias in ABQ or the Organs in Las Cruces. Both are about an hour or so from National forests and campgrounds like the Jemez and Sanrta Fe mountains by ABQ or the Sacramentos and Mogollons mountains by Las Cruces. Both have universities i.e. UNM in ABQ and NMSU in Las Cruces. As for weather i'd say ABQ is colder in the winter and Las Cruces is hotter in the summer of those make a difference.

So at 24 i'd say one of those 2 cities will serve you fine.
 
Old 01-28-2008, 05:41 AM
 
13,134 posts, read 40,552,366 times
Reputation: 12303
Quote:
Originally Posted by rruff View Post
I'm not retired, but I moved to Ruidoso a little over a year ago. I think this is one of the last good mountain towns in the country with a good climate that is also not too expensive.

I'm envious of you rruff as i love Ruidoso. Its so nice up there and the whole mountain feel as it reminds me of other top destination places like Payson, Arizona or Aspen/Vail, Colorado or Coeur D Arlene, Idaho as examples.

Also the Billy The Kid country there in Lincoln and Capitan and Hondo are cool also. Even the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation up there is beautiful.....

6/3
 
Old 01-28-2008, 08:53 AM
 
Location: Ruidoso, NM
5,667 posts, read 6,562,806 times
Reputation: 4817
Quote:
Originally Posted by 6 FOOT 3 View Post
I'm envious of you rruff as i love Ruidoso.
I'm glad it worked out for us. I can do my work anywhere, and my wife does massage which is a great profession to have here. Silver City was not so good in that respect because there more hippies/artists/alternative culture there, and an overabundance of massage therapists... also not so wealthy. I think I prefer the people in SC, but the folks in Ruidoso are certainly nice enough... and in truth you can find enough people you like wherever you go. If I was single, that would be more important, though. SC has the college which is nice.

We looked at Payson, Prescott, Flagstaff, Sante Fe, etc but those areas are priced out of reach now. We bought 16 acres of beautiful land here last year (near the Spencer) for $79k with paved roads and electric... but probably can't afford to build on it for awhile.
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