Alamogordo it is....some impressions (Silver City, Cloudcroft: real estate, movers, hotel)

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by catman

Are there any anti-smoking ordinances (in Alamo or statewide)? I'm not thrilled at playing in very smoky places. I realize that a commute from Moriarty to ABQ in winter might be problematical! Outdoor festivals would be fun, but I doubt that the income would be very dependable (what am I saying?!) from those.

cathy4017: Most of the people around here that like 1940s music are not young, but I'm 60! However, there are surprisingly many who are young and love the dancing and music from that era.

I have a Masters in Library Science that I've never used. I got it in 1988, but the Dallas Public Library had just let 20 or 30 experienced librarians go about that time, so the job market was poor, and I was doing so well playing that it didn't matter. The mention of the new library being built in Alamo piqued my interest!

Yes, they have a state-wide ban that recently went into effect. I hate being around smoke anywhere, so that was fine with me, though I'm not sure that I like the principle of the thing, if you get my drift.

The new library isn't a done deal...yet, LOL!!!

That's great about the Big Band music--so that a younger generation gets to hear it! After all, that's not even our generation's music (I'm 55).....yet you're playing it!

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by chilegal

Cathy,
If we are in town at the same time we can go to the tailgaiting at the space center..I go with friends, and they have bands in the summer. I will have to make sure we are in.
These are the bands and dates.

County Bunch - June 9th
The Kene Terry Band - June 23rd
Ben Martinez Project - July 7th
Billy Townes & Modern Session - July 21
Sheldon & County Connection - August 11th
Big Bank on the Rio Grande - August 25th

Jane

Hey, that sounds like FUN!!! Thanks for the info!!

[catman]

Originally Posted by I_LUVNM

Catman, have you looked into Silver City? It seems like an artsy town to me and had quite a few tourists when I was there. It may be something to look at. Sorry Cathy, didnt mean to hijack Alamo thread, but just thought Catman might look there since it seems like an artsy place.

Yes, I have looked at Silver City. It seems like a great place to retire, but since it only has a little over 10K population, I doubt that a musician would find enough to do there. I have it on my list of places to visit and investigate, becuase the climate and environs are very inviting. I hope there is musical opprotunity there that goes along with all the artsiness!

[I_LUVNM]

Originally Posted by Cathy4017

...I love El Paso...always have. But I can't take the ratrace of a big city--not on a daily basis.

My question for your mom and dad is.......have they considered what a huge adjustment it might be for them to go from San Antonio (very large) to little bitty (relatively speaking) Alamo? I guess it depends on what they want, but they are giving up a lot in terms of many amenites. But I guess they have probably sat at the kitchen table many late evenings going over the pros and cons, LOL!!

Anyway, good luck to both them and you. Any idea when you might build on your lot in Bayfield?

I like El Paso myself as well, but like you, it is too big for me too. Mom and dad are just so tired of all the traffic, the humid heat and want something smaller. True it will be a big adjustment from SA to Alamo. They plan on going there sometime in late July or August, since they want to see how hot it gets in the later part of summer to get a feel if Alamo is cooler than SA. Dad is a AF vet so he likes living near bases and that is a plus for Alamo. Silver City is a great city to visit, I love it, but just isnt for me. It is too small and not many amenities but if I wanted a small town, it would be my pick. Alamo is my pick for the medium size town. I am like you, I dont like really big cities. Farmington is great in that it has everything I need but not so big like Albuquerque. I like Alamo alot. It seems like a sleepy town that has recently come awake. The added bonus for Alamo is it isnt far from Las Cruces. I think you made a good choice.

Yes, schools are bad in NM. One reason I am crossing the border and living in Bayfield. I figure it will be at least 3 years before I build. My daughter is still small (4) so I have a few years. Colorado is just a much richer state and reflects it in schools. This is just me but here are my favorites of the towns and cities I have seen in NM and no particular order since I like all of them.
1. Farmington
2. Alamogordo
3. Silver City - wish it was bigger
4. Las Cruces
5. I rather like Tucumcari too, It has a Route 66 nostalgia to it. Of Course it is too small for me but it isnt a bad place I dont think, if you are looking for a small town.

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by I_LUVNM

I like El Paso myself as well, but like you, it is too big for me too. Mom and dad are just so tired of all the traffic, the humid heat and want something smaller. True it will be a big adjustment from SA to Alamo. They plan on going there sometime in late July or August, since they want to see how hot it gets in the later part of summer to get a feel if Alamo is cooler than SA....

Yes, schools are bad in NM. One reason I am crossing the border and living in Bayfield. I figure it will be at least 3 years before I build. My daughter is still small (4) so I have a few years. Colorado is just a much richer state and reflects it in schools. This is just me but here are my favorites of the towns and cities I have seen in NM and no particular order since I like all of them.
1. Farmington
2. Alamogordo
3. Silver City - wish it was bigger
4. Las Cruces
5. I rather like Tucumcari too, It has a Route 66 nostalgia to it. Of Course it is too small for me but it isnt a bad place I dont think, if you are looking for a small town.

Tucumcari? It felt like the end of the world to me, for some reason, LOL!! But it would be good for people who really like very small town life. I found Santa Rosa, Cuba and Fort Sumner rather neat places, but they are just too, too tiny!

About the weather....from what the locals have told me, May and June can be the hottest months...and July and August very often start cooling off because of rain, etc. I can tell them right now that Alamo will FEEL considerably cooler than San Antonio even if the actual temps are the same. I avoid all other areas of TX in the summer because they are so humid and miserable. As you already know, San Antonio is especially miserable in the summer.

We will see how I feel over time. My feeling is that once my parents are gone...and I don't have to drive home all of the time...that I will eventually end up in northern NM or SW CO. Then again, it may never happen. The climate where you will be (Bayfield) is quite wonderful, as well as Durango.

But 200K for a mobile home on a slab is a bit much.

Let me know if there is anything I can tell your mom and dad. Jane has been tremendously helpful. Her advice has been quite valuable in helping me make my choice!

[I_LUVNM]

Thanks Cathy. About Tucumcari, yes it seems very desolate but sometimes I get to where I just want to be in an open barren land with nothing but wind howling along a prairie. Farmington is getting pretty big now and rather crowded and I sometimes dream of a place like Tucumcari, but then I think, hey I cant go to TJ Maxx, I need to go to Ross, oh no, no Sams Club to get that whatever, etc! You cant just go to the nearest mall in Tucumcari. Amarillo is a journey from there and so is Albuquerque, as you know. I think about what the pioneers felt with all that lonely land. It must have been hard in one way but probably quite peaceful in another. I wish we could have both the peacefulness of what Tucumcari must be like and yet have all the amenities too! Oh well, earth isnt heaven. You just have to find the place that fits you best and go with it. Yes, I agree 200k for a mobile on a slab is too much. I get angry because I feel the Four Corners area keeps prices high to weed out undesirables. I cant prove it, but I just get the feeling since they havent come up with any reason why it is so high except to keep the rich in and the poor out. Sad.

Yes, Texas is so hot, and for such long of time. At least in Alamo you wont have that looooong stretch of heat! I will tell mom about when Alamo is hottest so they can change coming since they really want to see if it is that much of a difference since that is the number one reason for leaving SA, well maybe number two reason, because they both hate the traffic that is getting worse everyday there.

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by I_LUVNM

Thanks Cathy. About Tucumcari, yes it seems very desolate but sometimes I get to where I just want to be in an open barren land with nothing but wind howling along a prairie. Farmington is getting pretty big now and rather crowded and I sometimes dream of a place like Tucumcari, but then I think, hey I cant go to TJ Maxx, I need to go to Ross, oh no, no Sams Club to get that whatever, etc! You cant just go to the nearest mall in Tucumcari. I get angry because I feel the Four Corners area keeps prices high to weed out undesirables. I cant prove it, but I just get the feeling since they havent come up with any reason why it is so high except to keep the rich in and the poor out. Sad.

Yes, Texas is so hot, and for such long of time. At least in Alamo you wont have that looooong stretch of heat! I will tell mom about when Alamo is hottest so they can change coming since they really want to see if it is that much of a difference since that is the number one reason for leaving SA, well maybe number two reason, because they both hate the traffic that is getting worse everyday there.

I agree with you about the high prices. Even though I could have paid it, I didn't want to be cash-strapped--and I felt like the properties in question just simply were not worth the money. I never got over that feeling, even when I had a contract pending, and if the property inspection had not shown what it did, I would have closed on that property and made the move. I really did not expect to like Alamo as much as I did....but something was telling me to take a second look. My original plans were to see what was available, how I liked it....and then to go on to Farmington from there and meet with the builder again to finalize his counteroffer. Well.....LOL!!

I think your parents would be able to tell the difference in humidity at any time of the year--but it is especially glaring in the summer months. It will be interesting to see how long the hot season lasts there. West Texas is not nearly as bad as San Antonio, but we are getting more humid every year, it seems, for some reason.

And yes.....we are spoiled with our amenities!!!

Alamo has no Sam's Club, so I will be doing some driving maybe once a month or so to stock up.

It has just been so neat to have Harry, Jane and everybody else so willing to help. It really made a difference for me.....and I am really thankful for all of it!

[catman]

Cathy4017: You are so right about the humidity in Texas in summer. It's terrible now, especially after all the rain we had here in Ft Worth. In general, the farther west one goes in TX, the less humid it is; the Ft Davis-Alpine-Marfa area is nice in summer, being south of New Mexico. With less humidity come cooler nights.

I can take daytime heat, but when it's 80 degrees at 4 AM with humidity of 80%, as it is in August, it's awful. Alamogordo,even when it's hot, is much less humid and cools off at night. Sounds great to me!

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by catman

Cathy4017: You are so right about the humidity in Texas in summer. It's terrible now, especially after all the rain we had here in Ft Worth. In general, the farther west one goes in TX, the less humid it is; the Ft Davis-Alpine-Marfa area is nice in summer, being south of New Mexico. With less humidity come cooler nights.

I can take daytime heat, but when it's 80 degrees at 4 AM with humidity of 80%, as it is in August, it's awful. Alamogordo,even when it's hot, is much less humid and cools off at night. Sounds great to me!

I can't even stand daytime heat much any more, but it's more tolerable at higher elevations...and it will be very interesting to see if the nights cool off as they once did out here in WT.

As a musician, how would you manage in an area like Alpine/Marfa/Ft Davis?

I was looking at prices in Alpine....I CHOKED. I couldn't believe it!!! But..it is just wonderful....and the elevations/mountains are terrific...this is from the city center....as you go west in each place, the elevations increase slightly.

Alpine: 4487
Marfa: 4692
Ft. Davis: 4888
Marathon: 4060

I just wish it were not so isolated...but I have a feeling that one day it won't be.

[6 FOOT 3]

Hey Cathy and everyone else.....one more thing about the summer desert heat and thats the Monsoon season kicks in usually in july and august so lets say its 99 or 101 and its 3.00 p.m. afternoon....then the clouds will build up and the sky will darken and then the cool rain will pour to the ground and cool everything off and the smell of fresh desert rain is an incredible smell so keep that in mind for the summer months besides going uo to the mountains where its 75 degrees or so in Cloudcroft.......