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wishful thinking harry o - unfortunately carlsbad has not grown in about 30 years. The pecos and brantley lake, the caverns, the desert zoo are all great places in and around the city. However, the people running the city - the good 'ol boys club - don't really care much for maintaining the city and have allowed it to be rundown with vacant boarded up buildings, streets with potholes, lack of restaurants and shopping to prevent competition for their own businesses. The only way this city can grow is to get rid of its corrupt, selfish leaders. In politics this is not usually an easy task.
hmmm...seeing as how im in my thirties and grew up in Carlsbad...it HAS grown in the last thirty years. How long have you lived there? Since moving away over 15 years ago I have seen:
Wal-Mart, Chili's restaurant, CATO Clothing store, numerous fast-food chains (McDonalds, Sonic, Taco-Bell, KFC, Subway) Hastings, Dragon China Buffet, Blue House Bakery and Cafe, Curves (fitness center), Allen Theaters, and Fiesta Drive-In. here's a bowling alley, though I have not been there in years.
This last weekend, we drove by a new sub-division being built.
I know this is not much compared to some of the larger cities that some of you are coming from, but to say there is no growth...that's just untrue. There may not seem to be many businesses, but it is a small town after all...
hmmm...seeing as how im in my thirties and grew up in Carlsbad...it HAS grown in the last thirty years. How long have you lived there? Since moving away over 15 years ago I have seen:
Wal-Mart, Chili's restaurant, CATO Clothing store, numerous fast-food chains (McDonalds, Sonic, Taco-Bell, KFC, Subway) Hastings, Dragon China Buffet, Blue House Bakery and Cafe, Curves (fitness center), Allen Theaters, and Fiesta Drive-In. here's a bowling alley, though I have not been there in years.
This last weekend, we drove by a new sub-division being built.
I know this is not much compared to some of the larger cities that some of you are coming from, but to say there is no growth...that's just untrue. There may not seem to be many businesses, but it is a small town after all...
The population of Carlsbad has not changed in about 30 years. Remains at about 25K. Numerous fast food chains have been around for a while - at least the past 5 years but other restaurants have come and gone along with the k-mart, which is no longer there. There use to be a nice italian restaurant which also shut down. If you measure growth by the amount of fast-food restaurants then maybe carlsbad has grown a little but when it comes to any substantial businesses there has not been very much growth. Chilis is probably the only national restaurant - not classified fast-food, that has opened in carlsbad after much resistance from the mayor here who owns a restaurant along with a motel.
Sub-divisions are being built but there are also plenty of houses on the market for sale that remain unoccupied for months. There is seeminly a push to tear out of the shell that the city has been kept in by the few running the show and it will probably take hard effort and determination to do so by those trying. Even for a small town of 25K, carlsbad has the amenities and businesses that go along with a much smaller town of about 5K. If you look at smaller surrounding towns such as Artesia and Hobbs, there are so many new development and businesses there in comparison - and they are half the size of Carlsbad. Talk to the locals here, most will agree with little or no growth in this city.
I think Carlsbad's 'lack of growth' may be better described as 'lack of improvement' . When I lived there, the city was not working to improve the things the area does have. The Carlsbad Caverns attract people from all over the world. Tourists come to Carlsbad with the intent to spend money. Carlsbad does not do anything to attract those tourist dollars. There is no place to buy souvenirs except at the caverns. People don't travel to go to a chain food restaurant or spend their evening in a dumpy hotel room. They want local specialty food and nightlife. Things that are already there that are nice or unique to Carlsbad aren't showcased.
I moved away from Carlsbad last year after living there for four years. IMHO, Carlsbad would do well to treat it visitors like I treated my guests. Guests to my house were showcased what we liked based on our interests or thought was the best of Carlsbad and the surrounding area. The caverns were a given, but we also took guests other places too. We took our guests for lunch at the Queen Cafe and sightseeing trips to Sitting Bull Falls and some of the back areas around Queen. We picniced at Rattlesnake Springs and some guests hiked Guadaloupe Peak. Since my family always enjoyed the fresh tortillas and chips that were made at La Tienda, we would buy New Mexico salsas and green chiles and always served our guests some sort of local/New Mexico flavor cooked at home. Anyone with kids was taken to the Living Desert Zoo, Playground on the Pecos and the park with the rocketship. For evening entertainment, we headed to the drive-in because drive-ins are so rare these days. We even showed guests one of the movies that was shot locally.
IMHO, Carlsbad would profit if they were enterprising enough to come up with a package deal where guests could stay in a updated/clean hotel, be catered some of the better local foods, and bussed around the area to see the local sights. If the town would work on the tourist trade, the town would improve for the locals also.
I would totally agree with you Sarahez - the city council and dept. of tourism do nothing substantial to improvve the city's image and tourism. Part of that, I think, is due to inexperience or uninterested people running the dept. The other part, again goes back to the people running the city. The mayor here owns the best western, as you know, and feels that there can't be anything more modern or better than his hotel. The hotel also has a restaurant. He has been successful at preventing anything more than dumpy motels and fast food chains in this city to remain open until this year. Finally an investor is opening a holiday inn express - looks beautiful so far, after much hardship from the mayor and local banks (part of the good 'ol boys club) who would not provide a loan to the investor. He was smart enough to go to Artesia to finance the hotel and now there is a sign outside the hotel that states "proudly financed by the Artesia 1st bank" How pathetic does that make the local carlsbad banks look.
There seems to be some very different views on Carlsbad New Mexico. All the info is appreciated. I'm curious about the cost of living in carlsbad. What are the cost of utilities, taxes, availability of affordable housing. I want to buy a house for no more than 55 or 60,000. Is Carlsbad a safe city? Can I walk down the street and not worry about getting robbed, for example?
So far Carlsbad sounds like the kind of place I'd may like to live. How far is the nearest Wal-mart or equivilant. I live 20 miles from the nearest shopping mall, so I don't mind driving to do my shopping. Are there good doctors near-by?
The mayor here owns the best western, as you know, and feels that there can't be anything more modern or better than his hotel.
I would think members of the Chamber of Commerce would get together and throw the Mayor and his cronies out if he's that bad. What about the NM Dept of Economic Developement helping out. They provided Rural Tax Credits and assistance to employers to go to or expand outside of ABQ/Las Cruces/Santa Fe corridors. Got us PreCheck, Sun Baked Bisquets, and 1-800 Flowers.com in Alamogordo.
Second question to you guys is how has WIPP impacted Carlsbad. Is there lots of jobs and spinoff jobs created. I've read in the past on the NM Business Journal that the Mayor was supposedly stoked about WIPP being there.
Housing prices on the street I lived on have nearly doubled from what they were five years ago. Around town, you may still be able to buy a $60K house. It may not be very big or in good repair or the location may not be what you would desire. With some work, you could probably find something to call home. Check with Dunagan associates or Century 21 for real estate listings. The zip code is 88220.
I didn't think the utilities were all that bad. I also did things to make my house operate as efficiently as I could afford. We audited the utilities on our house, our costs were less than those of the previous owners.
There is a Wal-Mart Supercenter in the southern part of town. There are also a La Tienda (IGA) and a Albertsons grocery store and several dollar types stores. THere is also a mall that was at one time (or maybe still is) Ripley's Believe It or Not Smallest Mall. The nearest alternative shopping was 30 minutes away in Artesia or an hour drive to either Roswell or Hobbs. You almost have to shop at Wal-Mart if you live in Carlsbad. If you're someone who doesn't like to shop at Wal-Mart, you'll be unhappy.
Safety wise, Carlsbad had a higher crime rate than where I came from or where I'm living now. I never felt unsafe. You have to use common sense wherever you live. I felt safe enough to walk around the neighborhood with my kids in a stroller, but I went during the times when there were other people around. I always took a buddy with me when I took the kids to the park. Be careful and alert wherever you are. House robberies and drugs were probably one of the biggest problems that I was aware of. Again, you need to take precautions to not advertise that you aren't home. I called the police whenever I saw something happening that I didn't think should be.
Doctors leaving town has been a big topic for the entire time I lived in Carlsbad. I was happy with the doctor I had locally, but other people would leave town or even the state to find doctors. Carlsbad has a hard time retaining doctors because it is rumored that the doctors wives become bored and don't like to stay. Some people, like me, are able to find a niche where they are happy and enjoy being there. Others, who crave steady entertainment, are not.
If your husband is in the medical field, there should be a place for him. Check with the hospital or some of the other medical organizations in the area. I think clerical work would be harder to find because there is less turnover in that area.
I've heard both ECEC (Early Childhood Education Center) and the CARC farm both have good preschool type programs for special needs children. I don't know more than that. You could probably call either place to get more information or to be directed to the place that is more appropriate.
There seems to be some very different views on Carlsbad New Mexico. All the info is appreciated. I'm curious about the cost of living in carlsbad. What are the cost of utilities, taxes, availability of affordable housing. I want to buy a house for no more than 55 or 60,000. Is Carlsbad a safe city? Can I walk down the street and not worry about getting robbed, for example?
So far Carlsbad sounds like the kind of place I'd may like to live. How far is the nearest Wal-mart or equivilant. I live 20 miles from the nearest shopping mall, so I don't mind driving to do my shopping. Are there good doctors near-by?
Cost of living in Carlsbad is probably quite low. Go on realtor.com and look under zip 88220 and you'll fing plenty of houses in your price range. You just need to be careful and actually physically go and check out the neighborhood and property before buying. There are lots of shady neighborhoods here with tins shacks and high crime.
You can walk down the street during the daytime without a problem, except that most streets in Carlsbad don't have a sidewalk. I would avoid walking at night except for the riverwalk which is lit and relatively safe.
If you like Walmart then you'll feel right at home in Carlsbad because that is the only fully functional retail chain here. The mall has a small Sears - appliances only and one small dept. store. Most people go at least 80 miles away to roswell for any reasonable shopping.
There are doctors here and one small hospital. If you require complicated medical care then you'll probably need to go to texas (140 - 180 miles away). For day-to-day routine medical care there are general doctors and a handful of more specialized doctors.
I would think members of the Chamber of Commerce would get together and throw the Mayor and his cronies out if he's that bad. What about the NM Dept of Economic Developement helping out. They provided Rural Tax Credits and assistance to employers to go to or expand outside of ABQ/Las Cruces/Santa Fe corridors. Got us PreCheck, Sun Baked Bisquets, and 1-800 Flowers.com in Alamogordo.
Second question to you guys is how has WIPP impacted Carlsbad. Is there lots of jobs and spinoff jobs created. I've read in the past on the NM Business Journal that the Mayor was supposedly stoked about WIPP being there.
Hope things go better for you guys down there....
You would think that the chamber of commerce would have some ethics, except when the mayor cronies are also on the chamber. Its all one big happy family running the show here.
WIPP is probably one of the biggest employer here. Lots of jobs and Carlsbad also gets some WIPP funds to use towards city development. Where that money has gone - no idea. I think the city gets something like $1.5 million from WIPP funds. They used part of that to attract a medical transcriptionist service here, another part of that, I believe, was also used for the mayor pet project of setting up a fountain and a small canal near the river - in the mayor and his cronies neighborhood. It was justified as a tourist attraction or something.
What is WIPP?
I did look on realtor.com and was surprised at the low cost of houses. Of course I'd have to check out in person any house I buy.
And I do alot of shopping at Wal-mart and Dollar stores.
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