If you couldn't live in Texas... (Midland, Alamo: buy, living, cost of living)

[An0nym0us88]

I don't have any families outside of Texas so I think I'm going to have to go with Florida and being close to the beach.

[dbbd]

California.

[I LOVE NORTH CAROLINA]

Native Texan really wanting to be in North Carolina!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[TT Dave]

Originally Posted by SVTRay

Now for you people choosing New Mexico and Arizona, do you have a specific region? I only ask because both those states have diverse regions, some very much like West Texas while others rolling hills and mountains.

If I couldn't move to Florida and I chose New Mexico as my second choice I would probably move to Las Cruces. It's a nice sized town with a warm climate most of the year and it's within an hour's drive or so of Cloudcroft, New Mexico, which is one of my favorite mountain retreats. El Paso is also a short drive away. If I chose Arizona as my second choice I'm not sure exactly where I would go but I'm sure I'd find a place that I would be happy with.

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by SVTRay

Now for you people choosing New Mexico and Arizona, do you have a specific region? I only ask because both those states have diverse regions, some very much like West Texas while others rolling hills and mountains.

I moved over 4 years ago from Midland to Alamogordo,NM--and if I had to do it over again, I would have gone where I am now, in NW New Mexico, only 30 miles south of the CO line.

I loved the mountains there, and the fact that it was close to Ruidoso (which I should have checked out FIRST, since I had not been there in recent years at all, 1984). I also needed to be close to aging parents at that time. That is all over now.

Well.....Alamogordo's summer temperatures are not quite as hot as Midland's, but given the higher elevation--and being surrounded by two mountain ranges east and west--it apparently creates a bowl that traps heat. It felt WORSE because of the intensity. I HATED the hot blast in the morning when I went out to get my paper.

Ruidoso (despite being a tourist trap that is packed in the summer) is no longer the sleepy little ski resort town I grew up knowing. It has become a larger town with amenities and very livable, if more expensive than some other places. I didn't even think to check it out, as it had always been a tourist destination. It remains that, but has grown quite a bit over the last 25 years, too.

I thank God I was not in Texas most of this summer--it has been one of the most miserable I've ever seen. I like this northwest corner because it's so much cooler, especially at night. The temps here are now in the high 70s/low 80s, and 40s at night. It's very dry, comfortable and cool. We didn't get to 100 all summer long, and I didn't even turn my AC on until the middle of June.

If I were to go to Arizona, it would have to be in the cooler northern part.

As it is, I can visit 4 states easily, and I plan to see more of the mountain west in the months to come.

[joqua]

I had a list of "desirable" retirement choices when I retired almost 15 years ago, and chose the south central mountains of New Mexico - specifically the Ruidoso, NM area - as my last best year around home. As Cathy has already said in her post, Ruidoso is a tourist town/area with all that implies for high prices that local residents are forced to pay too. At least residents don't pay a "lodger's tax" that is charged by all the nightly rental businesses in town.

For me, Ruidoso has a nearly perfect 4-season climate, and what snow does fall in winter months doesn't stay around to hamper travel more than about 24 hours. I am so accustomed now (acclimated) to living at 7,000 ft elevation that I really suffer when I have to go down to the high desert (at 4,000 ft) in the warmer months.

[Cathy4017]

For me, Ruidoso has a nearly perfect 4-season climate, and what snow does fall in winter months doesn't stay around to hamper travel more than about 24 hours. I am so accustomed now (acclimated) to living at 7,000 ft elevation that I really suffer when I have to go down to the high desert (at 4,000 ft) in the warmer months.

Ruidoso is pretty perfect, weatherwise, isn't it? Don't you do some of your shopping in Roswell? Both Roswell and Alamo are just really HOT in the summer.

If I ever come back to Texas (and I'm feeling a very strong pull now, but will let things settle down a bit first), it will most likely be the Alpine/Fort Davis area, with summers in Ruidoso or Cloudcroft!

It's now 101 in my hometown, with 103 the projected high.

YUUCK!!!!!!

[Nairobi]

Originally Posted by joqua

I had a list of "desirable" retirement choices when I retired almost 15 years ago, and chose the south central mountains of New Mexico - specifically the Ruidoso, NM area - as my last best year around home. As Cathy has already said in her post, Ruidoso is a tourist town/area with all that implies for high prices that local residents are forced to pay too. At least residents don't pay a "lodger's tax" that is charged by all the nightly rental businesses in town.

For me, Ruidoso has a nearly perfect 4-season climate, and what snow does fall in winter months doesn't stay around to hamper travel more than about 24 hours. I am so accustomed now (acclimated) to living at 7,000 ft elevation that I really suffer when I have to go down to the high desert (at 4,000 ft) in the warmer months.

I probably should have just put "Southwest" in general.

[SVTRay]

Originally Posted by TT Dave

If I couldn't move to Florida and I chose New Mexico as my second choice I would probably move to Las Cruces. It's a nice sized town with a warm climate most of the year and it's within an hour's drive or so of Cloudcroft, New Mexico, which is one of my favorite mountain retreats. El Paso is also a short drive away. If I chose Arizona as my second choice I'm not sure exactly where I would go but I'm sure I'd find a place that I would be happy with.

Originally Posted by Cathy4017

I moved over 4 years ago from Midland to Alamogordo,NM--and if I had to do it over again, I would have gone where I am now, in NW New Mexico, only 30 miles south of the CO line.

I loved the mountains there, and the fact that it was close to Ruidoso (which I

It got so this summer we took off to Cloudcroft NM LOL

It's a good drive from Midland but well worth the trip. While Midland was dealing with 100+ days, it was 72 degrees at Cloudcroft I wouldn't mind a cabin up there but they don't have a lot going on in Cloudcroft. Now the idea of living in Alamogordo or Ruidoso isn't to bad, you're only what an hour from Cloudcroft? So that's to bad.

[Westerner92]

I think I could enjoy myself in a lot of places if it were just for a year or two, but if we're talking long-term, the list gets paired down quite a bit. The PNW and Greater West are the only places that offer the kind of outdoor sporting I'd want.