Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'll agree with lawmom that LC doesn't really have a downtown as I think of a downtown. This was a large disappointment to me when I first saw the situation.
It HAD one, but it was "improved" out of practical existence a few decades ago, and the bright idea of a pedestrian mall replacing a main street has made the former downtown a hollow shell. It's on it's way back...I don't want to be too negative here....but full revival is years away. The misbegotten mall idea is being torn down (long after the damage was done) and main street will return, someday. There is an emerging cultural campus, with museums, restored Rio Grande theater galleries, etc. and the wonderful COAS bookstore (about the only business to survive on the former main st) which does fine downtown because it's a destination. There will be another museum in an old hotel turned office building that is scheduled to be renovated and restored to house another city museum.
If one insists on not having a car, you'd need to identify what you most want to be near and then find a home in a nearby neighborhood. I don't find truely BAD neighborhoods in the city, though some are more appealing than others.
When looking for a house, we identified the historic Alameda district as a good choice and looked for homes there. We stumbled across an adobe home in Mesilla, however, and that was a no-brainer decision. We love the small town, and LC is only minutes away.
I'll agree with lawmom that LC doesn't really have a downtown as I think of a downtown. This was a large disappointment to me when I first saw the situation.
It HAD one, but it was "improved" out of practical existence a few decades ago, and the bright idea of a pedestrian mall replacing a main street has made the former downtown a hollow shell. It's on it's way back...I don't want to be too negative here....but full revival is years away. The misbegotten mall idea is being torn down (long after the damage was done) and main street will return, someday. There is an emerging cultural campus, with museums, restored Rio Grande theater galleries, etc. and the wonderful COAS bookstore (about the only business to survive on the former main st) which does fine downtown because it's a destination. There will be another museum in an old hotel turned office building that is scheduled to be renovated and restored to house another city museum.
If one insists on not having a car, you'd need to identify what you most want to be near and then find a home in a nearby neighborhood. I don't find truely BAD neighborhoods in the city, though some are more appealing than others.
When looking for a house, we identified the historic Alameda district as a good choice and looked for homes there. We stumbled across an adobe home in Mesilla, however, and that was a no-brainer decision. We love the small town, and LC is only minutes away.
- - - - - - -
Thanks for the useful info. My main concern is that I really prefer not to own a car, so I'm looking for a place near food markets and basic necessity shopping, and decent public transport system to take me to occasional mall shopping. By the way, are there taxis in Las Cruces that I can flag down or do I need to call? Typical rental prices are fairly affordable for a large 1BR or even a 2BR (my ideal size) in the burbs of Las Cruces, which will entail the use of a car. As a single, newly retired "young" female, I'd like to be near a school of some sort for art classes and creative writing. It would be nice if I could take a short walk to a coffee house or cinema or a restaurant or a pharmacy/grocery store. Am I asking too much or am I being naive about LC? I would really appreciate some input as I've lived most of my adult life in the east -- NYC and Washington, DC, and currently living in Fresno, CA (which is too rural for me). I need to find my new hometown as I'm wearing out my brother's welcome here in Fresno. I think I won't have to work in LC if those affordable rentals are as advertised, so I can devote more time to creative pursuits.
Where is this place, by the way, that you have described as: There is an emerging cultural campus, with museums, restored Rio Grande theater galleries, etc. and the wonderful COAS bookstore (about the only business to survive on the former main st) which does fine downtown because it's a destination. There will be another museum in an old hotel turned office building that is scheduled to be renovated and restored to house another city museum.
Where is this place, by the way, that you have described as: There is an emerging cultural campus, with museums, restored Rio Grande theater galleries, etc. and the wonderful COAS bookstore (about the only business to survive on the former main st) which does fine downtown because it's a destination. There will be another museum in an old hotel turned office building that is scheduled to be renovated and restored to house another city museum.
Sorry if I wasn't clear about the cultural campus reference...I was talking about downtown.
You need to come visit...and have a car to explore the neighborhoods, etc. during your visit(s). By the way...there's nothing wrong with continuing to work, even if you don't need the money. It's a great way to meet local people.
LC is a long, long way from NYC and DC. I can't speak to Fresno as I've never been there. If you need a bigger city or someplace more cosmopolitan you might be looking at Albuquerque.
I get a 46 in Mesilla, though some of the places identified are not what they seem. Some "grocery stores" are not that at all, though a computer server wouldn't have any idea. Also, apparently the LC bus system doesn't provide data, so this program can't credit Mesilla or any area in LC for public transportation. Anyone in LC would know this would not be a huge thing, as LC is not exactly overserved by the bus system, but I"m sure it would add at least a few points on. Pretty interesting though.
Just about all the newer LC subs, especially the larger ones, are going to score near zero, as they're all built on the model of suburban, in-the-car-to-do-everything, life. This model is partly developer design and also modern city zoning that tends to keep dwellings and business zones areas separated. I hope this changes in new residential development, but I'm not holding my breath
It would be nice to have some mixed-zoning area, wouldn't it? ABQ Uptown comes to mind.
Now Boston is a walkable city -- at least it was when I lived there. Not only could you walk to almost anything you needed, or at the very least to the T, it was a small enough city to do lots of walking in period. It felt manageable.
You're welcome. I just found that site and thought it was pretty neat, though as pointed out, not completely accurate. One house I looked at in Maine listed "Cumberland Farms" as a grocery store -- it's a gas station/convenience store. So obviously further research is needed, but still, it's pretty cool.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Car-Dependent
