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Hi, interesting post. We moved from Stacy (north of Wyoming) to the area about 2 years ago, and were exposed to a real culture difference. For what it's worth, we might throw our 2 cents in there, at least to give you our experiences moving here.
Good stuff:
1.) Taxes: Here is the first thing you'll notice, and it's good. Income tax is about 10-20% less than what you're used to. And property taxes are also about 20% what they were in Anoka/Chisago county. Yes, 20%! So you'll pay in a year what you paid in a month for Minnesota.
2.) Insurance, utilities, etc: Home and car insurance is a lot cheaper, as the sue-your-a** Minnesota legal mentality hasn't come down here-yet anyway. So you'll notice this as well. Where we used to have $400 plus Xcel gas charges here during the winter, you'll see a lot less-as it obviously doesn't get so cold. And during the summer, elec is not much higher than Minnesota either, as although it's hot, humidity is low and takes less energy to cool than the high humidity MN summer days. Contractor costs are also lower, so if you plan any home upgrades you'll save here.
3.) Housing costs: Even with housing market crashes in MN, you'll still see significantly lower costs in Roswell, especially if you're coming from the cities area.
4.) Weather: While Roswell is not exactly a garden spot of NM, you are an easy drive to Ruidoso and great winter skiing if you like that. At the lower elevations, any snow you'll get is gone in a couple of hours. No more jumper cables or checking antifreeze for -40 freeze point. No more slipping on the ice or fighting frozen water pipes. Yes, it's hot in the summer, but with very low humidity I'll take Roswell at 100 over Bloomington at 90 anyday! Plus, except for the flies, kiss the other bugs goodbye-and that includes the mosquitoes! Yes, you can leave those cans of OFF! behind!! So sell the snowmobiles, snow blowers, and heavy parkas, and come enjoy the heat.
Not so good things:
1.) Mentality: Hope I don't offend anyone here, but there is certainly a difference between Minnesota and New Mexico in this area. The education system here is sadly way behind the midwest, and the level of expectations of people are lower, so expect to see a less educated attitude toward things. Especially if you are both college educated, you and your wife will shake your heads at some of the things that pass as OK down here. Seems like everyone has a pit bull and finds nothing wrong with letting it run loose and bite people. Drugs are very, very commonly accepted and alcohol misuse is just part of the culture. Wife (and husband) beatings are an everyday thing, and don't be surprised to see junk cars in the front yards.
2.) Crime and attitudes thereof: It really seems this is again part of the culture, and it's a very common thread throughout the area. While there doesn't seem to be as many violent crimes as we had in the cities (we had a person get shot right across the road when we lived in Lino Lakes) there is a ton more property crimes. If you have something in your car, it will get stolen, fact of life. Of course having said that if you park your car in North Minneapolis it will probably get broken into as well, so I guess it's what you're used to. There is a reason there are walls around the houses here, and a reason most people keep guns readily available.
3.) Respect for law enforcement: This is where I'd be concerned. As the other posters noted, the public doesn't value the police nearly as highly in terms of pay or status as MN does. We have a friend who is chief of police in a town around our area (west of Roswell) who is extremely frustrated by people continually getting off in court. Be it traffic violations, violent crimes, or even murders, NM is not at all tough on crime. Probably because half of the jury pool has been engaged in criminal activity, it is extremely hard to get a conviction to stick and the magistrate judges tend to worry about upsetting their friends (and voters) than taking any positive actions.
Again, everyone's experiences are different, and you largely make your own happiness, but hopefully from one who has been there it might help. From our perspective it was a good move, especially financially, and have no regrets moving from Minnesota-but be aware of what you're getting into! The poster who suggested coming down for a couple of weeks to experience life here yourself was spot on. Would highly recommend you and your wife do this before you take the jump.
Great post! I really appreciate it!
I definitely like the pro's listed. I think my two biggest worries are:
A. Police Starting Salaries are somewhat lacking... but it's better than not getting a police job at all like it's like here in Minnesota...
B. Safety... I am trained to protect myself, my wife is not. I will have insurance on the crap in the house so it's not STUFF I'm really worried about, it's just safety. Not to mention if someone broke in I feel that it would have significant psychological effects (something about someone invading a mans castle, makes it feel a bit less castle-like). I will probably put bars on my back windows regardless of where in Roswell I lived... Based on what I've been hearing, Roswell sounds more like North Minneapolis or West Sacramento or some other scary place.
If anyone has taken many sociology courses, there is a theory called the 'Broken Windows' Theory. Where a community will treat their area as well as it looks. I.E. Broken down cars, trash, ugly yards, broken windows, etc will attract crime and unpleasant activities to the area. That could explain why the southern area of Roswell is plagued with such crime...
You have given me some great food for thought, thanks a ton!
Quote:
Originally Posted by DOUBLE H
I've posted on Roswell on a few different forums, thought I'd chime in.
Riley, in your original post I remember you asking about towns close by. Zoidberg did mention the cities and they are out there, the closest being Artesia, 40 miles south, and Carlsbad, 35 miles south of Artesia. Everything else is 200 miles away and further. In SE New Mexico it's a long way between cities, which some people like and some don't. Now, if small towns are to your liking, you have a few of them 10, maybe 15 miles southeast of Roswell; Hagerman, Dexter, and Greenfield. Both Dexter and Hagerman are close to 1000 people each, Greenfield not much.
Good comments as always by Zoidberg, who does mention something you'll like, the warmer weather. Roswell's high temperature in January I've always found to be in the low 40's, sometimes 50. But it gets toasty in the summer, starts hitting 100 in late May/early June. And I agree with Zoid about lack of services regarding snow removal and it can snow there! But not much. When the winter systems come in February the wind can howl all right, but not like Deming or Las Cruces in the SW corner of the state. Now dust storms there can get nasty. Another plus about New Mexico weather-low humidity. You'll like that!
The areas that are rough are southwest of downtown and R.I A.C. Yes, gangs are a problem but every city has them. Sadly, Roswell has a little more then a town of 47,000 would usually have. The nice area is northwest, a lot of newer developments going there, nice places too.
Was through there this past spring in May, I think the UFO craze has cooled a tad, though they still celebrate the 2nd week of July with the UFO days. Hey, ya gotta have some sort of tourist schtick there!
I'm glad the UFO craze is dying down! I thought it was kinda cheesy!
But looking at maps I kinda figured it was a rather secluded city. Coming from the Twin Cities in Minnesota (we have a different city every five feet) it will be weird, but enjoyable.
Do you guys know of any good sites for property rentals other than craigslist?
For property rentals, try Roswell Daily Record, the local rag. That's pretty much the place to look. It used to all be online but they've redone their website and now apparently classifieds are either buried or no longer carried online (makes sense; why include the revenue-generating part of your paper on your site?). A lot of real estate agents also represent rentals, and there's a surprising amount of commercial real estate that is suitable for residing in. What worked best for me was to just drive around, as the good deals tend to get snapped up immediately.
Buying a house or a trailer is far cheaper than renting in Roswell even over a couple of years, given Roswell's tendency of people to not plan on staying long; expect rents far higher than they should be, and house prices far lower than they should be. Fixer uppers (I've even seen houses listed for $8k but they were in teardown condition, w/ termites & mold) tend to be far more common than in most places, as well.
One area that's easy to gloss over but impossible to ignore once it sets in is whether your wife will be happy there. My better half did NOT like Roswell at all, and it was on account of how the locals treated her when she was out shopping, etc. If your wife looks like a typical Minnesotan, loves discussing the lord and has political opinions the opposite of most Minnesotans, and is used to dealing with the occasional really shallow and rude person, you might not run into as much trouble.
If she looks out of place, some people will do things right out of kindergarten to upset her. After the shock of "did they really just do that?" wears off, it gets to be very upsetting for some people, and the only escape comes with escaping the town.
Don't get the wrong idea about SW of downtown and the base being the only run down parts of Roswell. With few exceptions, the entire town's housing is run down by most people's standards, until about the 3000 block north. There are good neighborhoods with nice houses south of 3000 N, but it's never very far to run down in any direction. There are even nice houses on the base (though small) and nice houses SW of downtown (near Roswell high).
I believe in the broken windows theory too, but the broken windows (or analogs, being bad roofs, needs paint, weeds, etc.) can be found in every part of the town; check the police blotter and you find the property crimes follow in every part of the town, without much concentration in any one spot.
One other thing that in retrospect was kind of nice is how many stray cats are in the town. It's not so much they're always getting hit by cars but more the cats just are community cats who hang out outside and do what they want from house to house, knowing where they'll be eating that night. Albuquerque's more antiseptic and seeing an outdoor cat means it'll either get picked up or hit by a vehicle in the next 24 hours.
New Mexico has at least one major thing going for it: For its Liberal/Democrat reputation, it's a fairly gun-friendly state. Try to get your wife to apply for a conceal carry license so she can get her CC permit. But you don't need a permit to carry in NM as it is also an OPEN CARRY state (like its neighbor AZ)...just learn the rules WHERE you can OC (but that would be the same for CCing as well, where you can CC and where you can not).
IMO, people need to take responsibility for their own protection, so its not fair to expect someone else to always be there in times of need...especially since that's impossible. So whether it's NM or any other state, we should do what we can to look after ourselves from the time the 911 call is made (if possible) to the time the cops arrive on the scene. I'm in TX but I OC when I visit NM. Also, TX and NM have reciprocity agreements and so they honor each other's CC permits.
Unfortunatley, TX does not have OC so it's inferior to NM in that regards (although we hope to get it soon, but no thanks to our do-nothing, fails-to-lead Governor Perry).
Good luck...
Last edited by cloudcroft; 10-29-2010 at 05:33 PM..
New Mexico has at least one major thing going for it: For its Liberal/Democrat reputation, it's a fairly gun-friendly state. Try to get your wife to apply for a conceal carry license so she can get her CC permit. But you don't need a permit to carry in NM as it is also an OPEN CARRY state (like its neighbor AZ)...just learn the rules WHERE you can OC (but that would be the same for CCing as well, where you can CC and where you can not).
IMO, people need to take responsibility for their own protection, so its not fair to expect someone else to always be there in times of need...especially since that's impossible. So whether it's NM or any other state, we should do what we can to look after ourselves from the time the 911 call is made (if possible) to the time the cops arrive on the scene. I'm in TX but I OC when I visit NM. Also, TX and NM have reciprocity agreements and so they honor each other's CC permits.
Unfortunatley, TX does not have OC so it's inferior to NM in that regards (although we hope to get it soon, but no thanks to our do-nothing, fails-to-lead Governor Perry).
Good luck...
While I agree that some of the responsibility for protection is in the public's hands. It still makes me nervous leaving my 5'6" 115lb wife at home alone when some huge thug may smash the door in and do whatever. Obviously that kind of thing doesn't happen often, my training has just made me paranoid, methinks
On a different note, is there any good fishing near Roswell, or in New Mexico at all for that matter?
On a different note, is there any good fishing near Roswell, or in New Mexico at all for that matter?
The Pecos river runs through Roswell. The state record gar was pulled out of it somewhere close Roswell. Also there are a few reserviors on the Pecos down there.
Some trout can be had 'relatively' close. So you can get warm water and cold water sport fishing in 'fairly' close proximity to each other.
However, Cloudcroft and Ruisdoso are very popular places, especially during the summer so expect a lot of traffic and a lot of congestion during the tourist season if you visit. I see by your post you aren't looking for solitude in the mountains which is good because you definitely won't be alone.
You can find solitude, if that's what you're looking for, on the plains.
The Pecos river runs through Roswell. The state record gar was pulled out of it somewhere close Roswell. Also there are a few reserviors on the Pecos down there.
Some trout can be had 'relatively' close. So you can get warm water and cold water sport fishing in 'fairly' close proximity to each other.
However, Cloudcroft and Ruisdoso are very popular places, especially during the summer so expect a lot of traffic and a lot of congestion during the tourist season if you visit. I see by your post you aren't looking for solitude in the mountains which is good because you definitely won't be alone.
You can find solitude, if that's what you're looking for, on the plains.
Good! I'm an avid fisherman up here. Glad I don't have to say goodbye to it. I will probably leave my boat back up in MN though, from what I understand is they are kind of stingy about letting people boat on the river/lakes/etc.?
The Bottomless Lakes State Park is IMO one of the best state parks New Mexico has to offer. The state park is only 15 minutes or so east of town out on 380. Given the geological factors there is a good reason why they call it Bottomless Lakes. Google in Bottomless lakes, lots of info there. It was the first state park created in New Mexico.
Their camping, boating, and rv facilities are first rate.
"It still makes me nervous leaving my 5'6" 115lb wife at home alone when some huge thug may smash the door in and do whatever." - LawmanRiley
She needs to arm herself -- it's that simple. No guy is big/bad enough that he's bullet-proof. If she refuses, good luck to her. Personally, however, I'd want more than luck "protecting" me, but maybe that's just my lone opinion.
Her refusal means she's responsible for that decision and whatever harm it may "facilitate." After all, you can't force her or anyone else to wise up.
Sorry you have to be in a dangerous occupation, trying to be sure YOU make it back home after your shift, while at the same time worrying about her. She should see that is an undue burden on you (TMK, cops don't need MORE stress) and decide to do HER part for her own safety -- and protect home, hearth and kids while you are gone.
As for being paranoid, you aren't, you're just being prudent. So am I and many others. We carry. And at home, there's always a "friend" within reach at all times. Which means I don't need to worry about criminals, THEY need to worry about me and other armed citizens, as it should be. Words to the wise...
Last edited by cloudcroft; 11-02-2010 at 01:05 AM..
"It still makes me nervous leaving my 5'6" 115lb wife at home alone when some huge thug may smash the door in and do whatever." - LawmanRiley
She needs to arm herself -- it's that simple. No guy is big/bad enough that he's bullet-proof. If she refuses, good luck to her. Personally, however, I'd want more than luck "protecting" me, but maybe that's just my lone opinion.
Her refusal means she's responsible for that decision and whatever harm it may "facilitate." After all, you can't force her or anyone else to wise up.
Sorry you have to be in a dangerous occupation, trying to be sure YOU make it back home after your shift, while at the same time worrying about her. She should see that is an undue burden on you (TMK, cops don't need MORE stress) and decide to do HER part for her own safety -- and protect home, hearth and kids while you are gone.
As for being paranoid, you aren't, you're just being prudent. So am I and many others. We carry. And at home, there's always a "friend" within reach at all times. Which means I don't need to worry about criminals, THEY need to worry about me and other armed citizens, as it should be. Words to the wise...
What a great post! I agree with all points mentioned. I will definitely be arming her to the teeth. We have no children and won't be having any over, so having a well armed house isn't really a risk
Can one fish out of the bottomless lakes?
Thanks a ton for the help everyone! I am mailing my background packet out today and the process is started! I may see you in Roswell
I probably should have stated the Bottomless lakes aren't really bottomless, it just named that by the earlier settlers, the name just kinda stuck! I forgot to mention, some nice hiking trails there as well. About this time of the year is when they really start stocking the rainbows.
Check out the New Mexico Game and Fish Departments site as they have plenty of fishing info for you and they update the fishing reports statewide pretty much weekly. If I get time I'll do a search on past fishing thread topics, there has been some on the forum but not in a while.
Last edited by DOUBLE H; 11-02-2010 at 10:25 AM..
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I'm an avid fisherman up here. Glad I don't have to say goodbye to it. I will probably leave my boat back up in MN though, from what I understand is they are kind of stingy about letting people boat on the river/lakes/etc.?
