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.
Are there even any clothing store options at all in Clayton, or Union County NM?
I think what is happening to Brian here is indicative of a demographic trend that continues to portend the slow death of the Great Plains front range, as smaller towns are continuing to lose what remaining people live there. A few months ago I was driving east of Colorado Springs to the Kansas border, and I for all I knew it could have been 1912 instead of 2012. Small, impoverished towns dotting the landscape, most of them remaining county seats. Not much in the way of happiness, there were signs in Cheyenne Wells protesting water rights, for instance, intolerable wind, and tumbleweeds spraying all over the four block square grid of this 'town' which consisted mostly of dilapidated trailers. There was a great book about the subject I read several years ago called "Miles From Nowhere" by Dayton Duncan. The subject matter of the book probably ties into Brian's experience living in a town like Clayton, though in New Mexico, is really regionally more aligned with the plains than it is what most people perceive New Mexico to be, which is a combination of desert and mountains. Northeastern NM has way more in common with places like Boise City Oklahoma, and Stratford Texas than Santa Fe or Albuquerque.
There is two stores, but if you dont like super right jeans, big buckles and cowboy boots you cant buy anything there. Quite expensive too.
Weve actually gone up in population, we see people coming to work at the prison etc.
The biggest problem here is small minded business. You get off work between 5 and 6 and all of the stores in town are shut by 6 except the liquor and grocery store. Just no service here anymore. The only bar we have here refuses to serve beer that people want and x2 goes for food in it.
Most people that live here are resigned to driving to Dumas or Amarillo to buy all of their needs outside of food and stuff they need there and then that *may* be available here.
Living in a small town can often be....er....challenging?
My last residence had only a couple of gas stations and a pair of fast food joints by the Interstate exit.
NO food store, clothing store, drug store, pet store, hardware store, doctor, dentist, etc.,.....NADA!!
No wonder I rang up a lot of miles, NOT including a very long commute to work.
Living in a small town can often be....er....challenging?
My last residence had only a couple of gas stations and a pair of fast food joints by the Interstate exit.
NO food store, clothing store, drug store, pet store, hardware store, doctor, dentist, etc.,.....NADA!!
No wonder I rang up a lot of miles, NOT including a very long commute to work.
Clayton NM is a little more... extreme. 102 miles to the closest Wal-Mart in Trinidad CO, and 46 miles to Dalhart TX for the privilege of eating at McDonald's. I would venture to say that 99 out of 100 Americans aren't wired to live in a place like Clayton New Mexico.
Living in a small town can often be....er....challenging?
I saw this article recently in the Los Angeles Times. I drive through Vaughn, NM at least once a year, and it always amazes/amuses me to see the number of motels still in business there.
I saw this article recently in the Los Angeles Times. I drive through Vaughn, NM at least once a year, and it always amazes/amuses me to see the number of motels still in business there.
Vaughn is a major transshipment point for not one but two railroads; I believe at least one of the hotels is owned by the railroad to house their engineers/conductors/repairmen. Such is common practice in railroad towns.
Vaughn's also the only town I've seen run out of gas (luckily had enough including fumes to coast in to Roswell, but if we hadn't..).
I think I'd prefer Vaughn to Clayton just because it's slightly closer to decent-sized cities (and mountains!) but neither would be high on my list. Still, being able to go to four other states in 90 minutes.. there's something to be said for that.
Heh, I know about Vaughn. I've spent a night or two in a couple of those motels because of snow storms. It sits at over 5900 feet and like Zoidberg said you coast into Roswell, which is at 3574 ft.or thereabouts. If you're heading southbound, the road closes right at the port of entry just south of town. And the snow can stack up in Vaughn, trust me!
This thread makes Socorro sound better and better. I would like to have a hardware and tool store reasonably close.
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.