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We are thinking of moving to Silver City, and would like to get your ideas about a few things. Our situation: we have 2 daughters--one in elementary, and the other a toddler. I am looking at a nice job opportunity in Silver, but my wife has nothing lined up. What I think would be great about living there is being able to hike, mountain bike, and enjoy great weather all year. We lived in Albuquerque for 5 years, and I have made several short visits to Silver City. We left Albuquerque a few years ago, and now live in the upper Midwest in a town of 15,000, comparable in size to Silver City. I liked reading the existing threads, but they do not really answer our questions.
What about the employment situation for full-time work for my wife? Is it much harder to find a job than in Albuquerque? She is flexible, and is also considering starting a cleaning business, thinking there are enough retirees or others that would want this service...(true?)
What about the schools? I heard Jose Barrios Elementary is good, but middle school and high school are not so good. Is it a good place for kids in general?
How are the mountain biking trails around town? Can you ride to them from your house? Boston Hill looks like it has quite a few trails, and Gomez Peak north of town has even more. Are these both good areas to ride, or are they too technical for anything but hiking? I am not a hard core rider, but would just like to have a place to have fun and get a workout.
Is there a problem with property crime, like vandalism or burglaries? This is one thing we had to deal with in Albuquerque. I never felt threatened physically, but just having to watch my stuff and wonder what might happen to it got old. Is Silver City just like Albq. for this?
It sounds like Silver City's has been affected by people moving in from other places, and that along with this property values have gone up (and down). Does it have growing pains? How are things right now compared to the last several years (i.e. losing population/still growing, expensive/a bargain)?
This is all I can think of to ask. Hopefully you can tell where we are coming from--we want to know more about quality of life that we would not know since we have never lived there. Do you like the area? Do you have any recommendations on what to think about? Thank you so much for your ideas!
It will be harder to find a job in Silver, as its much, much smaller than ABQ, but if she is a willing worker, there are jobs. I have no idea how a cleaning business would do.
Schools. Sorry cannot help with those as our grandson attends school in the Cobre district in Santa Clara. I cannot help with the biking trails either, but they must be decent as there are some bike shops downtown and I believe a few bike clubs. (we are into horses for riding). There is also the wellness center, which has indoor pools and various lessons. Several gyms around if you are into that. There are always things going on at the University, the library and the Silver City Museum.
There is some property crime. You will find it no matter where you live. We live in one of the smaller towns near Silver City.
I suggest you come out and spend a week or so and look around and get a better feel for the area. I don't mind living here because I grew up in a small town, and have always lived in small towns. You might want to check out some of small towns around Silver City.
Some things are going to be expensive due to the fact of living further away from a city. Gas prices tend to be higher here as one person owns all the gas stations. No competition in stores and the like. My own complaints are 1. I hate Walmart. 2. We need more restaurants, not two Sonic. ( A nice Italian restaurant would be nice; but there is one in Deming.)
We like the area and moved here two years ago. The weather is very nice. Granted its a long drive to ABQ, but you are closer to El Paso and Tucson for shopping. We go to AZ every year to pick peaches and apples and make a day of it. We also go to Tombstone several times a year just to do the touristy stuff.
AlisonL, thank you for the ideas! I did not know about the indoor pool, and this is very nice to have. BTW, this is my first post on CD, and I am not sure if I put it appears in the right place for people to actually see it (it is not on the Silver City page, and I have to do a search of the NM forums to even see it). Should I try to move it so more people view it and can reply, or does CD have a guide about how to do this correctly? Thanks again!
BTW, this is my first post on CD, and I am not sure if I put it appears in the right place for people to actually see it (it is not on the Silver City page, and I have to do a search of the NM forums to even see it). Should I try to move it so more people view it and can reply
You did fine. You posted in the correct forum. There are not a lot of threads on Silver City...
I have been, but only as an overnight tourist. So I can't really say much.
Thanks Poncho NM for pulling up these links! Lots to read here, and now I have gone through all of them. We are giving Silver City a hard look. It is so unique for its surroundings, but as somebody wrote a while ago, "it is not exactly Mayberry"! Other impressions?...
My wife & I moved from Michigan after retiring 20 years ago. We enjoy living here very much. It is a friendly community. You can purchase most everything you want here even though the variety is somewhat limited. It is close to being Mayberry for us but I'm sure not for some. There is about 50% Hispanic people here and we have found them to be very nice folks as are everyone else. We are in our 70's so can't help with job and school experience. We wish you the best.
40FordJim this is a good report--thank you for telling me how you like the area. I think the people there would be great, but am also really interested in how the jobs and school would fit with our needs (growing family, etc.). Also, I have not yet received anything final on my employment prospect, which is what is drawing us there in the first place.
Hi, I live in ABQ, but have been to the SC are a bunch of times. I find it a quant, hippyesque type of town but as I don't live there, it's hard to speak in the living, job, school conditions there.
The times I have been there have been for recreation. SC lies right at the southern edge of the Gila N.F., which is an expansive area that is prime for MANY recreational activities. Be it biking (which I don't do), hiking, backpacking, etc.... Plus, it's pretty green (as compared to many other areas of the state).
So, as I can't speak to the lifestyle there, I would def. say that you will find no ends of outdoor recreational activities to enjoy.
I really like this. They got the judge singing too.
I really like some things on YouTube. Videography is a hobby of mine. Great video! Makes me want to visit Silver City again.
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