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Hello
I have lived in Maine for the past 15 years. And while I still like it here, I think my time is done and it's time for a change. This winter has been brutal!
I'm originally from Wales in the UK and moved to Maine in 99.
The company I have been with for nearly 9 years will be closing it's doors on 18th April 2014 and this is pushing me to make some drastic decisions.
My choices are:
Move back to the UK or move south. Either way I'm not doing another Maine winter!!
I have been researching where would be the best places to live and NM keeps popping up. Truth or Consequences in particular. But I'm open to suggestions.
I'm ready for a change. Where would you recommend for a single woman.
T or C, or Silver City if you like the small town/small city feel. T or C is maybe a bit less remote, but it is still quite a drive to get anywhere. Santa Fe might feel a bit more like Maine to you. Not that it's anything like it, just feels more like an eastern city than anywhere else out here. Prescott AZ and Flagstaff struck me the same way now that I think of it.
I would recommend visiting first, or renting for a year before committing. NM is very different than Maine (and presumably UK too, but I've never been there). I lived in ME for 10 years as a kid/teen, then we moved back out here.
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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I moved here from Massachusetts two years ago, first to Santa Fe and then Albuquerque. The climate here is wonderful and I'm much happier with that aspect of life here.
Just wondering, what sparked your interest in T or C? Is a remote small town what appeals to you? Are you looking for a desert setting or somewhere closer to mountains and forested areas? What are you looking for in a community?
Hi
Thanks for the replies
What do I want?.. Hmmm I love peace and quiet, but close enough to a city. I'm not much of an outdoorsy person. Would like some nice places to eat. Fast internet is a must. (not satellite internet though) Also good cell coverage. And some nice places to walk my dogs. Apart from these things I am very adaptable.
I will probably be renting for a while as opposed to buying.
As mentioned I'm not a fan of winter. So a more temperate climate would be great. I don't mind the heat but hate the humidity.
Hi caphillsea77
I actually filled in a questionnaire online. I answered a few dozen questions and it came back with a number of recommendations. T or C was one of the top choices so I have been looking at that. Plus it has such a cool name
The list is:
Truth or Consequences, New Mexico
Mountain Home/Bull Shoals, Arkansas
Heber Springs-Greers Ferry Lake, Arkansas
Carlsbad, New Mexico
Hot Springs-Hot Springs Village, Arkansas
Holiday Island, Arkansas
Silver City, New Mexico
............................etc
I suggest, in addition to my usual recommendation to get a copy of the Benchmark "Road and Recreation Atlas of New Mexico" from their website and the State of NM website, you consider moving to Albuquerque and renting for a year or so. The city is in an ideal place to work and to explore the rest of the state on weekends.
I am "enchanted" by NM and plan of moving or snow birding as soon as possible.
Gotta ask because it is important... what work do you plan to do?
When you say "city"... how big are you thinking? 10k, 30k, 100k, 500k population? NM is sparsely populated, with Albuquerque the only "urban" area, then Santa Fe and Las Cruces with ~80k. El Paso is near Las Cruces which expands the urban areas nearby quite a bit.
And when you say "close enough" how close is that?
Climate wise, everywhere will be "temperate" compared to Maine. The only part of the state that you might consider having a "harsh" winter are the very northern high elevation parts. And even then it is no where near as bad as Maine. I mean it will get cold at night and snow... very occasionally it might snow a lot... but it is sunny and pleasant most days, with highs ~40. And that is the coldest places. The sun and low humidity makes all the difference IMO.
The southern parts of the state have the mildest year round climate, with my preference being the high elevation. Here in Ruidoso at 7000ft, we're in the pine forest; Jan highs average almost 50, and July 82. I don't like harsh winters either and IMO it's quite pleasant here. Even a big snow is melted after a couple days. In summer if it ever gets over 90, the humidity is in single digits. Internet (cable and DSL) and cell are adequate. It's a tourist town so has plenty of restaurants and activities... there are parks and paths where you could walk your dogs.
But it's small at ~10k population. A bigger town is about an hour drive, and Albuquerque and El Paso are both ~2.5 hrs.
Oh... wanted to add that many people who are accustomed to green areas have a hard time adapting to the desert. It isn't desert where I live but all the lower elevation parts are.
I answered a few dozen questions and it came back with a number of recommendations. T or C was one of the top choices so I have been looking at that. Plus it has such a cool name
I did those where to live survey's, articles etc for about 40 years. I found that if you do them again the next year the best place for you to live has changed. It has changed because the criteria for the article/survey etc has changed.
We have a very close friend who lived in NM, then AZ and then in TorC for a few years. She is prepared to move back to ABQ...
Do you know the reason Hot Springs was named Truth or Consequences?
Spoiler
In 1950, the host of the radio quiz show Truth or Consequences, announced that he would air the program from the first town that renamed itself after the show. Hot Springs, New Mexico won the honor.
Thanks GregW I will definitely look into that publication.
Quote:
In 1950, the host of the radio quiz show Truth or Consequences, announced that he would air the program from the first town that renamed itself after the show. Hot Springs, New Mexico won the honor.
This I did not know...
rruff.. Where are you located?
I am currently a substance abuse counselor. I work with teens with addictions. I have also worked with Alzheimer patients.
I'd like to be in a rural area if possible, within a 20 mile radius of a city.
(Augusta the capital of Maine has about 20k while Portland has over 60k. I'm fine with either of those populations)
It seems Maine is either green or white, or muddy. but Autumn is beautiful.
I would like some greenery I think.
Tracy
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