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Just thought I would start a thread about things people love and hate about this beautiful state, it might also be a helpful reference for those thinking about moving to this state.
Things I love about New Mexico:
Natural Beauty: To me, this state is the most beautiful state in the nation, the canyons, the deserts, the mountains, it is just amazing.
Culture: New Mexico, although being part of the United States, it has a very distinct culture which I find fascinating. Everytime I go back to New Mexico, I get that feeling that I am going to a different country.
Racial relations: Although there is a bit of racial tension in New Mexico, I feel like it is one of the states with the least amount of racial tension. Hispanics are very much part of the land, so are Native americans and Whites, I feel like they get along pretty well in New Mexico
Food: Amazing..to me it is one of the few states that has its own cuisine, and that is remarkable, and it is great food.
Liberalism: Although New Mexico has an Old West past, it is still a very liberal state compared to Arizona, Utah or Colorado.
Things I hate about New Mexico:
Poverty: I think this is one of the reasons why I would hesitate to go back to New Mexico, poverty in some parts of the state is so prevalent, almost to a Third World country level, I remember the first time I saw those Native Americans selling jewelry at the Plaza in Santa Fe, I could feel a incredible sense of sadness in those people, maybe someone can explain why this state is so poor?
Lack of infrastructure: This state suffers from a tremendous lack on infrastructure, I do not know if this has gotten any better, but most
of the services the cities, counties and state government provide are
pretty low standard, almost to a Third World country standard.
Drugs/Alcohol: I have never seen a state with so many drunks, drug addicts like in New Mexico, obviously this must be related to poverty, but why is it this way? New Mexico has the highest incidence of drug overdose per capita in the nation, especially Rio Arriba county.I have witnessed drunk people fighting in the middle of downtown Albuquerque and Gallup too, like in broad daylight. I remember the bus drivers would always check the Native Americans as they walked onto the bus to make sure they didnt have alcohol in their cups. Also, New Mexico has so many homeless people..
Crime: Some people might argue, but I think New Mexico has a very high crime rate per capita compared to other states, even in small towns like Espanola, Las Vegas, Belen, towns with less than 50000 people, crime is incredibly high. I was checking the Espanola crime blotter, and there is a LOT of crime and disturbance there, for a town of 10000.
Gang/Lowlife culture: It seems like so many people in this state have learned to accept gang culture as a "normal way of life". I still do not understand why this mentality is so prevalent among the youth in New Mexico, it just creates a whole generation of criminals and lowlives, people who could be doing something with their lives, just wasting their lives in this kind of stupidity, it seems like the state has not done much to stop this kind of activity.
Maybe someone could explain these things..I would like to hear more about what people have to say about the "Land of Enchantment"
I guess maybe I see things half full. I love New Mexico. I can't find anything I hate about it except I hate crime, gangs and drugs. They are a blight everywhere though, not just NM. The crime in NM seems so light to me, compared to Phoenix. There is just so many more good things to me in NM than bad. I know some of the Native Americans have an alcohol problem and I feel sorry for them because they live in despair and stuck on a reservation, who wouldn't drink? They need help. What exactly, is not my expertise, but maybe someone or some group can one day tackle that problem. All in all, NM to me, is a great place!
where do i start ? Moving from Ireland to NM was a huge step.
I love the slow pace of life here in NM. The scenery is beautiful. I LOVE New Mexican Food, the more flavor and heat the better too. I wouldnt say i hate anything.
There is crime. Where there is people there is crime.,
I'm always amused by how people will toss off an undesireable trait with the assertion that "they have that everywhere". You don't like the 300 overcast days a year on the coast of Washington? What's your problem? --"They have clouds everywhere". Are you going nuts being gridlocked for and hour and a half on L.A. freeways? Don't be -- "They have traffic everywhere". Want to move out of Salinas because of the gang problem? You're wasting your time -- "They have gangs everywhere".
Problems are problems because they cross a threshold of incidence; it's all a measure of degree. So don't tell me that the heat in Yuma is not a big deal because "every place gets warm temperatures in summer".
Having a rate of crime that is two or three times the national average is a big deal and a major liveability negative.
Why do these things accumulate in any particular part of the country to a greater degree than in another? The short answer is "culture". Humans are tremendous mimics and the behavior of future residents is likely to copy that of the prevailing culture in the area where they reside. All these things that lukeache mentioned work together as part of a cycle of poverty, dependency and low expectations that is very difficult to break. Everyone grows up thinking the culture of their own family and their own environs is what is "normal". We develop vocabulary that validates our own sense of normalcy and finds fault with whatever is variant from it. If you are accustomed to abusing alcohol then you say you like to "party" or "have a good time" or "get buzzed". Sober people are "uptight" or "goodie-two shoes" or "narcs". Closely aligned with this is a vocabulary set that puts a disconnect between the choices you make and the consequences you experience. In lowlife culture, everyone is either a benefactor or a victim of good or bad fortune. People who own their own homes and have professional jobs are just "rich people", "white folks", etc. The notion of self-improvement is to a large extent a feature of middle-class culture and not necessarily something that poorer people believe is possible.
Great analysis, Steve. I also agree that culture is probably what makes New Mexico the way it is. I remember one day when I was at the Albuquerque Sunport waiting to go through security, and there was a long line and not enough security people, it took me about 30 minutes to finally go through security. I had never experienced anything like this before, not even at the largest airports in this country, given the size of the Albuquerque Sunport it just did not make any sense to me. Then, I came to realize that unfortunately, that is just the way New Mexico is, it is a state of low standards, low expectations and low budgets, generally speaking. I dont know if anybody has similar experiences to share, but everytime I had to use public, county or Government services in New Mexico, everything just seems so unorganized and chaotic.
Lukeache, I was going to reply, but I think I just pretty much agreed with all of your points. I would add that I hate the weather. Just not a hot weather person myself. I like rain and green.
If I were to take the cynical view I would say that what I love about NM is what Nature has done there, and what I hate about NM is what humans have done there.
The sky, the landscape, and the relationship between them are some of the best things about NM. It's no wonder so many artists are attracted to various places in NM. Native-son N. Scott Momaday perhaps said it best:
"There is great good in returning to a landscape that has had extraordinary meaning in one’s life. There are certain villages and towns, mountains and plains that, having seen them, walked in them, lived in them, even for a day, we keep forever in the mind’s eye. They become indispensable to our well being; they define us, and we say, I am who I am because I have been there.
It is here that I can concentrate my mind upon the Remembered Earth. It is here that I am most conscious of being, here that wonder comes upon my blood, here I want to live forever; and it is no matter that I must die."
If I were to take the cynical view I would say that what I love about NM is what Nature has done there, and what I hate about NM is what humans have done there.
That just about hits the nail on the head as far as I'm concerned. I spent much of my time growing up in the New Mexican outdoors, and am pained to see more and more man-made encroachments on New Mexico's beautiful wildlands.
On the bright side, however, sprawl and pollution are not as widespread as in many western states, and many New Mexicans have a great understanding of what they have in the way of nature in NM.
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