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I bought a nice patch of land in Raton and planned to retire there, But I think I,am gonna have to look elsewhere. Gotta love that country but It,ll be a long time before that place starts to thrive again. It was cool in the days when all the business,s were thriving like Newberrys, El Raton, Marchandos. Even when all the old dive bars on 1st by the train depot, you even knew the names of the winos. I here the railroad is going away, the race track went south real fast, Ted Turners got the west side of Ratons back county fenced off. Man I could keep going. Keep hearing bad things about the hospital, even once from a doctors wife there, cant get the doctors to come to Raton. It,s true, the are dying off. Every time I read the Raton Paper seems like 3 or 4 more are gone and I can see why the young folks wanna leave. It,s to bad because I really like it there.
Is Trinidad up the road in as bad of shape too? Always pass Raton up and go straight to Trinidad every year. I really like the Santa Fe Trail Subdivision on the Raton Pass. I figured there would be lots to do there in retirement between long drives, fishing, boating. I been to their hospital but wonder if you would have to go to Pueblo for anything serious. What is he saying about the Ted Turners?
Ted Turner owns a huge ranch out at the end of Highway 555 west of Raton. I believe it is the biggest or at least one of the 5-10 biggest ranches in the country. The very end of the paved road becomes a private road. I guess that makes access to a huge chunk of land to the west less accessible or not accessible from the end of that road and maybe it was more accessible in the past or distant past.
One can still get into a section of the Carson National Forest by driving down Hwy 64 and then going north on Road 1950 (except in winter / early spring) but that would take a lot longer from Raton and it is an unpaved road.
That's sad to hear 3didgets... I'm just curious, what locations are you now considering?
Rich
Just visited east mountain area in Albuqurque, liked it better then I expected.Me and the wife are going back to Silver City to take another look see. That would be a tough call, Northern NM keeps calling me. In Northern NM you also have Colorado as your play ground within reach. Best of both worlds. Good clean country and plenty of trout fishing. Also , family would be within easier reach. Just like anywhere you gotta decide if the good outweighs the bad. Once I sell out in San Diego I will never be able to afford to return , and thats ok as long as were happy with our choice. We really liked Montrose and Grand Junction CO. but would have to take another look at it. I have found that when you go looking at areas to move you get information overload and when you go back later once or more then you see things with a lot more clearly.
We left Raton in 2004. Around that time many people left and many businesses closed. It appears to have gotten worse since that time.
We miss it - lived there a long time and the other half was born and raised there. Had a successful business for many years there. But we'll never go back...lack of decent doctors, decent medical anything, lack of a good school system, taxes, food prices, cost of living, the general attitude of the
people there (not everyone), etc. I also lived in Trinidad for a few years, and had a business there. It has gone downhill also in recent years, not sure how much so.
My husband transferred to Raton, NM with the Santa Fe Railroad in 1993. He retired from the railroad last year and although we have no family here, we are staying in Raton because we love it! Wonderful outdoor activities are abundant. There is a fantastic 9-hole golf course where one can see deer, turkey, fox, and yes, sometimes even bear. The views of the mesas and wildlife are breathtaking. Every sunset the roosting turkeys use the number one fairway as a runway to reach the nearby trees. The deer are so familiar with the golfers and carts going by that they will stand and watch you as you drive or walk by. Sugarite Canyon State Park is only fifteen minutes away. Hiking, horseback riding, and fishing along with campfire programs and holiday programs are scheduled throughout the year. The NRA Whittington center is one of the largest outdoor shooting facilities in the U.S. that includes overnight camping, cabins, horseback riding and hiking trails, as well as the tours of the closed Van Houten coal mine. Colfax Canyon (right in Raton) is a newly created hiking trail. Not only do we have fabulous outdoor activities, but the Shuler Theater, a 1914 Opera House, has been renovated several times since the 1970's and continues to host live performances, including the Summer Repertory Theater, and the Raton Arts & Humanities performing arts season from October through May. Plus a myriad of other live performances and programs. Raton has a very active Children's Theater and provides annual holiday performances as well. Raton opened the indoor Regional Aquatic Center which features lap swimming, open swimming, and aquatic exercise year-round. The new critical access hospital provides some of the best medical care with top of the line equipment and includes an 87-bed long-term care facility for retired miners. We also have a new twelve-room assisted living facility, Colfax Senior Care. All in all, I'd say Raton is a great place to retire. There are great opportunities for young retirees to make this community even better through volunteer efforts with so many civic organizations too. The Raton Chamber, MainStreet, and GrowRaton (economic development group) are three organizations that are working to make Raton even better. Come join us!
I ususally take I 25 through the Raton pass to spend time in Trinidad. Never stopped at Raton, I'll take a look this next time. Been looking at property on the Raton Pass between Raton and Trinidad but on the CO side.
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Change of Plans
Retiring in Raton New Mexico
