Would you choose New Mexico or Southern Colorado? (Santa Fe, Las Vegas: for sale, rental)

[oceankidz]

I know that there is nothing to replace time spent in a place. We have certainly done that in Colorado and like what we have found so far in the Pueblo, Westcliffe, Florence area. But, have never visited NM and do plan to do so before making a final decision.

What we are looking for:

( Who we are) Family with kids at home - mid 40's - one ready for college, homeschooling our middle schooler - would prefer in state college and believe there is an agreement between NM and CO.

Rural, small town where people have time to chat, have a cuppa coffee, and not feel threatened or be stand offish because you were not born and bred in the State or for that matter the USA! Want to get involved with the community.

Weather - not too much of an issue, ready for a challenge of the snow or the sun.
Employment : would like to start something on our own - plumbing or aviation or both!

Cost of living: reasonable! would like to be able to afford to buy some rental investment properties, not to flip but to keep for the long run.

Southern NM looks well worth considering - so why might you choose Colorado or New Mexico?

Thanks for helping and sharing your ideas.

[catman]

I'd choose NM because Colorado is just too harsh in winter. I also prefer the cultural vibe of New Mexico. Colorado is beautiful, though.

[yukon]

I picked ABQ over Denver because of the attitude. And the weather

[dracul]

We made extensive trips to southern Colorado, along with many other places, before clinching the deal in Tor C. Winters in southern Colorado can be arctic...weather can be be quite challenging and some areas have been snowed in for protracted periods! Not good. If I were younger, and planned on purchasing a front end loader or a back hoe, I'd explore the many San Luiz Valley prospects. Not for us. Sothern NM is far more attractive with respect to weather at least.

[oceankidz]

Thanks I am listening to the advice about the weather and the attitude...attitude and culture are a big issue for us - we raised our family on a sailboat in the Caribbean after leaving South Africa , spent a year living in the Dominican Republic (loved it) and for some we are just "strange". I know that I am dreaming about living at 9000ft not being a problem - and yes we need to think of later years. If you know Westcliffe - which is where we were thinking of purchasing 35 acres - loved the small town - 800 people plus but close proximity to Pueblo and Colorado Springs - would T or C been a comparison - should we be looking south or north in NM -loved the Sangre de Cristo mountains, would like to be able to grow something, maybe keep bees and see the mountains,? Just ready for a rural lifestyle! Tired of 5 years of suburbia after the open oceans..

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by oceankidz

Thanks I am listening to the advice about the weather and the attitude...attitude and culture are a big issue for us - we raised our family on a sailboat in the Caribbean after leaving South Africa , spent a year living in the Dominican Republic (loved it) and for some we are just "strange". I know that I am dreaming about living at 9000ft not being a problem - and yes we need to think of later years. If you know Westcliffe - which is where we were thinking of purchasing 35 acres - loved the small town - 800 people plus but close proximity to Pueblo and Colorado Springs - would T or C been a comparison - should we be looking south or north in NM -loved the Sangre de Cristo mountains, would like to be able to grow something, maybe keep bees and see the mountains,? Just ready for a rural lifestyle! Tired of 5 years of suburbia after the open oceans..

I'll take a stab at this. I've spent a lot of time in northern New Mexico, and I'm a half-century plus Colorado native. Geographically, southern Colorado has more in common with northern New Mexico than it does with the rest of Colorado. You can make a strong argument that northern New Mexico has more in common with southern Colorado than it does with southern New Mexico. Latitude and altitude make the difference.

In general terms, if you want warm, relatively snowless winters, and don't mind hot summers, then southern New Mexico would probably be preferable. If you like cooler summers, and don't mind some snow and cold in winter, then southern Colorado or northern New Mexico is probably a better choice. (If you want to grow a garden, then a place like Westcliffe ain't it. Neither would be a lot of higher altitude areas in New Mexico.) As to elevation, I use the "1,000 feet rule." That is, 5,000 feet elevation in southern Colorado would be equivalent in growing season, etc. to about 6,000 feet in central New Mexico.

While southern Colorado and northern New Mexico are relatively similar culturally, the political climate in their respective states is quite different. In both states, the metropolitan areas dominate the political scene, but it seems that in New Mexico the rural areas still seem to have some political influence at the state level. In Colorado, the metro areas dominate the political scene almost completely, and the rural areas--southern Colorado even more dramatically--have relatively little political power (not withstanding that one of Colorado's Senators is originally from the San Luis Valley). The two states have very different philosophies on taxation, as well. Neither state gets great grades on the efficacy of state government (you can read a very good and up-to-date report on that here: Governing: Grading the States 2008/Introduction ).

From about Colorado Springs south in Colorado, the population becomes increasingly Hispanic, with Hispanics becoming the majority ethnic group in several of Colorado's southernmost counties. Several north-central New Mexico counties are majority Hispanic. Overall, the state of New Mexico has a higher percentage of Hispanic residents than does Colorado. New Mexico also sports a much higher population of Native Americans, with numerous tribes having reservations in New Mexico. Colorado only has two reservations--the Southern Ute and Mountain Ute, both bordering the state line with New Mexico.

Economically, New Mexico is generally "poorer" than Colorado by most statistics. However, in both states, most of the wealth is contained in their metropolitan areas and the "glitzy" resort towns (i.e., Aspen, Santa Fe). Some of the poorest counties in both states in terms of per capita and family income are in the area of southern Colorado and northern New Mexico. A couple of those counties rank as some of the poorest in the United States. They are a very hard place to make a living.

There are things I like about both states: both have some splendid country contained within their borders, both have a fascinating history. Unfortunately, both face serious problems: both are growing too quickly and not smartly, both will face long-term water issues, both are confronting social conflicts (rural vs. urban, poor vs. wealthy, farmer/rancher vs. urbanite, etc.). Colorado's biggest plus in my book is the extent of its mountain country--few places can equal it. It's biggest downer is that is has nearly 5 million residents--about double what it should have to maintain a decent quality of life over the long term,in my opinion; and it is still growing wildly--and badly. New Mexico's biggest pluses are its very unique culture and geography and the fact that it has just under 2 million residents in a state with more land area than Colorado. New Mexico's biggest downer is some long-standing less than savory political practices and the fact that it is doing little better than Colorado in terms of growing sustainably or smartly.

[Devin Bent]

Originally Posted by oceankidz

Thanks I am listening to the advice about the weather and the attitude...attitude and culture are a big issue for us - we raised our family on a sailboat in the Caribbean after leaving South Africa , spent a year living in the Dominican Republic (loved it) and for some we are just "strange". I know that I am dreaming about living at 9000ft not being a problem - and yes we need to think of later years. If you know Westcliffe - which is where we were thinking of purchasing 35 acres - loved the small town - 800 people plus but close proximity to Pueblo and Colorado Springs - would T or C been a comparison - should we be looking south or north in NM -loved the Sangre de Cristo mountains, would like to be able to grow something, maybe keep bees and see the mountains,? Just ready for a rural lifestyle! Tired of 5 years of suburbia after the open oceans..

Dixon, south of Taos (~20 miles) and north of Santa Fe (~40 miles), near the Sangre de Christos, is an old Hispanic village that has become a center of arts and organic farming, has a couple of wineries in the area, and a community food coop. You could probably keep bees and the neighbors might not find you that strange. About 1500 people, 6,000 feet.

But 35 acres? That could be expensive.

[GregW]

I saw lots of land advertised for sale east of Las Vegas MN. IIRC a quater section (160 acre) for around $50k. There was even an abandoned adobe house and barn.

[oceankidz]

Jazzlover, again I say thank you for your insight and sharing your knowledge of the area - I really do enjoy reading your posts. The link was informative - mmm our old state of SC doesn't rate too poorly...we will keep plodding along to gather our information.

A pity one cannot travel in a timecapsule and briefly visit all the places one considers and dreams of making "home". As we said when we were sailing, we were spoilt with too many choices - which island this month? Limited choices make decision making far easier.

The local people's acceptance and welcome will be a strong guiding factor for us....cruising/sailing drew people together of all different walks of life who were happy to enjoy each other's company for what they found and I guess we are searching for a little of that!.

I am not sure that we can match the triangle around Pueblo area yet in New Mexico - wanting to be rural, but not too far from city services and work opportunities. Let's see what others might have to say.

[debbie at bouontiful]

Jazzlover and Devin Bent thank you both for the information. I really learned a lot about the two State Jazzlover. Fortunately, when we and if we move, we will not be looking for jobs so that isn't a problem. I really liked Santa Fe and will look maybe a little closer to that area along with the Chama area. Just can't get the beauty of Chama out of my mind.
Debbie at Bountiful Ranch