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Thank you Cathy for your fair evaluation and checking things out for yourself. I just love all the people that sit back and judge because they "know someone" or have "heard something". For those people, unless you have lived there or live there now, you speak with no authority. Most everything else is "hearsay".
You're quite welcome, Leanne....I know the bashing gets so old. From what I had heard, the whole area was the very armpit of NM, but I didn't find it to be so. I liked it, but the real estate there is so much higher than here farther south.....and I still have to drive back to TX every now and then to check on the folks, so those are the reasons I chose Alamo over Farmington.
But it's still a wonderful area, even if it has its faults..just like Alamogordo and every other city in the state do.
It's also a very small world these days. I took the FDT for a few months, and saw a wedding anniversary celebration for an older couple in Bloomfield (50th, I believe)....and their daughter and her family now lived in Farmington. I had known them in WT over 30 years ago!
I don't think I am bashing Farmington as I do enjoy this place since it is "home" (where I grew up). However, for me personally, I would not choose to live there now as it does not offer what I am looking for in life.
I hear you.
For the folks who are considering San Juan County, let's take a brief look at who we are and how we got here... some random thoughts....
The VAST MAJORITY of us are oilfield related stock. Either our parents/grandparents were oilfield, or we got transferred in here from another oil patch. The folks who showed up here in the 50's when the population of Farmington was only around 5,000 were a pretty hard bunch. This was not a university opening up and hiring professors, or a national lab hiring scientists, or a museum, or a medical center, or a financial oasis. It was a hard driving, dirty, dangerous oil field that ate people up and spit them out. Those who managed to survive the constant boom/bust cycle were pretty tough. Not all were as upstanding as we'd like to think, but when you're trying to feed a family in an isolated place with absolutely no support systems you do what you have to do. This is a place born of iron and muscle, and there simply is no escaping that legacy.
To be sure, there are lots of fine folks here. There are not lots of brilliant minds, poets, musicians, artists, writers, etc. here. There are some, and they love what they do and some are pretty darn good at it. But This is not a community that attracts that type of culture. Keep in mind that we're a relatively young community, and that we simply have not developed those customs and habits and standards that define other places like New England, or the South, or an ethnic neighborhood in a big city. (We have the remnants of a rural agricultural community but it's fading fast.)
Farmington lacks the sense of "neighborhood" that someone coming from another area might expect to be integral to every community. I think that those of us who grew up here in the 50's developed a sort of wall between us and newcomers to prevent ourselves from becoming "best friends" with a boy or girl who would be here for a year and then be off to the next rig. I've talked with military brats who were dumbfounded by this reaction, as they learned early on to make friends as fast as possible because they knew they'd be moving along soon.
The other oddity about Farmington in particular is the way we view personal wealth. For the most part, few of us were raised around "old money". Since the community isn't old, there wasn't old family money in the sense that there is back East or in the South or Midwest. Many of us were raised around a LOT of new money that was earned quickly, and by people who had no clue about how to handle it graciously. They tended to spend it in very ostentatious ways, and their children were apt to remind others every single day that daddy was rich. If you've ever read or seen "The Last Picture Show" by McMurtry, you'll have a glimpse of monied Farmington. Bored, realtively rich, and perpetually drunk was not at all unusual. In other words, we lack the class and grace that takes generations to cultivate, but we have the money thanks to oil and gas.
Oh yeah...the thing I like best...it is NOT Arizona.
I was born/raised in Farmington and lived in Bloomfield for many years. The area will always be considered "home" but I will take SW Arizona over NW New Mexico any day.
the bashing does get old and Im glad I havent seen any bashing so far on this thread,I think that people who actually grew up,live or have lived in a place for a while have some room to talk about their town or ex-town rather than someone who drove through the town or stayed the night and have an observation of the place after a quick glimpse,then say Im bashing cause I state my opinions about where I grew up.
Farmington is a nice place and has a feel different to NM, the OP sounds like she is advertising so of course making a place sound better is what most people would do,
anyways for anyone interested, Farmington is a booming city with lots of jobs and businesses,so finding a job in Farmington should be pretty easy for anyone thinking of relocating.
i am a 36yr ols hispanic and white male was wondering if the mexican and whites socalize together?also does everyone see that whole area grownig like farm,bloom,aztec?i was thinking of brining a hard surface cleaning buisness out there example like stone,brick,concrete,tile,grout, any hard surface is there a market out there for that?any older houses or buildings people are trying to bring back would work for this buisness thanks for the advice
i am 36yr old male mexican and white do the 2 socalize with each other or no?and also does anyone know if a hard surface cleaning buisness would do good out there like cleaning brick,stone,tile,grout,concrete any hard surface is there alot of people doing it?i guess like a town coming back that wants restoration would be perfect thanks for the advice
i am 36yr old male mexican and white do the 2 socalize with each other or no?and also does anyone know if a hard surface cleaning buisness would do good out there like cleaning brick,stone,tile,grout,concrete any hard surface is there alot of people doing it?i guess like a town coming back that wants restoration would be perfect thanks for the advice
most of the hispanic population in Farmington is Spanish but there are alot more Mexicans from Meixico that have moved there over the past few years,I think there is some secret racism towards every race in that town but Id say the spanish and whites get along better than everyone else,Farmington is on the edge of the Navajo reservation so lots of Native Americans here,Im not too sure about the busineess but I imagine it would do well if there arnt already too many people doing the same thing.The whole Farmington area is one of the fastest growing in NM,but I wouldnt say the town needs a whole lot of restoration,you have your older part and your newer part.
Farmington is more of a roughneck type town but if you wanted a job in the oil field Im sure you could get one easy,for the size of the city it has alot but the cost of living is also high.
I agree with Desert Sun.
Farmington is basically split from i'd say 20th st. East of 20th is "new" and west of 20th tends to be older, and less maintained (this part could be restored to look a little nice). Farmington's economy seems to be going strong as compared to other cities/towns at this time. I also don't think you will have trouble finding a job in the oil field or something similar as there are constantly ads in the paper for any type of job in Farmington, especially Oil Field. Perfect example: An Office Depot's opening here was delayed for months because they could not employ the necessary people to operate, manage and work in the store. The job market here is favorable to those wanting a job. So, you shouldn't have a problem.
This has turned into such a cool blog! I love reading the history and hearing about your experiences. I am white and my husband is Mexican American. We have not experienced any racism being a mixed couple. He has unfortunately experienced racism being Mexican American. His family has alot of colorful history...some good some bad, some heroes, some bad guys. He agrees with your assessment of the oil industry and the culture it has created. His family are the original pioneers from the area and settled mostly in the Blanco and Bloomfield areas. I get defensive about Bloomfield because I like it and we are trying to develop property there. I just see the place differently because I see it through my husband's eyes. His friends are a mixture of white, native american and mexican american. We have seen the gangs and drugs come into the four corners area so I am not ignorant to that element. (It has also moved into Arizona.) I guess I just don't agree that it is more in Bloomfield than Farmington or Aztec because we know so many good people in each city and we also know who the gang members and drug dealers are in each city. You know how that goes, in a small town .... everyone knows who everyone is and what and who they are doing :-).
so i guess my qwestion is even though i am mexican american will i get refused a job because my race?or is it not that bad i am from detroit michigan and this is the roughest city in america i can hold my own but i love that area of new mexico i just dont wanna get turned down work because of race thanks again everyone
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advice please
