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I lived in NM for a few years. I think if you are moving to the Albuquerque, Santa Fe, or Las Cruces areas where they have a lot of folks, you will receive adequate to good services, but in cities away from those areas, like Gallup, the local and state workers are not too bright. I have a lot of stories about receiving substandard services compared to other states where I have lived (CA, OR, and WA), from the MVD to the post office to the local utilities to federal BIA and Forest Service employees. There is discrimination and graft. NM is a rural slum.
I lived in NM for a few years. I think if you are moving to the Albuquerque, Santa Fe, or Las Cruces areas where they have a lot of folks, you will receive adequate to good services, but in cities away from those areas, like Gallup, the local and state workers are not too bright. I have a lot of stories about receiving substandard services compared to other states where I have lived (CA, OR, and WA), from the MVD to the post office to the local utilities to federal BIA and Forest Service employees. There is discrimination and graft. NM is a rural slum.
I can't get the vision of a rural slum out of my head. It's kind of alliterative...
I've lived in smaller areas as well as large cities, and I know what you mean about the small places. It's likely the same pretty much everywhere.
I want to chime in also about the DMV here in Las Cruces. Like the other posters, I have found every visit to be a very efficient experience. I think it comes down to population. In New Jersey, the DMV was overburdened and a terrible experience. I have never spent more than 30 minutes here for any visit.
Haha, yeah, IDK about CA public employees. I've been to post offices in the Bay Area, where there are lo-o-ng lines, two windows open, and the staff were too busy chatting with each other, to serve anyone in line. True story. Unbelievable. And nobody said a peep; no one in line told them to get it moving, or anything. This was during a pre-Xmas rush, in one case.
Business license and biz tax stuff is also handled very efficiently in SF, just fyi. Utilities may be a different matter; it's the luck of the draw, when you set up a new account. SF has 3 libraries; the best ones are in the neighborhoods, not downtown. Well, they're all well run, but the downtown one's public computer section is taken over by homeless people, and is crowded, unlike the other two.
Same here in Texas, the post office long lines do not seem to encourage them to work any harder. UPS is the even worse. I stopped using them because the are such idiots. They are seriously slow. Much slower than the PO and they are just like any poorly run service industry. They regularly give a different answer to the same question.
Same here in Texas, the post office long lines do not seem to encourage them to work any harder. UPS is the even worse. I stopped using them because the are such idiots. They are seriously slow. Much slower than the PO and they are just like any poorly run service industry. They regularly give a different answer to the same question.
Use the UPS stores, instead. They're a separate business, but if you want to ship something by UPS, they can handle it, they have all the necessary supplies, labels, forms, etc. They also do professional packing, if you need to pack and send art, or anything delicate.
NM is a very poor state and gets a bad rap, but I lived there 22 years (8 in Eastern NM, 14 in Santa Fe). I worked for the state for 12 years and dealt as a citizen with the DMV, tax office, unemployment office, and state insurance department, I found all employees to be dedicated and helpful, if response sometimes slow due to being overworked. Speaking as a state employee, actual state infrastructure (IT & other technology) is underfunded which can lead to slower response times and frustration. But overall I had a good experience both working for and dealing with state government.
I have heard anecdotally that the City of Santa Fe can be frustrating for small businesses and homeowners. It has restrictions not found in other cities of its size, especially if you own property in the downtown historic district. I also know that the City of SF pays its employees less than average, which could account for malaise and poor service. Again--this is purely anecdotal but something I've heard over the years living there. Personally, I loved living in NM and if the economy weren't so sluggish I'd be back there now.
If you've moved from a richer state to NM, what has been your experience when you've had to work with government offices in NM compared to the state you left behind?
You mean as a consumer? I've never had any difficulties with any government services in NM. It's about the same level of difficulty you normally have. Here in California if I need to go to the DMV I have to wait in line for hours with literally thousands of other people.
Quote:
Originally Posted by theotherhand
I have heard anecdotally that the City of Santa Fe can be frustrating for small businesses and homeowners. It has restrictions not found in other cities of its size, especially if you own property in the downtown historic district.
Yeah but if you can afford to own property in the historic district, I'm not going to boo-hoo about you having to wait for your permits to get approved.
NM is a very poor state and gets a bad rap, but I lived there 22 years (8 in Eastern NM, 14 in Santa Fe). I worked for the state for 12 years and dealt as a citizen with the DMV, tax office, unemployment office, and state insurance department, I found all employees to be dedicated and helpful, if response sometimes slow due to being overworked. Speaking as a state employee, actual state infrastructure (IT & other technology) is underfunded which can lead to slower response times and frustration. But overall I had a good experience both working for and dealing with state government.
I have heard anecdotally that the City of Santa Fe can be frustrating for small businesses and homeowners. It has restrictions not found in other cities of its size, especially if you own property in the downtown historic district. I also know that the City of SF pays its employees less than average, which could account for malaise and poor service. Again--this is purely anecdotal but something I've heard over the years living there. Personally, I loved living in NM and if the economy weren't so sluggish I'd be back there now.
Appreciate your comments on New Mexico. I agree - underpaying state employees does not equate to better service. But have patience with them and they'll get the job done for you. New Mexico is not just a good state to live in - it's a great state to live in.
As far as employment - you'll need the right skills and you can find a good job here. It's possible, and, if you do, you'll have the best of both worlds. 1) A state that has less people living in it 2) A great home to live in as a base to enjoy all that New Mexico has ta offer.
It's good to know, overall, that you all have had good experiences - I'm beginning to wonder if ABQ is a sleeper city, and it's just a matter of time before it's discovered. I remember when a friend was offered a teaching position at a college in Austin, TX about 15 yrs ago, and we were all amazed he took it. He was from San Francisco and didn't seem the Texas type, AT ALL. He told us it was a pretty cool place despite being in the middle of Texas, kind of liberal.
And now we know how Austin is THE place to be for a lot of people, a really nice city they say. Property is sky-high...Why not ABQ in the near future? You never know!
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