Location for Family to Relocate/General Questions (Las Cruces, Santa Fe: houses, school) - New Mexico (NM) - City-Data Forum

NMCalls · 03-08-2020, 10:53 PM

Hi all,
Hope you are well. I am likely going to relocate to New Mexico in the next few years. Married with two small children. I'm lucky in that my profession has a shortage in NM and the state of New Mexico has positions open now in almost every big town. I've done contract work for them a few times, and I'm pretty certain I'd have a job if I applied. I've worked in Santa Fe, but not interested due to cost of living. The major places that have drawn my interest are Hobbs, Roswell, Las Cruces, and Alamogordo. Alamogordo will most likely be the landing.

1. Las Cruces is obviously the biggest of them all. Quite a bit of info out online about things to do there. But what about the other three? Parks, shopping centers, community events etc.? My wife and I are big lovers of local restaurants and culture.

2. Crime? The rates LOOK great numbers wise. I am coming from Seattle so at this point I'll take anything

. But what are "bad parts of town?" I was looking and it appears the houses near "downtown" Alamogordo are dirt cheap. Is it dangerous?

3. Traffic. Does this exist in these towns?

4. Anything else I should know? Is there any other smaller towns that may be a good fit for a young family?

I'll be coming down for work this summer, June-September, and I'm looking forward to checking it out. I'll be posted in Alamogordo.

C24L · 03-09-2020, 01:15 AM

Hobbs and Roswell can get bad traffic.Hobbs especially gets deadly oilfield traffic.

Deserterer · 03-09-2020, 08:07 AM

Traffic in Las Cruces is getting worse but certainly nothing like Seattle. Give it 20 years though. I lived near Seattle before there was traffic and it only took about 10 years for it to become horrendous.

elkotronics · 03-09-2020, 12:22 PM

There are some shoddy old homes near downtown Alamogordo. You wouldn't want any of them. Thankfully, there's plenty of nice homes in Alamogordo, too, and most of them are really affordable.

Alamogordo isn't crime-free but there is effort to keep it that way and the town is fairly Mayberry-RFD-ish for the most part. Don't pick up a chair and try throwing it at someone fighting in a bar and don't sell drugs (duh) and you'll be fine.

As far as traffic goes in Alamogordo, you'll find some, especially around 11:00AM - 1:00PM and 4:00PM - 6:00PM. When you drive near school zones you'll be required to go no faster than 15mph and they will drop a ticket on you if you don't obey that law. They take kid safety extremely seriously in Alamogordo.

The worst traffic will have you wait with 10 other cars at a traffic light for a minute. It's really not bad at all for traffic. You should know that many of the streets have pot holes that are gaping and you'll need to be aware of them or you'll drop in to them from time to time. Again, you'll get used to the speed you'll need to drop down to on certain streets. Really not a big deal at all. There is a Ford dealer, a GMC Buick dealer, a Toyota dealership and scads of used car dealers in town. If you have any more questions just ask away.

songinthewind7 · 03-09-2020, 12:32 PM

I think you leaning toward Alamogordo is a good choice.

NMCalls · 03-31-2020, 10:59 PM

Thank you all! Still hoping I get down to NM for the summer. Crazy times and I hope the project doesn't get cancelled. It definitely seems like Alamogordo, or Las Cruces is it.

Really leaning toward Alamogordo, but hoping there is enough to be entertained. I would be lying if I said my wife was not social.

My wife also is floating El Paso, due to the size and work prospects for her, as she is a paralegal. I don't have a shoe-in job there, but I am used to an hour and half commute to go twenty miles up here in Seattle so if I can get to Las Cruces in an hour that'd be nice.

elkotronics · 04-01-2020, 11:03 AM

NMCalls - yep, I was born in Seattle and raised in Edmonds, WA. After living/working/commuting in the Seattle area you will absolutely love southern New Mexico. Las Cruces feels at least 3 times larger and busier than Alamogordo, if not more, and going to El Paso from Alamogordo even to visit requires a bit of an adjusted attitude because it's such a rat-race with scads and scads of car traffic.

El Paso itself has many gems to explore and I like the city overall. Nice ta have a large city nearby for shopping and it's big-city amenities. I, too, hope your plan can still be carried out and you can come live in the great southwest U.S.