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Can someone please explain Cloudcroft? From a climate perspective, it looks great — high of mid-70’s this week. But the pictures of homes for sale, businesses, everything really look so... sad. Any thoughts?
Grants, NM. You have Mount Taylor, yet are only an hour away from the ABQ airport. I do not know if the economy there is still on the boom or bust cycle due to uranium mining. Kind of dry in town though. El Malpais to the south. Not influenced too much by Native American communities (unlike Gallup).
Farmington, NM. A nice medium sized city with plenty of water. Fishing, boating, hiking, horses. If you want to go climbing, the 14ers in CO are close by. They have a regional airport. The last time I was there, it was on a boom cycle due to oil and natural gas exploration.
Grants: site of uranium tailings, potential Superfund clean-up area. It's in-between several Native communities; I don't know why that would be a factor.
Farmigton? Water? Fishing, boating? I had no idea. Will check that out. Not sure why you'd steer someone away from Gallup, though, as being "Native-influenced", while recommending Farmington. Never mind; I guess I don't want to know what your perceived issues are with Native communities. Scratch that...
Can someone please explain Cloudcroft? From a climate perspective, it looks great — high of mid-70’s this week. But the pictures of homes for sale, businesses, everything really look so... sad. Any thoughts?
Cloudcroft is a little mountain community some go to to retire and others go to on VAC and others go to to live while they're still working and earning money. It's really quite charming. The Mrs. and I found a bed there for sale in a 2nd hand store that has served us well for guests here in Alamogordo.
Cloudcroft has a lodge that's haunted. Read up here:
One of my patient's in Alamogordo and his fiance swear its true. They've experienced it apparently. That's not the only place up in the Sacramento Mts. that's haunted. This patient was only about 19 years old and he was marrying another 19 year old and they live in Timberon, NM. They say there's a real ghost in the Cloudcroft Lodge that goes by the name of Rebecca. No, I haven't been there to see it for myself. You'll have ta do that yourself.
Cloudcroft has open air art shows Mrs. elkotronics and I have gone to and they've got a basketball court my son and I have shot baskets at. It's also got 15 or 20 trinket stores for your shopping pleasure. They have an Alon for ghastly and expensive treats and also they've had a Dollar Store for just a short time but it's gonna do very, very well there. It's a godsend to those in Cloudcroft who need stuff at the store but can't find it in tiny Cloudcroft. Before they had to travel to where I live, Alamogordo, to go shopping. I mean, who wants to pay $1.49 for a Cup 'a Noods at the Alon Store in Cloudcroft? No way, Jay!!
I like ta go there, in fact, I'm pining ta go up there any day now. Take a little roadtrip and maybe hike the Trestle Trail or go south to the Sunspot Observatory and then on down southward to the also tiny town of Timberon. It's alway fun ta go up the Sacramento Mts. for a while. It's cooler up there, too, by 15-20 degrees compared to Alamo.
Can someone please explain Cloudcroft? ... everything really look so... sad. Any thoughts?
Cloudcroft is all about "rustic charm!" People go there to escape the traffic and bustle of the larger towns. It does have more recent developments away from the village limits, but growth in the village proper is stymied by the national forest property line that encloses it. Water is in short supply, which is also a limiting factor for growth.
Cloudcroft is all about "rustic charm!" People go there to escape the traffic and bustle of the larger towns. It does have more recent developments away from the village limits, but growth in the village proper is stymied by the national forest property line that encloses it. Water is in short supply, which is also a limiting factor for growth.
Cloudcroft is also jammed into a little valley. Beautiful but it's really pretty but it's tight. I'd get claustrophobic living up there long term. And although it's a cute little tourist town there really isn't a lot up there for year round living. You'd be driving down to Alamogordo a lot and while it's not that far that road is pretty challenging.
My suggestion for people who are interested in a place like Cloudcroft is to look into Alto which is above (north of) Ruidoso. It's residential but you can get to the store and places in Ruidoso in 10-20 minutes depending on how far into town you need to go. It's not quite as cool as Cloudcroft in summer but it's close.
Alto is on a plateau so you don't feel closed in (even compared to Ruidoso) and you get views of snowcapped peaks while you still have the woods all around you. And if you want to go to Cloudcroft it is less than an hour drive through the forest at high altitude.
go south to the Sunspot Observatory and then on down southward to the also tiny town of Timberon. It's alway fun ta go up the Sacramento Mts. for a while. It's cooler up there, too, by 15-20 degrees compared to Alamo. Come on up for a visit and see us!
50 more days, and I'm there!
I could also use some Alamogordo motel recommendations, preferably not chain hotels/motels
So far I've honed in on the White Sands motel.
Cloudcroft is also jammed into a little valley. Beautiful but it's really pretty but it's tight. I'd get claustrophobic living up there long term. And although it's a cute little tourist town there really isn't a lot up there for year round living. You'd be driving down to Alamogordo a lot and while it's not that far that road is pretty challenging.
My suggestion for people who are interested in a place like Cloudcroft is to look into Alto which is above (north of) Ruidoso. It's residential but you can get to the store and places in Ruidoso in 10-20 minutes depending on how far into town you need to go. It's not quite as cool as Cloudcroft in summer but it's close.
Alto is on a plateau so you don't feel closed in (even compared to Ruidoso) and you get views of snowcapped peaks while you still have the woods all around you. And if you want to go to Cloudcroft it is less than an hour drive through the forest at high altitude.
Hey, thanks for that information on Alto, joqua. I really appreciate it. Isn't there an Alto Lake, too? I wonder because I just bought a brand new 2021 Kia Soul 6-speed stick that has pre-drilled roof mounts. If we want we could buy a kayak or two and mount them up there and head up Highway 82 and visit Alto and Alto Lake. Plop our kayaks in the water and boogie! That's assuming the lake is open to the public.
50 more days, and I'm there!
I could also use some Alamogordo motel recommendations, preferably not chain hotels/motels
So far I've honed in on the White Sands motel.
There's ValueInn on the south side of White Sands you could try. Competitively low prices and quality rooms. Also, there's Days Inn but...you're saying you don't want chain hotels? Oh, I just thought of one. The Magnuson Hotel just towards downtown from the Taco Bell there across from Vision Ford. Check them out. I don't think they're a chain. The place is big and large and has many rooms. The place is neatly painted and looks like it would be welcoming to me if I had been driving a long time.
I'm very happy you're coming here to live, Sunbiz1! I think you guys are gonna love Alamogordo. I wouldn't live anywhere else. Do you have housing here yet?
That wasn't me! While I have nothing against Alto, it's a far cry from Cloudcroft by comparison. Typical golf course community with expensive state of the art homes - vs - rustic charm/simplicity.
As for me I should be ready to go Friday. I might have to wait for Monday to close, but I'm going to talk to the buyer on Thursday and try to close it Friday. Hope to leave Saturday and be there sometime Sunday. Carrying 2 dogs, though, so that might slow us down a little. And usually I do almost all of the driving. This time the wife will be doing all of it in her car and I'll be driving the truck. At least we'll be on the way even if it takes a couple of extra days!
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