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I’ve been wanting to move to the southwest for about 20 years. Having the money and the opportunity to just severe all connections here and go have held me back. But I’m middle-aged, and so now feel the pressing to do what I’ve always felt was “in the cards” for me. I have no family or kids, so schools aren’t an issue. I’m relatively poor, so nice big houses and golf courses aren’t an issue. I can’t travel the southwest to see for myself where I’d most like to live, just don’t have the money. But I do know I want to do it, beyond all doubt. So I need some ideas from the locals there of where I might move to, based on the description here of what I’m looking for.
My new home will need a population dense enough to have plenty of lockouts per week, maybe 30,000 to 80,000 people. (A “lockout” is when a person accidentally locks keys in car or in home). A city that draws tourists most times of the year might be the best bet for having enough lockouts per week to survive.
Can’t be so large that it has drawn the attention of “scammers”. Scammers are fake-locksmiths who out-advertise the real locksmiths and also commit fraud with the customers (they name a low price on the phone, then hit the customer for 2 to 10 times that much once they arrive). They dominate AT&T’s 411 Directory Assistance and competing with them has cut my income here in Kansas City by about 50%. (Google “locksmith ripoffs” and/or “‘Dependable Locksmith’ complaints” if you want to know more about what I’m talking about).
This problem will probably exclude Santa Fe and Albuquerque as possibilities.
Since I’m not getting a real thrill out of being a locksmith who specializes in this roadside service, I’m looking for another career. I have an art degree and a camera and hope to fulfill a dream of being a nature photographer. So there should be scenic areas outside the city, preferably a large and relatively wild park (“wild” = not overrun with campers, doesn’t have paved trails like we have here in Kansas). I’d thought of Silver City because of the huge wilderness preserve near there, but Silver City look a bit too small for being a “lockout specialist” in.
I’ve wanted to move to the southwest all my adult life. When I was a teen we drove through the southwest on the way to California, where I lived for a year. I loved California, though it’s overcrowded. But ever afterwards, Ive dreamed on almost a weekly basis about desert landscapes. I always wake up from my dreams of desert-journeying feeling like I really belonged there and that’s where something important to my spiritual well-being was. And waking up to find I’m still in Kansas is always a tremendous letdown. I just don’t feel at home in the landscape here, and I think there are places where people feel they “belong” more than in other places. (I hope that makes sense).
I don’t mind if the city I live and work in is relatively plain atmosphere. But the area around it should have some wilderness, and enough wildlife and scenery for an amateur nature photographer to have his chance to become a pro nature photographer.
Based on your population limits, you're pretty much talking about: Roswell, Farmington, Alamogordo & Clovis. The last two are heavy military cities (Holloman and Canon AFB's.) and I leave it to you to decide if that would have an affect on your ability to make a living there. While pretty much any city in NM has some great wilderness nearby, If you really like the stark beauty of the Southwest, I think Alamogordo is uniquely situated near pine forest, White Sands, Carlsbad Caverns, the edge of the Sonoran Desert, Elephant Butte Lake, and other areas that would be a great place to hone your photographic chops.
The Southern Part of New Mexico From Roswell to Las Cruces to T.or C. Alamogordo,Carrizozo comes to mind or Silver City where the Gila Wilderness and other Surrpunding places. and Desert and Forest and Mountain Scenery and Warm Weather and i would say nice people.el pintada kid
A city that draws tourists most times of the year might be the best bet for having enough lockouts per week to survive.
But the area around it should have some wilderness, and enough wildlife and scenery for an amateur nature photographer to have his chance to become a pro nature photographer.
Ruidoso meets these two criteria, but it is not large (~12,000 in Ruidoso, Ruidoso Downs, and Alto). Whether you could make a living here or not really depends on how saturated the market is currently... and I have no idea about that.
Given the OP's population constraints (to avoid the scammers he mentioned) I would be thinking more like Pueblo or Ft. Collins; but being front range towns, even those would ignore his stated interest in desert landscapes.
Call the chambers of commerce in the southern NM cities and ask them about the existing availability of locksmiths. In the smaller towns one of your problems might be that people just don't bother to lock their cars. I would consider branching out into some other trade demanding precision skills like antique clock repair.
Given the OP's population constraints (to avoid the scammers he mentioned) I would be thinking more like Pueblo or Ft. Collins; but being front range towns, even those would ignore his stated interest in desert landscapes.
Somewhere around Tucson, AZ comes to mind... maybe Sierra Vista, heck maybe Sedona... sure has the visual beauty nailed.
The Southern Part of New Mexico From Roswell to Las Cruces to T.or C. Alamogordo,Carrizozo comes to mind or Silver City where the Gila Wilderness and other Surrpunding places. and Desert and Forest and Mountain Scenery and Warm Weather and i would say nice people.el pintada kid
I would also say Alamogordo,Las Cruces and Farmington.
There is really nothing scenic or too much wildlife in Eastern NM especially Clovis.
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I Agree with Ziamac
