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I retired to the Albuquerque area for the following reasons:
• Rich culture
• Friendly people
• Wonderful mountain and mesa views
• Reasonable cost of living
• Great food
• Lots of places to go for day trips
what a great post - lots of good weather info.
Coming from rainy WA state and will be staying near Abiquiu for a few days next month and wondered how that area is for weather. On my climate map it looks like a lot less snow than Taos, for example. Also Las Vegas. I am thinking lots of snow there. Since I prefer a mild winter I need to check out Las Cruces, but any info on those northern areas would be helpful. Hope to buy some land in sunny NM one of these days.
what a great post - lots of good weather info.
Coming from rainy WA state and will be staying near Abiquiu for a few days next month and wondered how that area is for weather. On my climate map it looks like a lot less snow than Taos, for example. Also Las Vegas. I am thinking lots of snow there. Since I prefer a mild winter I need to check out Las Cruces, but any info on those northern areas would be helpful. Hope to buy some land in sunny NM one of these days.
Yep, there is nothing typically "mild" for winter about either of the areas you referenced - especially temperature-wise. Snow will happen too. They are in high altitude areas by mountain ranges.
What I would consider mild winters wouldn't really start in NM until you went the 2,000 feet downhill from Santa Fe to Albuquerque. Once in Albuquerque, if you head south along the Rio Grande, you'll have relative mildness throughout in the winters. Other places not directly off of I-25 that have mild winters from ABQ south would be off the top of my head - Carlsbad, Alamogordo, etc.
You'd typically for a mild and relatively low snow winter in NM want to look for any elevations 5500 feet or lower, and at Albuquerque or south. Northern New Mexico is gorgeous...but typically large mountains and high altitudes and thus not conventionally "mild" in the winter.
(I should say that I do know of people who WINTER in Raton...which always gets a good laugh out of us here...as in NM, we realize Raton winters can be fairly substantial. However, they are from the UP of Michigan...so to them, Raton is Hawaii. It is all relative in some regards.)
However, places like Taos, Los Alamos, Red River, etc., many extremely cold nights in the winter and yes, much snow. Great skiing areas in Northern NM when the snow flies on a particular winter.
I retired to the Albuquerque area for the following reasons:
• Rich culture
• Friendly people
• Wonderful mountain and mesa views
• Reasonable cost of living
• Great food
• Lots of places to go for day trips
nmguy ~ Your post sums up all the reasons I am looking forward to retirement in New Mexico.
For me, I can only add "great weather" as I am anticipating a cooler climate, more snow, and less humidity than eastern Kansas.
I had lived in Albuquerque area for some time and it was great. But, now live in a little paradise called Silver City, NM
Altitude is 6,000. We have even nicer weather than ABQ. We receive more rain and are warmer than ABQ on winter days but cooler than ABQ on summer days. I've lived here for 5 years and the winters have snow, not too often and very light. It melts by noon.
We are in the foothills of the Gila Wilderness.
There isn't the shopping you have in the cities and this bothers some people. Las Cruces, a great place to shop is 100 miles.
No traffic jams and no rush hour.
Great for retirement.
I'm a Massachusetts resident who recently returned from a trip to Las Cruces to check out neighborhoods for retirement in two years. Las Cruces was everything I'd hoped for and more. Great roads and highways, easy to navigate, clean city, friendly people. Went to the symphony while I was there. Housing is affordable, restaurants are good. Mesilla is great. Climate is the biggest selling point. All in all, I'd say this city is as close to perfect as any I've seen for folks looking for retirement location.
Thank you. You are very proud of NM, that's good. Florida has its down parts, however. We have plenty of centers for the performing arts, senior centers offeing low income lunches, the metro bus system is free for those over 65. We have an additional 25000 senior citizen exemption in property taxes, and this is in addition to the 25000 for living in your home and 5000 for widows and widowers. I think these benefits are good. I don't know if NM has these things to offer its elder population.
Quote:
Originally Posted by EnjoyEP
You seem to really love Florida...it might be helpful for us to craft our responses here as to why you would even consider leaving a place you love so much for such a different climate / culture / atmosphere of New Mexico.
Here are some major advantages I would think NM could offer a retiree over Florida (I am referencing true retirement-friendly climates - eg: mild winters like Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Alamogordo, T or C, etc. and not mountain towns like Santa Fe, Los Alamos, etc.):
e) Very few mosquitoes, tropics-attracted bugs, etc.
f) No long periods of major thunderstorms/rainstorms to cancel outdoor outings
g) A cooler winter and four distinct seasons to never get tired of a type of weather...hot but dry summers
h) NO HURRICANES
i) OPEN SPACES! Even the most populated city - Albuquerque is 816,00-metro. The state, the fifth biggest in the nation in landsize, is only 2-million plus in population. Florida is so terribly crowded and cramped in most areas...not a problem you endure in NM.
j) Mountains and mountain vistas
k) A quieter, more laid back pace of life
l) No spring-breakers to deal with
m) The culture and friendliness of New Mexican people versus that of Floridians. This is a general statement...there are jerks in NM, and there are great folks in FL. I have been to Florida often and really like it there! But in GENERAL terms, people in NM are much more laid back, friendly, less materialistic, etc. than people in Florida.
Those are some I can think of just offhand. Are there benefits of Florida that New Mexico doesn't offer? Sure. I would say folks would just have to decide what their priorities are and pick a place accordingly. Heck, I would say every state has advantages others don't. I am sure North Dakota or Minnesota offer things that NM doesn't...it just is a matter of what you are looking for.
Thank you for your valuable information. I am learning lots of things about NM just by reading these boards. You are living in Albuquerque? Don't they say Albuquerque is high in crime, traffic, and has a recor for drunken driving? Please don't feel offended. I am in no way implaying anything. I only want to know about NM, because maybe in the future I may retire there. By the way, is the route from Albuquerque to Santa Fe safe for a woman and a child to travel? I will be going Ft. Lauderdale-Albaquerque, with my niece, and then drive to Santa Fe.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nmguy
I retired to the Albuquerque area for the following reasons:
• Rich culture
• Friendly people
• Wonderful mountain and mesa views
• Reasonable cost of living
• Great food
• Lots of places to go for day trips
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Retirement in Las Cruces
