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I live in Tucson, Az and I'm thinking about buying some land in the Silver City area. My wife and I plan on retiring in 10 years and I thought getting the land purchase out of the way between then and now would give us a head start. Not looking for a big lot, just around 1-5 acres, and unrestricted so we could put a manufactured home on it if we wanted to, or just a trailer if we decide to keep our Tucson house too.
Although I've been through SC, I haven't spent anytime there so I'm looking for more info. I know the mine is a huge influence on the town since it's the major employer. Looking at the City-Data page for Silver City I noticed that it shows a slight decline in the population from 2000-2007. That's usually not a good sign of an economically healthy community. And I noticed in the news that there's been recent layoffs at the mine.
If Silver City is a bad idea, maybe there are other areas I should consider. I really like the Glenwood area, but land opportunities are tight in that area. I like the weather in this area of the country at the 4-6,000 ft elevation, and it should be close to some twisty roads for our motorcycle riding habit. Or is that addiction?
Just to nit pick. Silver City is about 50 miles west of T or C and the reservoirs.
Anne & I stayed at the old hotel in downtown. We doidn't stay long enough to really explore but had a good time. On the way up Rt 180 we stopped at the Catwalk and drove to Mogollon.
Last week Hubby & I did a survey on a website called ****.com. A list of cities came up and one stood out for me - Silver City "Four Gentle Seasons"
We read everything it had to say and it sounded WONDERFUL. Stayed up all night reading excitedly!
So the next morning I woke up and said, God, give me a sign.
We live near the top of a really tall high rise in downtown San Diego. That afternoon I took my preschooler to the pool. On the way I picked up a magazine from the pile that was in the rec room and guess what it said?
"America's Ten Coolest Small Towns"
Silver City was listed of course. The mag date was in 2007. God works fast!
So, on Friday we're driving out to Silver City to check it out! Moving there for the affordability, quality of life and hope that we can start over after the devastating loss of everything we worked so hard for our entire lives.
I have my own business as a New Media Consultant (social media, online internet marketing stuff) and I have a few dependable clients. Hubby is a stay at home Dad but we would like to be able to buy and fix up homes at some point and build ourselves back up to a place of security again.
Soooooo, any comments from the Silver City crowd? We are very happy to see a Co-op there, we would like to find a rental to be able to have a space to garden and maybe even have chickens. =) Both of us come from small towns and want a safe, loving community to raise our child (hopefully children). We are in our 30's-40's and want nature and peace... we'd like to put our daughter in a loving preschool too - moving there would enable us to afford to do that, and perhaps buy a home again someday...
We are experiencing some Winter weather right now in New Mexico. Our local weathermen are happy with all the snow, but we have experienced some accidents due to the weather.
Right now the weather for Silver City, NM is 18°F, Clear, Wind: N at 8 mph Humidity: 73%...
Both of us come from small towns and want a safe, loving community to raise our child (hopefully children). We are in our 30's-40's and want nature and peace... we'd like to put our daughter in a loving preschool too - moving there would enable us to afford to do that, and perhaps buy a home again someday...
I hope you aren't expecting Mayberry... because Silver City is not that. Don't know what small towns you and your husband are from, but the small towns in NM (especially the trendier ones) are nothing like the small towns in the midwest (where I grew up), where families have lived there for several generations, everybody knows everybody, crime and drugs are nil, etc. It is also very isolated... it is a 2+ hr drive to a bigger town.
There are a substantial number of CA transplants in SC, but it still hasn't gotten off the ground. It is stuck at 10-12k population. Yes, and there have been national articles praising it's virtues for a couple of decades at least (which is how long I've been going there). What this has done is inflate the RE prices... which are still low by most standards, but not nearly as cheap as they used to be. Jobs are tough to come by, but if your money comes from elsewhere, that won't be an issue.
I like it though, and wouldn't mind living there myself. It has a good mix of different sorts or people and a reasonably progressive vibe. The Gila Forest is awesome. For various reasons me and the wife landed in Ruidoso instead, and that might be worth a look as well. Also, I think you should consider the Sierra Vista - Bisbee AZ area.
I hope you aren't expecting Mayberry... because Silver City is not that. Don't know what small towns you and your husband are from, but the small towns in NM (especially the trendier ones) are nothing like the small towns in the midwest (where I grew up), where families have lived there for several generations, everybody knows everybody, crime and drugs are nil, etc. It is also very isolated... it is a 2+ hr drive to a bigger town.
There are a substantial number of CA transplants in SC, but it still hasn't gotten off the ground. It is stuck at 10-12k population. Yes, and there have been national articles praising it's virtues for a couple of decades at least (which is how long I've been going there). What this has done is inflate the RE prices... which are still low by most standards, but not nearly as cheap as they used to be. Jobs are tough to come by, but if your money comes from elsewhere, that won't be an issue.
I like it though, and wouldn't mind living there myself. It has a good mix of different sorts or people and a reasonably progressive vibe. The Gila Forest is awesome. For various reasons me and the wife landed in Ruidoso instead, and that might be worth a look as well. Also, I think you should consider the Sierra Vista - Bisbee AZ area.
Rruff's post is a very good one. I've been to Silver City a few times, and it's a very tough city for me. I think it has the potential to be one of the really special places in New Mexico, but when you approach it, your first reaction, given your residency in San Diego, is likely to be laden in disappointment. Not so much that you are expecting a cute small, artsy town. As Rruff says, that has been achieved in Bisbee. It could be like that in Silver City as well, though the terrain in SC is not nearly as dramatic as it is in Bisbee, which gives it a different look/feel. To me, it's a schizophrenic place. The area that most will be pulled toward is the area near Broadway and Bullard, which is in proximity to the University. However, the greater surrounding area to me is dreary and depressing, at least the neighborhoods. The scenery is beautiful however. How many other areas in NM, incidentally, match my description?
Google Maps Street View should always be used to get a teaser on what an area looks like. Silver City has street view. Around the older center of town, it is very quaint. Here is an example:
I think the first area I have posted, the property values are way higher. I've checked home sales in that area, they aren't very plentiful, and seem to be overpriced, relative to the job market.
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Silver City Here we Come!
