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Hi Everyone, For the past year my family and I have had our hearts set on moving to RR. We've never been to NM but have done a ton of research as well as talked to multiple people, some of which have relocated to the area from D.C. (where I'm from). My company has a job in White Sands that I'm going to look into for a possible transfer. I don't know much about Las Cruces as all of my research has been geared towards RR. I'm not too thrilled with how close LC is to the boarder for two reasons: 1) Crime 2) Mexico humidity? I'm hoping you guys can fill me in on the comparisons of the two cities. Thank you in advance.
Hi Everyone, For the past year my family and I have had our hearts set on moving to RR. We've never been to NM but have done a ton of research as well as talked to multiple people, some of which have relocated to the area from D.C. (where I'm from). My company has a job in White Sands that I'm going to look into for a possible transfer. I don't know much about Las Cruces as all of my research has been geared towards RR. I'm not too thrilled with how close LC is to the boarder for two reasons: 1) Crime 2) Mexico humidity? I'm hoping you guys can fill me in on the comparisons of the two cities. Thank you in advance.
Angielee, if you've done a ton of research then you must know where to look for crime statistics and climate info, including humidity.
Proximity to the border has little to do with crime.
If you compare crime rates on this chart, you'll see that El Paso TX (which is the border) is a demonstrably safer city than Albuquerque. United States cities by crime rate - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Now, RR is not Burque, and LC is not EP, but that's the best I could do in 3 seconds. My view of crime in LC is that it's not a factor in my daily life. Violence is pretty much gang nitwits on other gang nitwits, or interfamily, or interfriend. Little random violence, IMHO. There is property crime, largely rooted in low incomes, which a locked car and some good judgement can minimize.
Humidity....this is the desert, the northern extension of the great Chihuahuan desert. Months go by without a hint of rain. The average relative humidity is 27%. There is a rainy season..the summertime.... when most of the 8 inches of average rainfall occurs. The same is true in Chihuahua, as weather doesn't recognize borders.
I'm a bit puzzled as to why you'd think humidity would be an issue here, or in Northern Mexico, for that matter, and not a few hours drive North in RR. Huh?
LC is a pretty nice town overall. I can find lots to criticize, and lots of things I'd wish were different, but it is what it is...and that's fine with me.
My company has a job in White Sands that I'm going to look into for a possible transfer.
You should consider Alamogordo also. It's smaller than Las Cruces and still has all of the necessary shopping and a burgeoning economy. Biggest asset is the close proximity to forested mountains - just a short 15 mile drive above the town.
Angielee, if you've done a ton of research then you must know where to look for crime statistics and climate info, including humidity.
Proximity to the border has little to do with crime.
If you compare crime rates on this chart, you'll see that El Paso TX (which is the border) is a demonstrably safer city than Albuquerque. United States cities by crime rate - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Now, RR is not Burque, and LC is not EP, but that's the best I could do in 3 seconds. My view of crime in LC is that it's not a factor in my daily life. Violence is pretty much gang nitwits on other gang nitwits, or interfamily, or interfriend. Little random violence, IMHO. There is property crime, largely rooted in low incomes, which a locked car and some good judgement can minimize.
Humidity....this is the desert, the northern extension of the great Chihuahuan desert. Months go by without a hint of rain. The average relative humidity is 27%. There is a rainy season..the summertime.... when most of the 8 inches of average rainfall occurs. The same is true in Chihuahua, as weather doesn't recognize borders.
I'm a bit puzzled as to why you'd think humidity would be an issue here, or in Northern Mexico, for that matter, and not a few hours drive North in RR. Huh?
LC is a pretty nice town overall. I can find lots to criticize, and lots of things I'd wish were different, but it is what it is...and that's fine with me.
I appreciate your feedback tecpatl. I've done all my research on RR and RR's statistics and was typing this thread at 5 in the morning after deciding I'm going to talk to my company about a transfer. I have not had the time yet to look up statistics but thought I would start here for some friendly input on the differences between the two cities since they are, according to google maps, over 4 hours apart. I know here in VA, even two hours south of DC makes a HUGE difference in the amount of humidity. Here in DC the average is between 70 and 80% so 27% is nice. My concern about the border is that I've read online that the Mexican drug lords are moving their families into the boarding states including NM. I don't know how true this is but I figured it would be more likely to happen in LC than RR with LC being closer to the border. Everyone that moves to RR seems to LOVE the area...I know the lifers or people who have been in NM for a long time really don't prefer RR as it's not as authentic as other parts of NM. So as I do MY research, I'd appreciate any comparison feedback. There are tons of threads on LC and why people like it but i haven't found a specific LC vs RR thread. To clear one things up, I'm not looking for a comparison on LC and N. Mexico. Thanks again for your response and I'm off to do my part of the research now that the sun has come up.
If you can handle the crime in DC then you should be alright in Las Cruces,I have heard too that drug lords are moving their families over the border(Columbus,NM) but I dont know too much about in LC, who knows but Im sure they want to keep a low profile and not bring any attention or crime their way into the States.
as an out of stater you would probably like RR better, and the humidity here in NM is nothing compared to what you are used to.
The big difference between Las Cruces and Rio Rancho is that RR is adjacent to Albuquerque, so is basically suburban Albuquerque and part of a larger metro area. LC is near El Paso, but far enough away to be self-contained. It's a matter of whether you are looking for city life or something smaller.
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