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First, one must realize that New Mexico never really became part of the great experiment that _WAS_ America. Yes, it is a State of the Union and all that; but culturally and politically it was and remains a Spanish Posession -- a slave-state run by local "Patrons". This is a very important fact for Americans born and raised in other parts of the country that want to live in NM &/or do business here to come to grips with and understand (business folks and politicos that don't understand and work with this underlying power structure will get nowhere in the State). In short, NM is a third world country that wears a facade of Western U.S. Culture. As a result, it is full of a lot of very poor and broken people, but it also has hardworking people trying to make things better, and there is more wealth and opportunity in the state than many realize. And with all the gov. labs and test sites, the state as a whole has the largest per capita of PhD's in the nation. (Also, the Spaceport is really starting to take-off. . . pun intended)
That being said, NM can be a beautiful place and has a lot of potential. It is a diamond-in-the-rough. Yes, it is mostly desert, and that has its own beauty and uses, but it also has areas of beautiful, rich forests and secret river valleys.
Specific to Alamogordo -- yes, it is currently a very ugly town, though at one time the historical photographic record seems to indicate that it used to be beautiful and people worked to make it that way, so with an increase in beautiful, hard-working hearts and minds, Alamogordo might once again become beautiful. NOTE: while Alamogordo sits in desolate desert and is a bland, delapidated place overall (with bits of beauty here and there), it sits at the base of some wonderful mountains that have wonderful forests. So, with a 20 minute drive you can go from partched desert to beautiful mountain forest.
A Few Local Resources, Points of interest, and opportunity in and immediately around Alamogordo (say within 20 minutes or so of the town center): *Your choice of climates within a 20 minute drive, from hot desert to cool mountain pine forests *The Space Museum * The Local City library (small, but it's a library and part of the national interlibrary loan system) * The Zoo (the oldest in the SW) * White Sands National Monument * Holloman Air Force Base * The Alamogordo White Sands Regional Airport (the town is served by a regional carrier -- NM Airlines) * A few very good restaurants have opened in the past couple of years (Stella Vita {fancy-pants gormet}, and Sunset Run {barbeque genre} are two that come to mind and though there's a decent # of restuarants, more variety and styles of cuisine are desparately needed (pleasepleaseplease. . . someone open a good Indian place and a Morrocan place! :-) ). * Gerald Champion Medical Center * Alamogordo branch of New Mexico State University * New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually impaired -- one of the premire institutions in the country for what they do * The Alamogordo Daily News (the local paper) * Area farms, ranches, orchards, and wineries * Sunspot Solar observatory (about 20 min. as the crow flys, by helicopter is nice, but it's about 1.5 dr. through winding mountain roads) * White Sands Missile Range (main gate is about a 30 to 40 min. drive from town center, though there are closer access points depending on your job and/or security clearance) * "The Lodge" up in Cloudcroft -- a historic hotel/restaurant/resort, nestled in the pines at about 8000 feet you can site in the restaurant and look out over the desert valley and White Sands * A small local mall * Wall Mart, Staples, Home Depot, Lowes (some might call that a curse) * Broadband Internet * Cell Coverage * In short, there's alot here and what's not is only about 1 to 3 hours away (Albuquerque is a bit over a 3hr Dr. but is 50 min. by air, El Paso, TX is about 1.5 to 1.75hr drive & Las Cruces, NM is a bit over an hour drive).
So, depending on what you want, what you're trying to accomplish, and how complete and well developed you are as a person Alamogordo, NM (and NM as a whole) can be a wonderful land of opportunity, or it can be Hell-on-Earth -- but that's true of any place, isn't it. [for the obtuse that might be reading, I'm obviously leaving out despotic places/situations like Hitler's Germany or Stalin's Germany, obvious Hells-on-Earth no matter what]
[I make the above comments as one that has lived in and around Alamogordo, NM the past 8 years now, and I have traveled around the US, Canada, and Mexico a bit, and have lived for a number of years at various locations throughout the U.S.]
Thanks for you insights regarding the network of the power brokers. "Slave state" is a touch harsh maybe, but I get your drift. I'm looking forward to settling the area in a few years. One thing that always seems to happen is we all look to go elsewhere...but want... what we had. So why do we leave? After all when we unpack WE ARE that new location. So part of the relocation should be a reinventing of oneself. I too would love to see more dining and definitely more entertainment options. I researched extensively a business move to do just that, but decided against it at this time. I think one would need deep pockets to get up and running there. Additionally, working through the system as a newcomer may not have been a pleasant experience. It would be best to get the lay of the land for a few years first. Alamo presents a great base camp for many adventures. I hope that maybe someday money and incentives will be available for creative visionaries to resurrect the New York Av.area. As far as it ever being a "destination" I doubt it. It is as you sort of say, what one makes of it. I'm glad to hear your realistic views and of your overall enjoyment of the area. It is encouraging. Thanks.
As the OP of this thread, it continues to amaze me at its resilientcy. Just to give an update on my personal situation. My search for a place to relocate has continued with a much closer look at Colorado.
For my purposes, it now appears that the Canon City CO area will fit my needs nicely. While the weather may be a bit more extreme compared to Capitan/Ruidoso, it is in the banana belt of CO so is on the milder side for the state as a whole. I think i would get the nicer milder 4 season climate as compared to my current area of Illinois.
In addition, it is a smaller town, with affordable housing and lower cost of living. Surrounded on three sides by mountains , so it has that similarity to Alamo. Mountains close by and nice day trips there available. The Arkansas river runs right thru town so water supply is not a problem. There is even white water rafting, but not for a retired guy like me.
I could go on, but you get the drift. Canon City at this point just seems like a better fit for me. But of course, like everyone these days, no homes are selling in my area. So another winter in NW Illinois is in the cards. And this summer has been hot, muggy, and wet. Very sticky which I hate. But then again, for now, its home.
New Mexico has some really cool places, but in reality, its more like Mississippi than any other state, NM is the Mississippi of the West, it also has many problems.
New Mexico has some really cool places, but in reality, its more like Mississippi than any other state, NM is the Mississippi of the West, it also has many problems.
NM has problems, but MS is just flat-out horrible.
I had to work there (outside of Jackson) for 6 months on a field assignment, and that was one of the longest, most miserable 6 months of my life.
I had to spend time in both MS and LA.....you can have both states. I don't plan to ever go back unless I have to pass through to get to somewhere else.
What are some of the other things you like about Canon City Colo.? Just curious. I haven't thought much about the area and have looked into the Springs and surrounding areas where I grew up. Maybe I'll look into canon city now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by james57
As the OP of this thread, it continues to amaze me at its resilientcy. Just to give an update on my personal situation. My search for a place to relocate has continued with a much closer look at Colorado.
For my purposes, it now appears that the Canon City CO area will fit my needs nicely. While the weather may be a bit more extreme compared to Capitan/Ruidoso, it is in the banana belt of CO so is on the milder side for the state as a whole. I think i would get the nicer milder 4 season climate as compared to my current area of Illinois.
In addition, it is a smaller town, with affordable housing and lower cost of living. Surrounded on three sides by mountains , so it has that similarity to Alamo. Mountains close by and nice day trips there available. The Arkansas river runs right thru town so water supply is not a problem. There is even white water rafting, but not for a retired guy like me.
I could go on, but you get the drift. Canon City at this point just seems like a better fit for me. But of course, like everyone these days, no homes are selling in my area. So another winter in NW Illinois is in the cards. And this summer has been hot, muggy, and wet. Very sticky which I hate. But then again, for now, its home.
Hello, just wanted to expand on my reasons for liking Canon City CO per your request.
Back in the mid 90's, I looked at a number of areas in CO for possible retirement. At that time, my first choice was the Colorado Springs area. However, 10 years later when i again looked, things had changed. The Springs had just grown too large and expensive for me. Also the congestion had grown, and I had come to value the smaller town atmosphere. So I looked again at Canon City which didn't have enough for me in the 90's.
However, now Canon City has actually become more attractive . For the general climate, it is in the banana belt of CO so gets less snow in the winter. Pueblo is also in this climate but harsher because it sits out on the plains. In contrast, Canon City is tucked into a valley surrounded by mountains which help to lessen the harsh winters. Summers can get warm but with lower humidity than I am used to in Illinois.
The town itself has grown up some so it does have nice shopping compared to in the 90's. The heart of town is a historical district, so is preserved. You can walk the downtown with lots in nice shops , etc. The town itself is less expensive than the typical front range CO city. Real estate is affordable. There is a nice hospital in town so medical is right there. In addition, Colorado Springs and Pueblo are not far away. So day trips to shop are easy. Colorado Springs has a nice airport on the south end for travel outside the area.
I would recommend you go to the Colorado forum and search under Canon City for threads which give a much better picture of the town than I can. I have now visited several times and find it to be suitable for what I am looking for. Nothing against NM which is very beautiful, but CO has more services and is affordable in selected small towns. Just my take on things.
Nothing against NM which is very beautiful, but CO has more services and is affordable in selected small towns. Just my take on things.
That is very true in some cases.
I'm splitting my time between Alamo and north of Durango for now, and while Durango itself is not that affordable, some of the outlying areas are more so.
For a small town (16,000 or so), it has a LOT......it is tourist-trappy, yes, and has good restaurants on the whole, along with 2 big City Markets, Albertson's, a SuperWalmart, Home Depot, a mall with several options (including a new Bed/Bath/Beyond) and all manner of specialty shops, etc.
There is a medical center/services, all other services (automotive, veterinary, electrical, HVAC, etc.) and just about everything you could want--other than an affordable cost of living. The in-town RE is just really overpriced.
I got a relo packet from Canon City a year or so ago, and it looks interesting, and I have also been looking at Colorado Springs--but the TRAFFIC...OMG.
Anyway, I hope you find what you are looking for, and good luck!
I have several places on my list, so I'm not done yet, though I still plan to split my time between Durango and Alamo--or wherever else I happen to end up.
Last edited by Cathy4017; 08-27-2010 at 09:22 PM..
NM has problems, but MS is just flat-out horrible.
I had to work there (outside of Jackson) for 6 months on a field assignment, and that was one of the longest, most miserable 6 months of my life.
I had to spend time in both MS and LA.....you can have both states. I don't plan to ever go back unless I have to pass through to get to somewhere else.
This is why on these threads, I think people should give the positives and negatives about a city or area.
Some people love heat and so would prefer any warm place to a cold place even if the cold place has other things to offer, but for others it's the reverse.
Or some people like the openness of the desert even if there are few lakes.
Alamogordo isn't for everyone - but it is nicely located between Las Cruces, El Paso, and Cloudcroft - and all that those mountains and forests have to offer.
Thanks James for your input. I've checked out some of the other threads and have ordered a packet from Canon City also. Now to get there and check it out myself.
We don't want a big city but want to be close to one and the weather sounds like it's close to Timberon's weather which I think is ideal.
Mountains are also important and a river would be nice for kayaking which is one of the things I like to do. Like you mentioned though, the economy is bad and not a good time to try to sell a house so the wait goes on.
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