rogerdodger

Due to health issues we, retired, are thinking of moving from our Northern California coastal home to New Mexico. In April we driving, but with no set pace to visit. Would appriciate any feed back on a nice place to consider. Looking for a bit of elbow room. Not too hot, low humidity within an hours drive to a major city with an international airport. Thank you.

ontheway

let me know if you find a place you like. We live in upstate NY and are looking for same qualities as you. thanks

TahitiTams

HI..
I love New Mexico to visit but I would never live there because most of the state is in such a state of poverty..
Santa Fe and Taos excluded but I would suggest maybe Tucson..great town and has alot of natural beauty and cooler than Phoenix.. I like Flagstaff too.. it does snow a little bit but you are close to Sedona and not far from Phoenix for the airport and housing is pretty reasonable..Prescott is another consideration too..
I wish you all the best!

Tandoori_Girl

Check out Ruidoso and Alta (or is it Alto?). It is in the mountains of the Lincoln National Forest and gets chilly in the winter but summers are really nice. But it's 3 hrs. to the El Paso airport so that might not suit you. Taos and Santa Fe get really cold in the winter -- think zero. The southern half of the state gets hot in the summer -- scorching in the Chihuahua Desert.

travel_addict

Rogerdodger,

You might want to order some relocation packages from a few different places and see what appeals to you. They can be ordered from most Chamber of Commerce offices. Sometimes there's a small fee of $25 or so, but the info is worth it.

Heidi

ElendilPickle

Albuquerque is the major city in New Mexico; population around 500,000 for the metro area, and it has the only major airport in the state.

Temperatures in the summer will get into the 90s, but the humidity is low.

Santa Fe is an hour north.

Lee Ann

rogerdodger

Thank you all for your replies. Guess we will just drive around. Oh, another important thing, a golf course!
Roger.

travelina

I currently live in NM. As someone stated it is a very poor state. We also have quite a problem with DUI/DWI in this state and lack of enforcement. I would come here for an extended stay first. I personally do not plan on staying here. The weather is near perfect but thats about it.

Lewis

Hi

We also are looking to move west from CT. NM or AZ are our first choices. We are going to visit both in late May.
Looking at ABQ and Santa Fe in NM and Flagstaff/Sedona in AZ.

Travelina, besides DUI problems and being a poor state, why are you so down on NM?
Can you be more specific? No jobs, crappy jobs, crime, bad housing? Any further info from locals would be appreciated. Not trying to hijack this thread, just very interested.

travelina

Lewis,
Thats funny but I am originally from CT as well. Crime is the biggest problem for me living in NM. I cannot adjust to living with people constantly trying to rip me off..from stealing and attempted breakins to transients and panhandlers in front of the local grocery stores/highway off ramps and gas stations ..and I live in an affluent neighborhood. Its an epidemic! I also have children and the constant "lockdowns" due to the crime is tiresome. The schools are ranked very poorly as well. Housing isnt much compared to CT. You will be shocked. If thinking of moving out here I would keep my home in CT and give it a trial run. NM is very transient state..many people come here with high expectations and are disappointed. Its definitely not for everyone!

Tandoori_Girl

Maybe the reference to poverty is to native Americans, problems w/DIUs w/native Americans (they are problem binge drinkers), and the general hispanic population (working class), either newly transplanted from MX to NM (and everywhere), or those in areas of the desert where the MXs were the original inhabitants (there are some very old MX cities w/in the northern boundaries of NM, AZ, TX, CA). There's a small economic tax base, and so the rural areas are still, well, rural.

I don't know how many homeless are in NM. None to speak of in the carlsbad area.

Tandoori_Girl

the albuquerque area has all the problems of a big city. including rampant sprawl.

lakebluffer

Rogerdodger, I bought a house in Ruidoso NM last summer and can't wait til it's time to fully retire (3 yrs and counting) so I can be there full-time.
Yes, the state is v. poor. But what it lacks in socio-economic standing, it more than makes up for -- at least in my mind -- in physical beauty, open spaces, and a wonderfully diverse demographic, who, almost without exception to date, have been some of the most welcoming bunch of 'strangers' it's ever been my pleasure to meet.
But you should plan to rent there for at least a few weeks during one or more seasons to find out how comfortable you'd be. Check a Ruidoso website for rental possibilities. Keep in mind that the altitute is almost 7000'.
If you like golf, there are great courses in Ruidoso--5 in total, I think, and many days in winter are playable, golf-wise.
Be forewarned; this is the Southwest, and it is experiencing a drought. Water is a continuing issue, as is the threat of fores fire.
So, yes, there are many considerations. Do your research and Good luck!
PS -- it's only 2-1/4 hours' driving time to El Paso airport from Ruidoso, even tho it is 130 miles. That's the beauty of wide open spaces and next-to-no traffic!

Tandoori_Girl

In Ruidoso you can golf and gamble at the Inn of the Mountain Gods.

rogerdodger

Very interesting replies. First off, I work and lived in the San Francisco Bay area and I am truly use to beggers, addicts and homeless. Not a big problem for us. But there must be developments with a golf course and a certain amount of security. Also, I think your idea of renting first is very prudent and one that I though of as well. This will be an exploration trip to find out about different areas. Again, thank you for your help,
Roger

traveler24

If the "health isssues" happen to be heart related consider the elevations
AND medical/hospital proximity.
Albuquerque--5,000 ft.
Flagstaff--6,000 ft.
Just a thought..

JJ5

You said you would consider AZ. 5 or 6 years ago I was thinking of buying and looked. I think the Prescott, AZ area has many pluses. It's elevation is terrific, IMHO, for average weather year round and you have closer proximity to many beautiful areas. I believe the access to hospital etc. would probably be better than most of NM.

Prescott has trees and color, and looks like a huge fir forest from maybe MN dropped into the SW. There was a Goldwater Park/Lake complex not that far away and it just had it all over the flat desert, IMHO.

Wayne

Sticking to your original objective of New Mexico, I'll suggest a place not many people know about except through newspapers or TV -- Los Alamos. It's a really great place to live, but it will be a bit chilly in the dead of winter for a few weeks. The elevation is high enough to keep it cool basically all year, with minor exceptions, and the population (as you might imagine) is well above average in education. The city (town) has all the amenities. If I were considering New Mexico, I'd choose Los Alamos first.

If you want good weather in Arizona, it would be very difficult to beat Green Valley, about 30 miles south of Tucson. It's basically a retirement type of community, but all kinds of families live around there. And it has all the amenities also. Good luck.

travelina

Yes if one has health issues check out the medical care in NM or lack thereof..

marigold

Travelina,
May I ask where in NM you live? I live in Massachusetts but I have inlaws in Belen, NM. I've spent much time there in the past 20 or so years.
My FIL and MIL liked retiring in NM. The low housing costs when they moved there allowed them to stretch their retirement dollars.
I'm not sure that I'd like to retire there. The scenery is beautiful, but I worry about the water shortage. I like to garden. Also, it is one of the poorest states in the U.S. And there are some "wild west" attitudes that can be hard to adjust to. I hate seeing the homeless dogs traveling in packs, for one thing. The situation may be different in Sante Fe and wealthier environs.