Whatever you do avoid Farmington…I had a year long project there…shudder
Taos is great and Albuquerque is not bad at all.
I lived in Albuquerque for 5 years and really liked it. I’m from a very small town, and at that time didn’t feel like Albuquerque was too “big city.”
The weather is great. Not many places you can sun bathe in the morning and go skiing in the afternoon. The scenery is gorgeous, and hiking in the Sandia Mountains is phenomenal.
I really miss the hot and spicy food, sort of a Mexican/Indian blend, with loads of red and green chilies. Yum!
And definitely have lots of lotions and chapstick!
I’m actually from New Mexico (Southeastern NM, in Hobbs)–avoid the Southeastern part will all your might. However, I think that Las Cruces would also be a good alternative. Tucson and Phoenix are reasonable drives from there, as is El Paso, Texas.
Las Cruces is also a big University town (NMSU), so there are probably things to do for young people. If not Albuquerque, I would try Las Cruces–hell, it is smaller, but I think it is a more attractive city.
You also can’t really beat real estate prices in NM. It is really at the bottom of any jump up in price it might make.
Thanks for all the replies!
So far the real estate prices have been surprisingly low. I can afford around $1200/month or less, and up here in Upstate, NY (where I thought it was relatively cheap), the best I could find would be a 2-3 bedroom, 1700 sq. ft. house (AT BEST), maybe with a 1 car garage and maybe with a couple acres if I don’t mind living a ways away from a city.
In NM I’m seeing 2000+ sq. ft. houses with 3 car garages for anywhere from $900-$1200/month!
When I see the houses, it makes me wonder if the crime is bad, or if they just have relatively cheap real estate like you were saying, Redbeard.
I have a 3 year old daughter, so crime stats are kind of important to me, but I understand there can be good and bad parts of any city, and usually just outside the city it gets better, crime-wise.
[quote]vbm537 wrote:
haney1 wrote:
meaningless wrote:
- Non-stop road construction
Being from Houston I guess I never noticed… 
- Mexican food… mmmmmmmmm
ehhh… I wouldn’t call it mexican food anymore than tex-mex. It is a south western variant. I know that because of all the mexican food my wife and her family make almost none of it has green chile.
I think most people would think it’s mexican food. If you want the best mexican food though you have to come eat in my kitchen when my mother in law is working her food magic.
[/quote]
fair enough… Most people in texas think tex mex is mexican though…
is that an invitation?
I have been trying to get back to NM for sometime now. Last time I was there was 01…
[quote]SWR-1240 wrote:
Thanks for all the replies!
So far the real estate prices have been surprisingly low. I can afford around $1200/month or less, and up here in Upstate, NY (where I thought it was relatively cheap), the best I could find would be a 2-3 bedroom, 1700 sq. ft. house (AT BEST), maybe with a 1 car garage and maybe with a couple acres if I don’t mind living a ways away from a city.
In NM I’m seeing 2000+ sq. ft. houses with 3 car garages for anywhere from $900-$1200/month!
When I see the houses, it makes me wonder if the crime is bad, or if they just have relatively cheap real estate like you were saying, Redbeard.
I have a 3 year old daughter, so crime stats are kind of important to me, but I understand there can be good and bad parts of any city, and usually just outside the city it gets better, crime-wise.[/quote]
Crime isn’t the issue. look up Houston’s house prices, and you should see there isn’t a huge difference. Thinks are just under priced in certain parts of the country.
Just remember the most important rule…
Lotion and chapstick if you live in NM
[quote]haney1 wrote:
Just remember the most important rule…
Lotion and chapstick if you live in NM[/quote]
My brother in law has two kids (3 and 8) and they did all kinds of research on the area. He lives in a great area there and bought a huge house in the mid 200s with a HUGE back yard. That is why I think that area will go through a huge real estate boom like Temecula is in California.
[quote]haney1 wrote:
Just remember the most important rule…
Lotion and chapstick if you live in NM[/quote]
LOL, everyone keeps saying that!
The bad thing is that I have eczema (dry skin patches), which comes out worse in dry climates (like winter in NY) or when I’m stressed.
It never came out when I was stationed in Diego Garcia though (a tropical island), even when I would bake in the sun, and there were almost never clouds.
Maybe it’s a little more humid in a tropical climate.
Oh well, I can take it (I hope).
[quote]vbm537 wrote:
haney1 wrote:
Just remember the most important rule…
Lotion and chapstick if you live in NM
My brother in law has two kids (3 and 8) and they did all kinds of research on the area. He lives in a great area there and bought a huge house in the mid 200s with a HUGE back yard. That is why I think that area will go through a huge real estate boom like Temecula is in California.[/quote]
Wow, 3 and 8 is pretty young to be doing research on their own. 
(j/k)
I always had Upstate, NY in my mind as one of the cheapest places to buy a rural or suburban located house.
I was shocked when I saw some of the houses I could afford.
I lived in Tularosa and Alamogordo for four years. I plan on retiring there. NM is the last safe haven of sanity in the US. Hopefully it’s still that way when I retire.
[quote]vbm537 wrote:
haney1 wrote:
Just remember the most important rule…
Lotion and chapstick if you live in NM
My brother in law has two kids (3 and 8) and they did all kinds of research on the area. He lives in a great area there and bought a huge house in the mid 200s with a HUGE back yard. That is why I think that area will go through a huge real estate boom like Temecula is in California.[/quote]
The issue will be if NM’s economy can support the population. My understand is that it is set to be some sort of silicon valley of the future. If that is the case then house prices will most certainly jump. There are several markets that are undervalued, but everyone is so focused on the big markets that are crashing they kind of forget about the pockets of steady growth.
I should buy a home in nm just as a vacation home. I have been to alot of states, but I am very nostalgic about NM
[quote]SWR-1240 wrote:
haney1 wrote:
Just remember the most important rule…
Lotion and chapstick if you live in NM
LOL, everyone keeps saying that!
The bad thing is that I have eczema (dry skin patches), which comes out worse in dry climates (like winter in NY) or when I’m stressed.
It never came out when I was stationed in Diego Garcia though (a tropical island), even when I would bake in the sun, and there were almost never clouds.
Maybe it’s a little more humid in a tropical climate.
Oh well, I can take it (I hope).[/quote]
If not there is always texas!