?? Info on New Mexico ??

[Czekus21]

SWMBO and I have made up our minds and have decided to move to the Las Cruces New Mexico area in the middle of 2009.
I could use as much info as I can get. Good OR bad, I want to hear it all. So far, everything that I've researched has came up on the positive side of the pro/con sheet. The big one is the average of 350 days of sun a year and average high temps in the summer around 95. Beats out South Dakota so far. Gettin pretty tired of the snow, ice, wind, humidity, frigid cold temps. and so on.
OK..... Let-r-rip.

[mro]

Ya'll sound XSive

So you want to get out of the frig...
and into the frying pan?

Both places sound like places to visit but
not sure I'd want to live there.


mro

[prometheus578]

'HEY! Where's my stinkin' road atlas?"

Sorry, can't find it. Shall have to move forward with out.
My minor point would have been... maybe the next city/area over(Un-named at this point) has a lower crime rate than Las Cruces.
I don't know... I don't live there.
(Yes, MRO, I know. "If I lived there the crime rate would go up.")
Be that as it may...
2009... You have plenty of time to scope things out, which I know that you will do.
And as I've mentioned several times before:
When trying to zero in on exactly which area to live, it's best to stop at a local diner... the one's where the cops eat their lunches.
Spread a city map out on the counter, hand the cop a marker, and tell him you'll buy him lunch if he'll mark down all the places that you DON"T want to live.
Nobody knows like a cop.

[Doo-Daa]

Been to Alamagordo lots of times from Amarillo. Thats not to far away from Las Cruces. I like Alamagordo.

I-70 shuts down at times for hours due to White Sands Missle Testing. On a bike, that sucks.

Las Cruces is on the MAIN imigration highway, so you don't leave anything out and un-attended.

NM goverenment isn't bad, and it gets hotter than what you think.

I wouldn't mind living there. It's a hell of a lot more laid-back than most of the country. So laid-back, I don't think they vote till December 1st.


FWIW

Doo-Daa

[oseaghdha]

Two Words

Hatch. Chili.

Learn them.
Know them.
Love them.

I grew up in SE NM. Beaucoup "Not Quite Legal" immigrants.
Can get very warm. Lots to do: White Sands, Carlsbad, Cloudcroft, Ruidoso, Gila Wildernes, Elephant Butte.
300 riding days/year.
Did I mention Hatch Chili?

[trbig]

I was also going to mention that NEW Mexico has a lot of the same people ethnically as the old Mexico and that it wouldn't hurt to brush up on your Spanish, but the same goes for just about any city anymore that doesn't have really cold weather.

As Doo Daa stated, I think during the summer, you'll wonder where the heck they came up with that 95 average! Get an oil cooler for the bike. Also, evaporative coolers work well there and can save on electricity bills versus A/C. But you may read this for when you think of just 95 degrees. This is from a New Mexico water conservation flyer.


"In an average weather year, a 1,500 square-foot home in Santa
Fe might use 2,980 gallons of evaporative cooling water (based on the evaporative cooler running 696 hours).
The same sized home in Albuquerque would use 7,261 gallons (1,130 cooling hours), while a similar house in Las Cruces would use 12,457 gallons (1,718 cooling hours)."


Honestly sounds like one extreme to the other as MRO stated, but I'm sure you've read up on it more than most of us. Just temperature-wise, I'd rather ride in cold weather than hot (Minus ice on the roads). After about the 4th day of pulling off a sweaty helmet, you're wondering how to fit the thing in the washer. Is there anywhere that's about 75-80 all year, very lightly populated, and has greatly maintained twisty/ hilly roads ?? I think Adam's Eve may have screwed that place up... lol.


Tod

[mro]

Las Cruces New Mexico

Just took a look at it on the map.
Fall of 81' passed thru Las Cruces.
Was in El Paso.
Had planned on taking SHMBO shopping in Juarez
Bad a$$ storm blew in, snow started to cover the ground early evening, wind blowing 30+ mph gusting to 50.
Around 2AM had 5 inchs snow and it looked to be getting worse so we loaded up and headed west on 10 (actually north north west out a El Paso).
Went thru Las Cruces short time later but could not see it for the storm


mro

[madmax-im]

Typically in the desert southwest lower elevations are hotter than the high country...alpine air can be as much as 20* cooler than the desert air,in the summer....with an elevation of 7000 ft or greater.I used to live in southern Ariz and up in the mtns around Tucson at 9000 ft the temps were in the low to mid 80's while down tin town it would be 105*-115*!

[Czekus21]

So far,, pretty good info.. What I understand, Las Cruces is between 3800-4200 ft. depending on if your on the valley floor or in the " Organ " mountains.
Here in South Dakota, at my house, the summer temps will avg, around 90-95 with the humidity around 85-95 pecent.
I lived in Pheonix for a year as a roofer. That lasted about 5 min. The first roof I climbed, sparked a smoke, said ^$^% this, got a job indoors.
Back when I lived in California, we called the evaporative coolers swamp coolers. They worked OK,, I do believe in shade trees....

Keep the info coming......

Oh ya,,, I got a security system for the bike.. Called 2 very large dogs. One's got a hairy sounding bark,, The other's got a scary bite. AND the owners got a slew of shotgun shells.

[digitalsam]

Lived in Las Cruces for seven years and loved it. Would move back in heart beat. Also lived in El Paso for four after spending a few in California. I would rather be dissembouled with a wooded spoon that move back to El Paso. A dirty, nasty, ugly city which resembles a Mexican border town more than on of the good ol USA. We live in Carlsbad, NM now and frequently travel through Cloudcroft and Ruidoso to visit Las Cruces. You can't beat the towns in Southern NM... if you can stand the heat.

[DJinNH]

I just pulled up a photo from Google for Las Cruces....Man, what a nice view!



Good luck,

Don

[webbcraft2150]

Lived in Albuquerque for 30 years before moving to Texass (don't ask). Been the 'Cruces many times. clean, safe little town. That summer average high of 95 must have been taken at night!!!! Look for consistent 100's, very low humidity so nuthin rusts real bad. (truck had slight suface rust on it, moved to Texass and it quickly turned into a real problem.). Elephant Butte lake is not far and is real nice when its full. It has "real" sand beaches (4x4 an absolute requirement). The nearby mountains are great for four wheeling (no mud), trail bikes, or if your into it, mountain bikeing and hikes. Winter can be real cold but the chances of snow are real slim. Windy season from mid March to mid April, lotsa blowing sand. The ride to Ruidoso (annual Aspencade Rally held there) and Cloudcroft will make you look for some real sticky tires. Carlsbad Caverns is a must see. If you are really daring, take the road over the Black Range to Silver City. Nice thing about 'Cruces is you can drive to the snow, play in it and drive back down to no snow. Go ahead and sell all your snow removal equipment. Beware of the Hatch chili, when they say hot, they mean it. You will soon understand the question "red or green" when you dine out.