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There's a reason why the state has a high percentage of retirees. It attracts retirees from New York and California, and people who can afford second homes in NM. People who don't need jobs.
Since the thread is still going, I thought I'd add something I'd heard today, from someone born and raised in Santa Fe, with deep family roots in the area. She said that in the last few years (not sure exactly what time period), 30,000 people have moved to Santa Fe, mostly retired people buying second homes, vacation homes! Driving RE values up even higher than they already were. Where did Santa Fe even get 30,000 homes to sell? What kind of "homes"; could some of these be in newer apartment buildings? I don't know, but that's a lot of people to add to a small city.
I'm in Santa Fe now, and the annual Indian art market is about to happen, which normally doubles the population of the town temporarily, but the roads are sparsely trafficked, as they have been since Covid. Maybe most visitors won't arrive until the 2nd half of the week and weekend. But I would think that if there are 30,000 new part-time residents (and probably a few full-time ones in that group), the streets would be more crowded. Ever since Covid, the usual main thoroughfares that used to be clogged not just during regular commute hours and the lunch rush, but a few main drags were crowded all the time, full of aggressive (hazardous) drivers, have transformed. No more aggressive driving, no more heavy traffic.
Just driving through New Mexico on I-40 is a bit boring. It's painfully flat, the road is straight, and it's exciting when you see a tree in the endless plateau. The further south you go, it just becomes hotter, drier, sandier, and, well, more boring. Their motto is "Land of Enchantment" but it is more like "Land of Nothingness." After all, most of the state is empty! I think that is why they tested the atomic bomb in New Mexico. The state is also poor and a lot of things look run down. I stopped at a rest area in New Mexico and the lobby was empty and all that worked was the toilet.
I'm not saying that all of New Mexico is like this. I'm sure there are some good spots in Albuquerque and it might be worth it to get into Santa Fe to learn some Spanish history. Up in Taos, I hear there is some cool skiing. Sure, there are some spots worth visiting. It seems like New Mexico got the leftovers, but there wasn't very much left.
That’s BS…Arizona seems like an armpit compared to New Mexico…i remember phoenix was like Hell on earth. No thanks.
Just driving through New Mexico on I-40 is a bit boring. It's painfully flat, the road is straight, and it's exciting when you see a tree in the endless plateau. The further south you go, it just becomes hotter, drier, sandier, and, well, more boring. Their motto is "Land of Enchantment" but it is more like "Land of Nothingness." After all, most of the state is empty! I think that is why they tested the atomic bomb in New Mexico. The state is also poor and a lot of things look run down. I stopped at a rest area in New Mexico and the lobby was empty and all that worked was the toilet.
I'm not saying that all of New Mexico is like this. I'm sure there are some good spots in Albuquerque and it might be worth it to get into Santa Fe to learn some Spanish history. Up in Taos, I hear there is some cool skiing. Sure, there are some spots worth visiting. It seems like New Mexico got the leftovers, but there wasn't very much left.
You have no idea what you are talking about. Google Images is your friend.
PS There's a reason they build interstate highways where they do.
Just driving through New Mexico on I-40 is a bit boring. It's painfully flat, the road is straight, and it's exciting when you see a tree in the endless plateau. The further south you go, it just becomes hotter, drier, sandier, and, well, more boring.
This describes much of Arizona, including I-40, pretty well, too, as well as I-40 through California. Deserts are boring. Though I-40 is nowhere near as boring as anywhere in Nevada. What's your point? I actually enjoy I-40 in NM; the terrain as you go past the huge mesas as you near Gallup gets pretty scenic, IMO.
Last edited by Ruth4Truth; 08-30-2023 at 08:39 AM..
Going by that, the population has grown 20,000 since 2010. That's a lot of people for a small city. I'm still wondering where they're housed. There haven't been that many new apartment buildings or other developments in town since 2010. And I wonder how they take the census; does it include part-time residents? It would seem not, if the nuber was 69K in 2010. I'd always heard, since becoming a full-time resident in 2001, that the population was 75K and growing.
It's because New Mexico is what it is. A very, very poor state w/ lots of people that have addiction problems. Crime is very high for such a sparsely populated state too. And this is not a joke, a lot of people think it is part of Mexico or something and not a state in the US. I've had numerous people ask me over the years, did you need to learn Spanish to live there?
… a lot of people think it is part of Mexico or something and not a state in the US. I've had numerous people ask me over the years, did you need to learn Spanish to live there?
A lot of poorly educated people living in other states.
First off, I have not been there so forgive me if this post seems ignorant. I got to thinking the other day, people talk so much about California, Arizona, and Texas but New Mexico seems left out. At least in my experience it seems you never hear about snowbirds going there, you never hear about people vacationing there, and you never hear about people moving to or from there?
Is it vastly different from the other three in some way? Or is it a well kept secret? I don't know if this seems vague or not, but it seems like it's not talked about much. Or am I just living under a rock?
The warmest parts of NM in the winter are Carlsbad, Las Cruces and Deming. All are close to about 58 and 28 are the highs and lows in January. I think if you are a snowbird you want temps pushing 70 in the coldest months.
Hey I got stuck in a snowstorm between Deming and Las Cruces on October 27 of 28 in 2020! Stopped on the freeway for 3 hours. Fun times. I decided to rent a motel room for 2 days because of ice on the Texas interstate (20) and the hurricane in the gulf (not able to take 10). It was probably a freak storm.
People don't realize that in many places New Mexico's winter weather is variable. It will snow one day, melt the next, with sunny blue skies. On occasion the snow will stick for 2-3 days but that's not the norm. (mid northern New Mexico), 7300 ft.)
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