New Mexico as a vacation or retirement.

[ICTJOCK]

57 minutes ago, Rudynate said:

I think Farmington NM is one of the worst places in the world.  Some years ago, we went to Chaco Canyon, which turned out to be very remote.  The closest place we found to stay was in Farmington, about 40 miles away.  I thought Farmington was so awful that it would be a place to go if you didn't want to be found - nobody would imagine you would go to such an obnoxious place

I don't remember that impression,  but it was my first time there as an adult and we were on our way west the next morning.   No complaints about the overnight stay.

 

[Rudynate]

Farmington is at the junction of several major highways so there is an endless stream of tractor trailor trucks driving right through the middle of town at all hours of the day or night - it is hard to sleep because of the noise from the trucks and  the odor of diesel fuel just hung in the air.   Overnight accomodations were limited to Comfort Inn and such   All that could be said about the restaurants is that they served food.  We were mystified that a town could be such a wasteland and we drove around looking for a "there" there and could never find it. 

 We loved Chaco Canyon, but we dreaded driving back to Farmington every night.

[CuriousByNature]

23 hours ago, Rudynate said:

Farmington is at the junction of several major highways so there is an endless stream of tractor trailor trucks driving right through the middle of town at all hours of the day or night

This could be seen as a bonus for some visitors... LOL

[Rudynate]

1 minute ago, CuriousByNature said:

This could be seen as a bonus for some visitors... LOL

As a matter of fact, I think I remember that there was at least one enormous truck stop.

[rustyrex]

As someone that lives in ABQ, it's okay.  There is a community here but it's not as robust as the bigger cities and the way of life is slower paced. It's fairly affordable but it does have lots of homeless and violent crime.  Not to the scale of the bigger cities but it's gotten worse over the years. We have cultural things that make us very unique...we do have a tourist draw for the Balloon Fiesta.  If you wanted to go to a bigger city they aren't too far away.  You have Denver and Phoenix which are 6ish hours away. Vegas is 8 and Dallas is 9. The border is 4 hours away if that's your thing.  

It's a democratic state and fairly liberal. It's gay friendly and the weather isn't bad but it does get cold here in the winters.

 

[ICTJOCK]

I think New Mex is like most states,   its "retirement value"  is predicated on what one values in terms of climate,  cost of living and things to do.

[+ Topseed]

Santa Fe's housing prices, while never cheap,  have skyrocketed since the pandemic. It's now an expensive place to live.

As a former resident, these observations:

* Anglo Santa Fe's population skews toward older people, and toward couples.  My younger friends there refer to New Mexico as the "Land of Entrapment".

* Access to health care can be iffy. A common topic at cocktail parties is for people to discuss how they leave the state (for Mayo/Scottsdale, or MD Anderson, as examples) for many procedures.

* Access to basic service providers can be frustrating. A plumber? Good luck. Getting an appointment honored? Maybe.

* If you enjoy air travel, you'll shlep to ABQ, but even then your non-stop choices are few. Get used to dealing with transit through DFW, among others.

* It's an early-to-bed town. The sidewalks roll up by 8:30pm.

* A goodly percentage of the population are part-time residents....predominantly wealthy Texans who flee Houston in the summer. 

* Santa Fe has never been known as a well-run city. Getting home renovation plans approved now can take a very long time....and only if within the city's very narrow guidelines.

* Once the opera and chamber music seasons end in mid/late August, cultural life slows to a trickle. 

 

Yes, the climate can be wonderful. Ditto the restaurants, albeit at a cost. The full-time residents are decently friendly. But know what you're getting into.