Moving to Desert Gardens, Las Cruces (Alamogordo, Silver City: sublet, apartment, to rent)

[PCDoc54]

Ok, I've decided the best way to handle this is to rent so that I'm there in town to look for a home to buy - I've found a place that looks pretty good, but I'd like to see if anyone on here knows the neighborhood and if there are any reasons I should NOT live there.

The place I've found is in Desert Gardens, off North Solano between Spruce and Hadley. I visited once and the area seemed ok at first glance. It's a gated community so that's some security. It looks to be well maintained although the streets aren't the greatest.

So ... good idea? Bad idea? Do any of you live there, or know someone who lives there?

[Deserterer]

I don't live there but I've been there, so let me put it this way. If your standards are such that Desert Gardens won't satisfy them, living in Las Cruces will probably be a fairly short and unhappy adventure for you.



To me it seems like a rather boring, homogenous, sterile and concrete-heavy environment but that's the price you pay for gated communities.

[PCDoc54]

I posted this same question on Facebook and Reddit in LC related groups and have been deluged with horror stories from people who have lived there or know people who lived there. Suffice it to say that Desert Gardens is off my list.

I still like the town, although I am put off by the stories of crime there. There is another gated community I saw on my last trip, on the edge of Mesilla. Trails West, which is far nicer, is a 55+ community, and is gated but not homogenous, sterile or concrete heavy. Unfortunately they don't rent so I would have to purchase in order to move there.

Maybe I should rent in Silver City or Alamogordo so I'm at least close enough to go see something if it goes on the market.

[mike0421]

Originally Posted by PCDoc54

I posted this same question on Facebook and Reddit in LC related groups and have been deluged with horror stories from people who have lived there or know people who lived there. Suffice it to say that Desert Gardens is off my list.

I still like the town, although I am put off by the stories of crime there. There is another gated community I saw on my last trip, on the edge of Mesilla. Trails West, which is far nicer, is a 55+ community, and is gated but not homogenous, sterile or concrete heavy. Unfortunately they don't rent so I would have to purchase in order to move there.

Maybe I should rent in Silver City or Alamogordo so I'm at least close enough to go see something if it goes on the market.

Are you looking for a house or an apartment as a possible alternative? It seems as if you are targeting mobile home pad spaces behind gates.

[Deserterer]

Originally Posted by PCDoc54

I posted this same question on Facebook and Reddit in LC related groups and have been deluged with horror stories from people who have lived there or know people who lived there. Suffice it to say that Desert Gardens is off my list.

I was actually thinking of a different place, and a better place, not a mobile home park. I've never been in DG.



Yes there is some crime in LC, though you aren't likely to be mugged or murdered unless you run with the wrong crowd, But property crime is what you get when people with money and property who don't need to work (but often do anyway, taking away more jobs) move into a town with little money and few good jobs.

There is another gated community I saw on my last trip, on the edge of Mesilla. Trails West, which is far nicer, is a 55+ community, and is gated but not homogenous, sterile or concrete heavy. Unfortunately they don't rent so I would have to purchase in order to move there.

You could see if someone would sublet to you there. I had an opportunity to rent a room from a smoker there once, and ran away as quickly as I could. The fact is things are very tough to find in LC now because of all the people like yourself flooding in, making it even harder for the people who live here and have to make a living with low pay, high rent and rocketing home prices.

[wilberry]

Trails West is much nicer. Dona Ana Country is one of the poorest in the nation. Several years ago Las Cruces was listed as the number one city under 100,000 in the county to retire. A lot of really nice homes were built in the area. So like others have said you have the town of Dona Ana and the poorest areas to the North. Then you have Mansions on the east mesa in the desert. Beautiful tree-lined streets here and there in Las Cruces and in old Mesilla. Farms, Ranches, The Farming and Ranch museum, ( where big Owls live in the rafters at the entrance )old Mesilla tourist area with all the cool restaurants. It's a strange mix of people, with no money, people with money, tourists, and students that go to the University. One of the best Motorcycle weekend rides on(NM 28 ) through The Pecan Trees. Great Weather all year round. ( Lots of wind though ) during the Dust storms. It seems to get more rain than EL Paso also.
BUT not an easy place to get settled in unless you Have enough money and you live in better areas. I worked from time to time at NASA in far east Las Cruces and Alamogordo is 45 mins away from Las Cruces the rent there is not too expensive. Holloman AFB and White Sands are near there also.
Like others have said property theft can be bad in some areas. I have rambled enough.

[mike0421]

Originally Posted by wilberry

Trails West is much nicer. Dona Ana Country is one of the poorest in the nation. Several years ago Las Cruces was listed as the number one city under 100,000 in the county to retire. A lot of really nice homes were built in the area. So like others have said you have the town of Dona Ana and the poorest areas to the North. Then you have Mansions on the east mesa in the desert. Beautiful tree-lined streets here and there in Las Cruces and in old Mesilla. Farms, Ranches, The Farming and Ranch museum, ( where big Owls live in the rafters at the entrance )old Mesilla tourist area with all the cool restaurants. It's a strange mix of people, with no money, people with money, tourists, and students that go to the University. One of the best Motorcycle weekend rides on(NM 28 ) through The Pecan Trees. Great Weather all year round. ( Lots of wind though ) during the Dust storms. It seems to get more rain than EL Paso also.
BUT not an easy place to get settled in unless you Have enough money and you live in better areas. I worked from time to time at NASA in far east Las Cruces and Alamogordo is 45 mins away from Las Cruces the rent there is not too expensive. Holloman AFB and White Sands are near there also.
Like others have said property theft can be bad in some areas. I have rambled enough.

Regarding Dona Ana County and its ranking as one the highest poverty in the nation, in terms of New Mexico, it is 22nd out of 33. Translated 1976th out of 3141 nationally, as it pertains to median household income. It's not one of the poorest in the nation, therefore, but, yes, in the lower 50th percentile.

[wilberry]

good to see Dona Ana county has improved over the last 20 years