Moving in the next 3-4 months and New Mexico is at the top of the list. Suggestions? (Albuquerque: cheap apartment, crime)
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While it has been a long time since I have been to New Mexico(well over a decade) I absolutely loved it while I was there. I've decided that it is well past time for a change in scenery and lifestyle and I would really love to return and start a new life in NM, and even work to better myself even further. I'll explain that further down. Here is my situation.
Personality; Quiet, and a bit anxious to new environments but quickly adaptable after a week or so. Can, and just about have lived in every possible living environment.
Moving plan; Minimalist approach! Not kidding when I say a complete restart. Basically whatever I can stuff into my car and go. For the record I have lived a minimalist style for a while now; if it's something I don't use at least weekly it doesn't stay around.
Education; Here is where things may become difficult. Only have a high school education which may make finding a job that sustains the food, water, and shelter thing a bit tougher. Having said that I do desire to further my education so being within driving distance of a university would be great.
Housing; Relatively inexpensive. How inexpensive? $600 or less would be great. Take into account of the aforementioned minimalist approach, so I don't need a lot of space. Crime is everywhere, so that's not an issue, just as long as it's not in a neighborhood where I come out to start my car and wonder where my tires have gone.
Employment; My education does limit how many jobs I can get that pay modestly. I understand that, but how difficult will it be?
Why am I moving?; Several reasons. I live in an area that is not only very rural, but was hit pretty hard by the recession. Things are pretty well dried up here. There place I work now is one of the better paying places in the area, but it is also a place that is likely(and becoming more likely) to close. I could move closer to one of the bigger cities(Phili, Pittsburgh, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Harrisburg), but I've also become very tired of the climate here as well. Seasons run in extremes here, and while there was a time I liked winters "that horse has long since left the barn" as they say. I'm looking for a warm, yet drier environment and it seem that most areas in NM definitely fit the bill.
So based on what I've explained, any suggestions? Where would be a good place to look? Albuquerque(and outlying areas like Los Lunas) seem to be sound options from what I've researched thus far. Any tips? Possible windfalls I should look out for? Any kind of feedback would be great.
You should research Las Cruces. In either case (Albq or L.C.) you're going to be best off finding work in the two largest cities. Las Cruces currently has a more vital economy than Albq (IMO) and is close enough to much larger El Paso so there is little difference in climate and a combined huge labor pool. Cost of living is also lower in the L.C. / E. P. area.
Almost HALF the population of New Mexico, lives within an hours drive of Albuquerque.
So you have to figure, THAT is where the Lions-share of the jobs are?
Almost HALF the population of New Mexico, lives within an hours drive of Albuquerque.
So you have to figure, THAT is where the Lions-share of the jobs are?
Steve
True, although I will confess that Las Cruces has a bit more appeal due to a smaller population. I will admit that I qualify for being labeled a "bumpkin" and Albuquerque feels like it might be a bit overwhelming to me. On the same note I do have to think about where would be a better fit for employment. The plus side appears that both cities have colleges, so when I do want to further my education the opportunities are there.
I will say, you can get a cheap apartment in Alamogordo, there is a campus there to further your education, and I didn't find crime to be a problem while I was there.
Cheap apartment - Alamoapartments.net And there are other places without websites and I don't know what the pricing is, but that one is cheap, and even has a nice pool and is in a nice location also!
The college campus is down the road on the other corner of town, maybe ten minutes, if that. You have walmart, down the road from alamo apartments in the other direction, again 5-10 min drive. Wanna cool off, cloudcroft is a quick drive into the mountains. El Paso, Las Cruces, Ruidoso, all fairly close... .75-1.5 hr drives.
Can't speak much for employment in the area though. You'd have to look into that more through someone else. But other than that, I'd say it's a good spot.
Good luck!
I will say, you can get a cheap apartment in Alamogordo, there is a campus there to further your education, and I didn't find crime to be a problem while I was there.
Cheap apartment - Alamoapartments.net And there are other places without websites and I don't know what the pricing is, but that one is cheap, and even has a nice pool and is in a nice location also!
The college campus is down the road on the other corner of town, maybe ten minutes, if that. You have walmart, down the road from alamo apartments in the other direction, again 5-10 min drive. Wanna cool off, cloudcroft is a quick drive into the mountains. El Paso, Las Cruces, Ruidoso, all fairly close... .75-1.5 hr drives.
Can't speak much for employment in the area though. You'd have to look into that more through someone else. But other than that, I'd say it's a good spot.
Good luck!
Interesting. I did not know they had a campus there. That's something I will look into. Thank you!!
Job prospects I will have to look into, of course. I'll check and see if they have an online newspaper. I could commute too if push came to shove. Thankfully, I do have a car that's pretty good on gas.
Thanks again for the feedback everyone!! The more I know the better, so thanks for any info you can offer.
Interesting. I did not know they had a campus there. That's something I will look into. Thank you!!
Alamogordo has a branch campus of NMSU (Las Cruces). By the same token, if you like small town living with less opportunity for good jobs, there is the main campus of ENMU in Portales with branches in Roswell and Ruidoso. There are also a small colleges in Las Vegas and Silver City and branch campuses and 2-yr community colleges in the Taos/SF area.
The small town that is forecast to boom soon is Hobbs, with the announcement of the laboratory city to be built near there.
10 years experience with assisting individuals with mental and physical disabilities. I will confess that I am looking to change fields, however, as it is quite stressful and due to the fact that it is a field not well funded(sadly)makes finding jobs in that field that pay decently rather difficult.
Also based on what I've heard about Silver City and Las Vegas, I'm not sure they are options I'd look at. Silver City sounds like it is on the pricy side, and Las Vegas sounds like it has a significant crime problem. To be fair this is what I've heard from word of mouth, so it's possible those issues are exaggerated.
Silver City sounds like it is on the pricy side, and Las Vegas sounds like it has a significant crime problem.
They are exaggerated. Look up the stats.
SC is a great town IMO... best climate in NM, and next to the best mountain/wilderness area (currently on fire!). Getting a job is always iffy... you'll probably have to hustle for minimum wage if you don't want to use your skills. NM is a low wage state in general.
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