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Considering moving to Farmington from Idaho. Why? To make a nice profit on the sale of our house as the ID real estate market is red hot, and to live in warmer, sunnier climate. I realize Farmington is also cold in the winter, though not as cold as ID and far more winter sun. I'm aware of the high crime statistics in Farmington and I've read the many threads on the area. I'm looking for feedback specific to the suitability of retiring in the area, e.g., the availability of quality health care services, safest areas of town or nearby areas, and experience of others who have retired in the area or locals who have retired? I visited Farmington this past fall and liked the area, particularly the region. My biggest concern is the extremely high crime stats, I've look at those numbers in detail.
My preference is to relocate to Alamogordo: much warmer, safer, smaller but not sure of the ability to buy there yet as the few houses that come on the market there sell fast! I've just made contact w/a realtor there. Farmington is a potential back-up plan. I've researched all other cities in NM (& have visited many) and have no interest in any except the two mentioned here.
I'll appreciate any information anyone can provide re Farmington as a retirement locale, pros/cons, etc.?
I don't know much about Farmington. I love it here in New Mexico (live near Albuquerque). What I do know is that Farmington has one of the best golf courses that I have ever played. That would be a good motivator for me to retire there.
I don't know much about Farmington either. A FB friend from high school lives east of Bloomfield (Alcatraz) on the waterfront facing the San Juan River and seems to enjoy it. Her dog has a blast playing in the river. Aztec strikes me as a nicer place to live than Farmington but it is just an impression from driving through the towns. The big advantage to me is that you would be close to Navajo State Park and to Durango and southern Colorado (Mesa Verde, Silverton, Pagosa Springs, etc.) in the warmer months for getaways but not have all that snow and high housing costs. Durango gets 70" or more of annual snowfall while Farmington gets about 12". I do not see the attraction of hot Alamogordo. IMO northern NM is just so much more appealing in terms of being close to nice places to visit in NM and in the surrounding states.
I spent a few days in Farmington for a conference several years ago. There was nothing there that made me want to go back. I couldn't imagine living there in retirement, I would feel too isolated. It is certainly not a "retirement destination" for anyone I've ever met.
It is an oil refinery town, and provides support to the oilfields. I've driven through Farmington several times, but not stayed/lived there. The chamber of commerce and city fathers can post lots of pretty pictures of downtown and cherry-picked houses, but there is nothing pretty about an oil refinery or businesses that sell pipe, drill units, or support those businesses. You should definitely visit there and the area around it. Shiprock, NM is just down the road and may open your eyes to the area too.
Visit it, multiple times, at different times of the year.
It is not pretty overall, having developed in what looks like anything-goes fashion. Common in this part of the country, not just Farmington or NM!!!!!
You are focused so much on price that you’re vulnerable to not seeing the tradeoffs for lower prices.
The usual "retirement destinations" in New Mexico are Santa Fe, Rio Rancho, Las Cruces, Ruidoso, Albuquerque, and sometimes T or C (Elephant Butte), Taos, Alamogordo, and Deming. I've never heard anyone ever utter the words "My dream is to retire in Farmington." But I think you should do it, sounds like you march to a different drummer, which is great.
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Farmington
