Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
So in my never-ending-yet-ending-soon quest to figure out where to live, my beady eyes have turned to the small town of Los Alamos. My read from previous threads/the interwebs is that it's a small but stable mountain town dominated by lab employees with great schools, very limited nightlife, and mid-upper houses that fly off the market, but largely date from at least the 80s.
Me: lived in ABQ, 3kids, wife, work at home, can transfer my job to mostly anywhere in the country, currently live in small Colorado town at 8500 feet with only 3 months of no freezing temperatures which and is very religious/conservative. Schools here are decent enough, but not great like los Alamos. I like the los alamos location due to proximity to ABQ, Santa Fe, the rio Chama and rio grande, and Durango, co. I liked living in abq, have friends there, love the food. Don't like the density and schools and I'm a small Town dude at heart. Love that los alamos has a highly educated populace.
So any huge red flags or concentrating? Environmental concerns have been noted. Wonder about data on cancer rates. Spent a lot of time in Durango where there was lots of uranium mining/processing (they allegedly used uranium tailings for road grade/backfill), so I'm sort of familiar with the overall risks.
How about stores? I see it has grocery stores but any able to assess their scope. Like there's s smiths something store, but I don't know if that is equivalent to the smiths chain they have in ABQ. It would be nice yeti gave a better sense of how often one would have to girl to Santa Fe to do major shopping, etc. I anticipate spending a lot of time eating my brains out in Santa Fe anyway though. 😍
Are there cool funky shops/ hangeouts or good local joints for food or drink?
Los Alamos does have great schools and educated people. It is short on charm, or anything "cool and funky". There are some decent places to eat (but not many). I live in ABQ and drive through Los Alamos infrequently, so I'm not the best one to comment.
I read recently about a new restaurant that had good reviews, called Pig & Fig Cafe, so the last time I was driving through Los Alamos I stopped in for lunch. It had all the charm of a laboratory lunch room. And the food was just OK. I remember thinking, This is typical of Los Alamos, almost everything is function over form or style. An institutional feel pervades the town. You will be going to Santa Fe frequently for aesthetic relief.
The Pyramid Cafe has good Middle Eastern food. And the Smith's looks like a typical Smith's from the outside but I haven't been in it.
Los Alamos does have great schools and educated people. It is short on charm, or anything "cool and funky". There are some decent places to eat (but not many). I live in ABQ and drive through Los Alamos infrequently, so I'm not the best one to comment.
I read recently about a new restaurant that had good reviews, called Pig & Fig Cafe, so the last time I was driving through Los Alamos I stopped in for lunch. It had all the charm of a laboratory lunch room. And the food was just OK. I remember thinking, This is typical of Los Alamos, almost everything is function over form or style. An institutional feel pervades the town. You will be going to Santa Fe frequently for aesthetic relief.
The Pyramid Cafe has good Middle Eastern food. And the Smith's looks like a typical Smith's from the outside but I haven't been in it.
Thank you. I went thru los alamos as a child and remember it for being so unremarkable. Looks like some things never change.
I wonder to what extent the management structure overlaps the munipal governemt? My guess is a lot, but since I don't work for the lab, nor have interest in running for city government so guess I I don't care.
I've also considered the much more funky corrales (if I want super funky maybe I'll do Madrid). But I love n New Mexico and los alamos' proximity to much of the best of it. ,
Los Alamos is a company town. It just happens to be a company that employes very bright people earning six figures. The town is pretty institutional in appearance and feel, not unlike a small town that has as its root a military base (and as a military brat I know from whence I speak). Smith's built a brand new store recently, and it's very nice. There's also some sort of an independent home/lumber store there, and I think a True Value or Ace Hardware. Anything more than that and you'll need to go to Santa Fe (45 minutes) or Espanola (30 minutes).
The schools are excellent, and it is my understanding that much socializing revolves around the kids' activities. There really isn't much in the way of restaurants or cool hangouts. At any given time there are maybe 2-3 interesting restaurants in town, and you should be prepared for them to close down and reopen as something else some time later.
You're correct about the housing stock. It is what it is. Not much character, but if you have kids and need a big house with a lot of bedrooms, you'll be able to find one.
The hospital and doctors are good. I have a friend who lives in Santa Fe but had both of her babies in Los Alamos -- she preferred the care there.
I've always thought of the community of White Rock as being a great alternative to living in Los Alamos proper. Has the feel of a more normal subdivision with none of the latter's sterility. And sensational views!
I've always thought of the community of White Rock as being a great alternative to living in Los Alamos proper. Has the feel of a more normal subdivision with none of the latter's sterility. And sensational views!
Can you tell me if white rock is in los alamos school district? Looks like it, but I can't confirm
That's what I meant by "it has the feel of a normal subdivision." There are a few of the usual businesses serving the community. Smith's grocery, a hardware store, service station, motel, etc. Doubt if it's big enough for a Walmart yet(?).
That's what I meant by "it has the feel of a normal subdivision." There are a few of the usual businesses serving the community. Smith's grocery, a hardware store, service station, motel, etc. Doubt if it's big enough for a Walmart yet(?).
Joqua thanks for info. I thought white rock had literally zero stores, so a Smiths is huge. I'll be driving thru in the next few weeks so I'll be sure to check it out
Joqua thanks for info. I thought white rock had literally zero stores, so a Smiths is huge. I'll be driving thru in the next few weeks so I'll be sure to check it out
There's a little shopping center in White Rock just down the highway from the fancy new Los Alamos County visitor's center where people park to take the bus into Bandelier National Monument. Looks like there are a couple restaurants (including the aforementioned pig & fig) and a convenience store as well as the Smith's.
For nightlife/entertainment in Los Alamos proper, NM's microbrewing boom has arrived in the form of this place. No idea if the beers are any good or not, but definitely worth a look. Los Alamos was also the first place in the state chosen for Smith's new in-store bar concept, so if enjoying a beer or glass of wine while you shop for groceries is your thing, they've got you covered.
As others have indicated, there's not much in town that would qualify as "funky" and as far as I know, other major attractions are limited to a few restaurants, a good, brand-new historical museum. and a nature center. Most other recreation opportunities in town are of the outdoor variety, and fortunately there are lots of those: Bandelier, Tsankawi, the Valles Caldera, etc.
As far as cancer or other health risks go, you certainly hear stories. Several friends who have worked on the grounds at LANL have told me there are numerous sites on the lab where radioactive materials were disposed of during the early years that are, shall we say, not remotely up to modern standards. These sites are contained and closely monitored, but there's not a ton they can do with them at this point. After the Cerro Grande forest fire in 2000 burned several lab facilities as well as numerous houses and other structures in town, there was a lot of anxiety in the media that runoff from summer thunderstorms coming off the burned area would sweep up radioactive or otherwise toxic material and pull it into canyons and arroyos running through populated areas; I remember reading about at least one or two tests that identified slightly elevated radiation levels, but nothing seems to have come of it to date. The areas burned by Cerro Grande and the later Conchas fire are still largely denuded and flood-prone, though, so there remains some possibility that a big storm could cause flooding that would bring material into town...
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
