Potential destination: LAS VEGAS, NEW MEXICO

[JJohnston015]

There really is a Las Vegas in New Mexico. I swear. It's not quite an hour north of Santa Fe, 2 hours north of Albuquerque on I-25.

I've got a job prospect there, and I'm in need of experiences, opinions, etc. for my pro/con list. Right now I'm in Bakersfield, PDRK.

The job's similar, so call that a wash, except I'd be giving up 12 years of seniority.

Pay's lower, but so are taxes and the cost of living, so call that a wash, too.

Albuquerque's my home town, and my family's there, but they're holding down the fort just fine without me.

I posted a thread a while back wherein I said I had turned down a job in Roswell, NM because that town was so horrible (I mean depressing! ). I got some pretty strong replies to the effect that any reason to get out of PDRK is a good one, and the worst town outside is better than the best one inside. Problem is, Bakersfield/Kern County is the last pro-rights stronghold, and it really isn't too bad. So humor me - pretend it's possible I'm not crazy. This wouldn't even be an issue if I were still stuck in the bay area.

So who's from that neck of the woods? What can you tell me about it? People, what's going on, places to shoot, good/bad areas, land prices, etc. Anything you can tell me about it would be appreciated.

 

[Andrew Wyatt]

holy crap. you're from Bakersfield, too?


How many kern county people do we have here, anyway?

 

[resmeth]

I live in Los Lunas (just south of Alb), and have been to LV NM a few times. Why only a few, well there is nothing there. It is a pretty little town and not to far from some good scenery and alright fishing. But if you turned down a job in Roswell I doubt that LV will float your boat any more. I don't know the exact size but I would guess that it is at least half of Roswell in population. It is close to Santa Fe and within reasonable driving distance to Alb. for weekend trips (commuting daily would suck). I don't know what you are looking for but I would definately visit any town and get the feel before taking a job and relocating there. If you have family local, have them scope things out for you, there know you better than us.
Best of luck.
RES

 

[KMKeller]

I grew up in Clayton, NM (northeast of LV), lived in Albuquerque, Bosque Farms, Clovis and Roswell. We used to play West Las Vegas (The Dons) in football.

Las Vegas is in a pretty arid region of NM. Definitely high desert and while there's not much there, you're close to some pretty decent areas of forested mountains. The economy there is slightly depressed and there are definitely good and bad areas within Las Vegas, so choose carefully.

New Mexico has a lot to offer you, but Las Vegas isn't a whole bunch different than Roswell. Just a bit higher in elevation.

 

[F4GIB]

RED DAWN was filmed there. It looks like a depressing small town.

 

[KMKeller]

See for yourself:
http://www.lasvegasnewmexico.com/

 

[JJohnston015]

Can you be more specific on the good & bad areas, KMKeller?

 

[KMKeller]

Unfortunately no. I don't have enough time in LV to be able to give you anything definitive, but I do know that the farther away you get from I-25, the better off you are.

 

[geojap]

These guys may not like Las Vegas, NM, but I can give it a good vote.

I went thru there about 5 years ago when I was taking my VW camper up to Colorado on one of my summers off from college. It is a small town, but it has a lot of character. Much more than Roswell. There are a few bars, restaurants, hotels, outfitters and other businesses in Las Vegas. I would bet it will grow because other towns in the area (Angelfire, Taos, Santa Fe, Madrid) are very popular, so it would seem that growth and tourist hoardes will someday catch up to Las vegas. I would live in Las Vegas but never in Roswell, Gallup, Clovis, Fort Sumner, etc. They are flat low-country desert places.

Las Vegas is at the foothills of the Rockies and it's very picturesque there. Pine trees, low mountains, and all the crazy New Mexico-mountain people you would ever want. If you like outdoors activities, there is a ton of it. Mountain biking, fishing, hiking, camping, rafting down the Rio Grande gorge, etc. You can take your car (4x4 hopefuuly) into the BLM or National Forest land and drive for days on the trails and road back in the mountains. There are some hot springs on the side of a road next to an international university on a road a mile or two out of town that I went to. While there, I talked to an interesting, crazy, one-legged Indian (I'm not making this up) about hiking in the woods and how nobody listened to the music from the streams anymore. He told me that one big plateau we could see was the face of one of the seven sleeping giants in the world. Crazy stuff. Other bigger cities that I'm sure you are familiar with aren't too far away. New Mexico is a very gun-friendly state too. Handgun carry in cars for self-defense purposes is legal.

Given the choice, I would move there. Remember it's a small town and you can't make party like you would in Albuquerque but you can still drive there. Since you live in Kaliforniastan, for that reason alone I would move to NM. You would be able to buy an AK and have all sorts of new freedoms.

That area (the high country in New Mexico) and Southwestern Colorado is my favorite place in the US. There are lots of interesting people to meet (mountain people are a little crazy), lots of good bars to go to, lots of great scenery, hiking and places to explore.

Whatever you do, good luck.

 

[Erich]

Las Vegas, NM has its charm.

The West side is the bad side - flat out. I can't tell you much about specific neighborhoods, but as a criminal law practitioner who sees cases out of Vegas, I can tell you that.

There are lots of old Victorian houses in LV from the old railroad money that made the town a big deal in the late 1800s. Remember the Rough Riders? Most of them from Vegas. Anyway, you can get a neat old house for relatively cheap. I grew up in the Midwest where there are some terrific Victorians; I'd say the ones in Vegas are a little shabbier (not as well kept up), but still nifty.

The place, like Silver City about 10 years ago, is starting to have more of a cultural scene. It certainly is a decent small town, and the mountains are lovely. You might also look at some of the communities in the hills between SF and Vegas as a place to live . . . folks I know from Rowe have nice things to say about it. Pecos is probably a little too far toward SF.

Definitely stay at the Plaza Hotel if you go check the place out. Shoot, drop me a PM and we can have lunch as you go thru ABQ or SF.

 

[Standing Wolf]

I spent the night in Las Vegas, New Mexico a little over a year ago on my way from the People's Republic of California back to the United States. I stayed in a hell hole motel on the main drag, but enjoyed an excellent meal in an inn about two blocks away. There didn't seem to be much town in the town, but it was clean and quiet and airy. I'll stop at the inn next time I'm down that way.

 

[JJohnston015]

Thanks for the tips. Wish me luck!

 

[Augustwest]

I would bet it will grow because other towns in the area (Angelfire, Taos, Santa Fe, Madrid)

Madrid's a funny little town.

Only been through Las Vegas, never spent any time there, so can't be of help.

But this thread seals the deal on my pulling one of the few remaining bags of last year's green chile out of the freezer and slathering it all over whatever's for dinner. Time to have more fresh chiles shipped out.

Now if someone in Western CT made sopapillas, I'd be golden.

 

[mushoot]

Whooo Hooo. Lots of opinions, everyone has one. I lived there for 6 years when I went to college 65-68 and 72-74. The time out being military. I spend every summer up there, except for this one - medical. The town is 80% hispanic and very Democrat. Clean air, nice mountains etc. etc. Wal Mart is where it is at, that is all they have. Ludys on the west side is good also but not as cheap. I have good friends there, both anglo and hispanic. If you are anglo and want to work there you will be discriminated against, it is just the way things are. I get along fine up there because I do not work there. John

 

[Dave T]

If you are anglo and want to work there you will be discriminated against...

My sister lived in Santa Fe and Albq. for a total of 17 years. Every time we traveled to/visited Las Vegas I felt so much anamosity I thought I was back in uniform trying to arrest some scum bag in a trailer park full of his friends.

It is beautiful country and has an interesting history ( Victorian rail road town). Maybe it has changed since I was there, but I liked Roswell better. YMMV!

 

[Drifting Fate]

If I lived in Bakersfield, and I was offered a job ANYWHERE in AZ or NM, I think I would be out the door without bothering to pack my bags.

Besides, Santa Fe and ABQ are fairly close. Some pretty country up there.

 

[Bill Adair]

DJJ,

This thread brought back some memories.

We used to drive through Las Vegas NM several times a year, traveling between Holloman AFB (near Alamogordo NM), and Denver CO. That was almost thirty years ago, but I doubt things have changed much.

Very nice country, but typical small town where everyone knows their neighbors, and you have to earn recognition and respect from the locals.

There was a well known Mexican restaurant (Rialto?) near the college campus, that was well worth the visit. Our four kids loved to stop there, and we could actually afford the delicious food.

Best bet, is to take a few days off, and fly into Albuquerque, rent a car, and stay in LV for a few days. If you itemize taxes, you can write the trip off to relocation expenses.

Good luck.

Bill

 

[Jeff OTMG]

I thought it was a nice quaint town when I was there, but that was in 1975 and was the last time I was there. I went for a cattle drive. A friend of a friend has a 35000 acre ranch north of there and needed to round up the beeves and move them to a different pasture. Good area to shoot also since it is so sparsely populated.

 

[Art Eatman]

Never spent a lot of time in LV, but I've been through there a number of times. It always struck me as a good base of operations for somebody who's into hunting and fishing. And, it's a scenic run over to Taos on Hwy 3. The people I met there seemed friendly enough...

Art