Monday, October 12, 2009

So Why DO We Live in New Mexico?


Last week, my post called What We Tell the Tourists brought this response from JC:

My question is .. why did you move to New Mexico ?
I've been there 3 times. Always while driving to see Carlsbad Caverns .. nice to visit but I wouldn't want to stay.
Do you live in a big city ? I've heard that some of them are nice.
Inquiring ... people who have driven thru .. minds .. want to know?

I promised to write a post about why we chose to live here, but I had to think about it for a bit. First of all, to clear up a couple of JC's specific points:

My favorite part of the state is the northern half, so I understand JC's thoughts about the southeastern part where Carlsbad Caverns are located. I wouldn't want to live there either.

I live in a small city of about 32,000 in eastern New Mexico ("Little Texas") on the High Plains. It is way too conservative here for us and we have plans to move closer to Santa Fe.

For the rest of the reasons why we chose New Mexico (or why it chose us), here are my answers.

We came for:

The scenery and open spaces

The incredible skies and weather




The different cultures--ancient and not-so-ancient





The adobe (and faux adobe) architecture


The folk art


The amazing wildlife


... and the food, starting with green chiles

Put all of these things together and add the indefinable "enchantment of New Mexico" with a bit of "mañana" attitude, lack of traffic, sunny days, and I think you'll start to get the picture. At least I hope so, but if you have more questions, please ask away.

8 comments:

the7msn said...

Couldn't agree more. One of my motivators back in 1993 was "low cost of living," which is still sort of applicable. And we also have four seasons, but the winters aren't too cold.

JC said...

Lovely photos ...

I would enjoy living in a warmer climate but my H ... known as Mr. Boatman ... doesn't want to move.

My arthritis might convince him though ... to have a Winter place.

Thanks for the answer to my question ..

Mar-Bear said...

Very true and very well said. I liked it!

Laughing Orca Ranch said...

Your post makes me love New Mexico even more. We've called New Mexico our home for over 17 years and whenever I'm away, I can't wait to get back.

The air just feels different, doesn't it?

Funny story about New Mexico before we ended up moving here:

Before I was married I worked for the airlines and traveled every week. I'd often just pick someplace and fly there for a day or two on my days off.
The Florida beaches during the winter were a favorite.
One time, in January I decided to fly to Albuquerque to visit 'someplace warmer'. I figured I'd just spend a couple days lounging by the pool in the sunshine. Hah! When I called the hotel, they laughed and informed me that it was 30 degrees outside and they had just has 9" of snowfall the night before. lol!

Most folks picture New Mexico as only being hot all year or never getting snow, sort of like most of Arizona. I love that New Mexico has all 4 seasons.

~Lisa

Brenda's Arizona said...

Your photos SHOW why you live in N.M.! Thanks for posting such a variety.

nonizamboni said...

Well, you sold me on the skies alone, but then there's the folk art and food, oh my! But the best of all?: mañana.
BTW I loved Olive Kitteridge and Hens Dancing! I am sure we would be fast friends if we lived closer. Instead we'll have to be fast 'bloggy' friends. So much to share. Thanks for visiting me. I'll be back soon.

Val said...

Great review of NM's highlights!

Kcalpesh said...

Beautifully refreshing place and some really lovely photos that you've posted here in this post!

- Pixellicious Photos