My retirement story

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Well..I think I found my perfect retirement town..

Las Cruces, New Mexico

I went there this past weekend and did some real estate hunting..and that place is nice..reasonably priced homes and low taxes (at least right now) Weather is perfect...I plan on doing the move in 3 years once I get this place here in OKC all paid off and caught up on bills, etc...Here is a picture of the type of house I'm looking at there....But there is a lot available right now..hope it's that way in 3 years.

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More pictures of the place..
http://www.markstpaul.com/index.php?page_id=223
 
Excellent choice, my friend! We looked hard at Las Cruces before we ended up where we are. In the end it finally came down to being close to family. But there are still days that I think Las Cruces would have been the perfect place. :)
 
XL-entLady said:
Excellent choice, my friend! We looked hard at Las Cruces before we ended up where we are. In the end it finally came down to being close to family. But there are still days that I think Las Cruces would have been the perfect place. :)
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Thanks Lady..that's all I needed to hear to cinch it..you made up my mind for me..:)
 
Well buster you won't have to spend much time mowing the grass! I built a house in the middle of a Pea Field one time, no trees no shade it was hot as Hades in the summer and I swore that would never happen again. Nice house though I love that Spanish/Mediterranean look and a great view of the mountains!!:D
 
nnuut said:
Well buster you won't have to spend much time mowing the grass! I built a house in the middle of a Pea Field one time, no trees no shade it was hot as Hades in the summer and I swore that would never happen again. Nice house though I love that Spanish/Mediterranean look and a great view of the mountains!!:D
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I looked at Phoenix, Las Vegas...But all them places was TOO hot and TOO crowded…This place has an Average high temp of 95. Lots of trees...has a lot of Pecan orchards around too...also known for the Chili farms too...So like I said, Perfect weather and great desert scenery.

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Buster said:
Well..I think I found my perfect retirement town..

Las Cruces, New Mexico
Click to expand...

Las Cruces shows up on many top places to retire lists lately. The weather is certainly better than OKC, but in the spring be prepared to batten the hatches for the wind.....and plenty of spectacular thunderstorms during the monsoon season (July/August), but never any tornados you'll be happy to know...no blizzards, no floods, no earthquakes, no hurricanes... You'll also learn all about xeriscaping but that can be quite attractive and very low maintenance. I've lived up I-25 from Las Cruces in ABQ for 6 years now and personally like what the bigger city has to offer better. Here's a short list of some of my very top to-do's in New Mexico if you do come here...and I think 3 years from now is perfect timing since the real estate market should be hitting rock bottom...

- Have lunch at The Lodge (Conrad Hilton's very first hotel) in Cloudcroft, and get the Monte Cristo sandwich. I seriously want to take the 4-hour drive down there again just for that sandwich! http://www.thelodge.com Don't miss The Inn of the Mountain Gods, an Apache resort/casino near Ruidoso in that same area.
- Take "The Catwalk" hike, about 30 miles NW of Silver City, the best (and easy) hike in New Mexico. http://www.gilawilderness.com/travel/index.html
- If you go to Carlsbad Caverns, don't wimp out and take the elevator down, take the spiraling asphalt path straight down (and down, and down) to the bottom. Your thighs will hate you but it's worth it.
- The best drive in the state in my opinion, is a loop drive from Albuquerque, through Santa Fe, up to Los Alamos then west from there up through the Jemez Mountains. Your jaw will drop at the amazing variety of scenery on this easy loop drive, from the pinon pine high deserts, to blue spruce alpine meadows, to red rock canyons...from Los Alamos (one of the richest per-capita towns in America), to the Jemez Pueblo (one of the poorest, but full of happy and spirited native Americans), red rock canyons, waterfalls, a gorgous alpine fly fishing stream for miles by the road, a huge volcanic caldera http://www.vallescaldera.gov/ with elk grazing, hot springs.... The Laughing Lizard in Jemez Springs is the best place to stop for a bite to eat. http://www.thelaughinglizard.com/
- Other little-known gems; Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument near Albuquerque http://www.blm.gov/nm/st/en/prog/recreation/rio_puerco/kasha_katuwe_tent_rocks.html
the "bat cave" near Grants, go in August, sit on a rock at sunset and experience thousands of bats flying out of a small cave right in front of you, they flitter by inches from your face and yet you feel no fear, just amazement; La Ventana Arch near Grants; Bandalier National Monument...

Lot's to do in New Mexico, there's more than dirt here, but it takes lots of driving to see it all. People are also surprised by the weather. In my 6 years here in Albuquerque the highs have never exceeded 99, and early morning winter lows never below 10 (but it's always so dry it doesn't feel that hot or cold....chapstick sells well here).
 
New Mexico is a great place to retire - I wanted to move there except the job market just isn't that good. Luckily you won't have to worry about that. BTW, check the altitude on anywhere in New Mexico, there are some very pleasant places that have thinner air that you would think. Went hiking with a bottle of Perrier, and when I opened it for a drink it did a geyser all over me (not the way I wanted to get cool - luckily it was water). In addition the thin air gave me a headache for two days. New Mexico, contrary to popular belief, is not flat.
 
Tsunami said:
Las Cruces shows up on many top places to retire lists lately. The weather is certainly better than OKC, .
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Thanks a lot Tsunami and SB...Great to know info...Also I'll get to really use my Hummer for nice off road excursions..
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Great looking place Buster,

We always thought about moving to the Southwest, but too much family back here and I think I would miss the green, but I would sure love the scenery and desolation. Good Luck finding that dream retirement home. :D

CB
 
Buster don't forget to get a POOL with that long summer you'll love it!!:D The girls love a pool! smileydance.gif
 
My Retirement UPDATE (in case anyone cares)

As you may have noticed, my departure time went from 33 days to 63 days..well,
I have postponed my retirement 30 days, because my Management needed me to stay and help finish a project that is requiring my expertise..So I agreed..I get another day of "use or lose sick leave" which I'll use this Monday..I still will have 5 more days to burn up yet...And I get another 2 days of Annual I'll be able to sell them back..So it's all good and I will be able to go out at the end of a pay period with a full 80 hours..So July 2nd is my get out Dodge date now..:worried:
 
Buster said:
My Retirement UPDATE (in case anyone cares)

As you may have noticed, my departure time went from 33 days to 63 days..well,
I have postponed my retirement 30 days, because my Management needed me to stay and help finish a project that is requiring my expertise..So I agreed..I get another day of "use or lose sick leave" which I'll use this Monday..I still will have 5 more days to burn up yet...And I get another 2 days of Annual I'll be able to sell them back..So it's all good and I will be able to go out at the end of a pay period with a full 80 hours..So July 2nd is my get out Dodge date now..:worried:
Click to expand...
WAIT...I have to catch my breath......

You are an "Expert" on a project at work? If so, WHY IS IT NOT DONE YET?:laugh:

You're such a softie!
 
And Buster, when you go to lunch at the Lodge in Cloudcroft say hello to Rebecca, the residence ghost. Yea, really. They have a porcelain face in the lobby that is supposedly a representation of what she looks like. Very cool place. Each room is decorated in different antiques and they have real feather beds.

I had to stay there for work one time. It was a dirty job but someone had to do it.
 
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