My boyfriend and I have a 5 year plan to move out of NJ and settle in New Mexico. Of course, we might head out there for a week, and try to get a feel where we would like to settle, but since this board has always brought me good advice, any where should we start looking other than Santa Fe and Albuquerque? Any towns with extensive gay communities?


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[ May 06, 2004, 12:23 PM: Message edited by: m1 ]

Hey,

I am a New Mexico native and let me say that there really aren't that many gay communities that I am aware of besides Santa Fe and Albuquerque. There are some suburb towns that you may want to consider when you visit:

Outside Santa Fe:

Tesuque
Nambe
Madrid
Cerrillos

Outside Albuquerque
Placitas
Tijeras
Cedar Crest

These are more artist type communities or areas where gay couples live as opposed to gay communities...

Santa Fe has a larger number of lesbian couples than Albuquerque...

That's my opinion, but it should be noted that I am not that active in the gay community here in the state, so there may be some area that is just bursting with pride, that I am totally unfamiliar with...

Let me know if I can help you out further...

Allen

Just curious, Jeffrey3410 -- Why New Mexico? Not that there's anything wrong with NM, quite the contrary. But I'm wondering why you're making long-term plans to move to a state that it seems you are not very familiar with.

If I were looking for a mild climate with close proximity to skiing, I would definitely head to NM. However I must admit I found Albuquerque kinda boring when I visited there. Well, there is that mountain on the edge of town for hiking or skiing. Santa Fe is interesting for the history, the art galleries, the artists, and the liberal bent that goes along with that. And again, the skiing.

If you've ever been to NM, then you must know of one of its greatest benefits -- the green chiles. There's something about the fresh, locally grown green chiles. They really are addictive.

Hi Maxallen
Our top 3 choices of states to move to are Nevada, Arizona or New Mexico. We want space, and at the same, hot weather, and some areas in NM I heard have 4 seasons, and hoping it has lower cost of living compared to NJ, NY. I am sensing that it is not as conservative unlike NC, SC (but I COULD BE WRONG :>) . We are still on the very early stages of planning. We've done a lot to fix up our house for good resale value, and we're doing more just to make sure we get the most out of it when the time comes. NM just stood out at the moment, and we'll be doing more research where to move. I am from CA before I moved to NJ, and didn't know jack sh%t about the NE, and managed to survive, and I am an immigrant so packing and moving is something I can do, but I have a boyfriend in tow now so we're doing a slow and calculating. But 2 years from now, it may no longer NM... but thanks for the info and POV given...it would definitely help in the long run.

Jeffrey,

If you wanna get outta Jersey, I guess NM wouldnt be bad but its gonna be a bit of a culture shock. I lived in NJ (raised in Monmouth County), then NC (Greensboro and Chapel Hill), now Dallas TX. All take some getting used to.

I have heard that Santa Fe has become rather gay friendly, and I think they now have the 1st gay old folks community/home in the country. Think they had the most gay couples in the census in the country last go around too, outside of San Francisco.

If you want to be out in the boondocks and not bothered by anyone, New Mexico would be a good bet for you. And hot in the Southwest is not the word. BLAZING is more like it. Ive only been to NM once, and that was on a drive from Dallas TX to Cimmaron NM in the summer. Now that is the middle of nowhere! But once you got up to Cimmaron it was really pretty and had some mountains. Had a herd of buffalo and everything.

If you're really looking for heat, Santa Fe and Albuquerque are too high up. Unfortunately, the other towns in New Mexico are too small to have much of a gay life...maybe Alamogordo or Socorro might, since they have universities, but I wouldn't count on it.

You might consider El Paso. It's big enough that it has some gay life, but it's still pretty conservative socially (though solidly democrat politically). El Paso would be a hell of a culture shock, though. San Antonio might also be worth considering. It's not really desert, but it gets plenty of sunshine. Austin is much more liberal, but also pricier.

Compared to New York/North Jersey area, the towns of the central valley of California would be cheaper as well, though in general, I've heard they are staid and conservative. There might be an exception, though--anybody know? Hell, even the Riverside/San Bernadino area is probably cheaper than New York/North Jersey.

I spent 4 years of college in New Mexico and loved it. I still go back there a couple times a year.
In Albuquerquem there seem to be some small faint signs of a gay neighborhood taking place in Albuquerque. On my last trip there, a few weeks ago, due to road construction, I had to take a detour to the airport. I passed through a neat little area with a number of pride flags hanging from the homes. A saw some interesting couples out walking their dogs.
In Santa Fe there are vast numbers of gay couples that just seem to blend in to the crowd.
To me either city is very tolerant even back in the 60s when I was in college. I had my first gay encounter in Albuquerque.
I have thought about possibly getting a small vacation home for possible retirement there.
One does get more bang for thhe buck in real estate in Albuquerque than Santa Fe. The views of the river, city and mountains in Albuquerque is just awesome from the west mesa. The weather is awesome too, especially coming from cold, damp, snowy winters.

Just make sure to take your passport.

To quote Homer J. Simpson (from an rerun that aired last night): "There's a NEW Mexico???"

Dangit... you stole my line!

I have lived in Albuquerque for six years now. I always thought I would move back to Florida, but it has never happened. I always thought I would leave the green chile to locals, but now it something I add to most Mexican dishes.
I bought my first house four years ago here in Albuquerque, so I guess I am here to stay. The climate is ideal, and yes, we have occasionally snow-capped mountains here also. I consider this town home now, something I probably never imagined saying.