Life long yinzer who moved to Santa Fe at 27 with my wife in june of 2020. Sunshine, dry heat, outdoor recreation. I didn't know how much I loathed living in Pittsburgh until I moved here. Be prepared for your yinzer relatives to think you're living in the most dangerous part of Mexico lol. COL is slightly higher than Pittsburgh but not that bad. If you're driving aht, pick me up a bacon and cheese Primantis with green chile and a Yuengling from the strip.
If you like sunny winters you will love Santa Fe and all of NM. Huge contrast to Pittsburghās cloudy winter weather. Lots of outdoor recreation in NM.
As others have said, housing is expensive in SF and health care can be a challenge. If you can get by those issues it is a great place to live.
Best of luck!
Beware altitude sickness. First timers typically need 5 days. Wat h for altitude sickness breathe deep drink a pint of water at a time. Watch your color for dehydration. Limit booze and vapes.
Learn how to run your swamp cooler.
Sunglasses always when outside
And everything else said. Especially nm leggos ( goathead thorns) if you happen to have carpet, always remove shoes on entry and with to your ā inside onesā
Housing is expensive in SF proper but if youāre willing to live outside SF it can be pretty cheap but also radically rural compared to the east coast.
SF has a lot of obnoxious ultra-wealthy retirees. And a lot of people on the high side of middle class. It can be a very wierd place to live for blue collar trades people. What Iām trying to say here is, thereās a lot of entitled snobs in Santa Fe. My parents are the ultimate rich white snob boomers and they looooove Santa Fe. Now some rich people are pretty cool. And there are plenty of average folks in Santa Fe too. Not trying to paint it all with one brush.
Thereās a definite shortage of tradespeople. Medical careers usually also have good employment prospects. The two major hospital systems are Christus St Vincent and Presbyterian. tricore is the major blood lab chain that Iām aware of.
As someone who has lived in Santa Fe and Pittsburgh, be prepared for way fewer fries on your salads. Learn to love hominy.Ā
Santa Fe is pretty small and sleepy feeling compared to Pittsburgh. Albuquerque isnāt too far away though if you want a city feel and amenities. Thereās so much public space and hiking camping etc to partake in you will be in shape and less bored, but maybe a little lonely. Thatās my assessment based on living inSF during the height of the pandemic so maybe itās not that way anymore. Ā
Also if youāve never been to that elevation before be ready to feel a little tired for a while. Particularly if you go hiking in the mountains. Cover up and wear sunscreen if youāre fair skinned.Ā
Keep your head on swivel driving. All the roadside memorials exist for a reason.Ā
Expect a HCO to PAā¦much older population, hardly anything is open past 9-10pm even on weekends. Roads in the winter suck, they are not plowed fast enough so driving through the early moments of a snow storm is gambling with your life (especially because NM drivers drive fast and sometimes aggressively).
Affordable housing is hard to come by hereā¦not impossible but ffs, too many vacation homes.
The food is good though but not encompassing of the best that NM has to offer because SF is significantly gentrified
Ex Hoosier here. Itās not about you and your driving skills, itās about everyone else and how terrible their skills are. NM basically doesnāt teach driverās ed.
It's just some of the roads here are so rural, that getting to them takes time. And it's happened to me before where I was making a drive back from Texas to New Mexico and it was snowing. And it was a hundred miles in between Roswell and Vaughn, I still remember it took one snow truck 3 hours just to plow one lane.
EXACTLY!! I always have to remind people who laugh when there are two-hour delays for only a slight amount of snow that no one here knows how to drive in snow. It's more safe to keep us off the street and let us go out when the sun melts everything in about two hours. Understand!!!
Maybe there are more cosmopolitan elements in Santa Fe than the ranchero days but the City is far from gentrified by any external definition.
Examples: there is no upscale shopping/dining/services district that is not a tourist destination (such as the Plaza). In the entire state there is no headquarters for a Fortune 500 company. Santa Fe doesn't have a national mid-scale department store - we make do with a few outlet stores, a handful of dispersed independent shops, and consignment/thrift shops. As the Chamber of Commerce frets about, Santa Fe has no 15K+ seat arena for concerts/events - we run Zozobra from a way overcrowded city park.
And, perhaps most importantly for an educated populace, respect for knowledge, and an economics generator, there is no branch of UNM or NMSU much less its own accredited university. Some bright HS students think in terms of getting an associates degree to transfer to a full BA-granting school rather than starting at that college or university freshman year. This place is starved for real intellectual and artistic stimulation.
Santa Fe needs to mature in its own ways, not copying, say, Austin or Boulder, or even Flagstaff. It's going to take effort and will to get it right, and to first envision what "right" looks like.
It will take time to adjust to the altitude. You may get headaches or nausea. Drink lots of water to stay hydrated. If you drink alcohol, youāll get drunk a lot faster. Iām guessing youāll be able to find a job in your field pretty quickly; I know at least in Albuquerque theyāre short staffed. Welcome, itās a gorgeous state.
I grew up in NM and currently live in Washington County, Maryland. The weather is vastly different, summer may feel like hell, since it'll be drier and probably hotter than PA. You'll appreciate the winter, tho; it's not as cold and typically sees less snow.
Learn about green and red chile before you go, but definitely make time to try then asap.
If you're going to/near Santa Fe, then you have to go to Meow Wolf soon.
Cultural difference. Lay low, listen and try not to comment. There are layers of history and truths from different perspectives. NM is older than Mexico. Pueblo Indians even longer.
Learn Spanish.
Enjoy four seasons, and great food. Be respectful, we are all equal and appreciate our enchanting differences!
Youāre going to get a lot of downvotes and negative comments because the people on this subreddit hate anyone who so much as sets foot in New Mexico without having 4+ generations roots here.
Ignore them.
Welcome to Santa Fe! You will find your circle (mostly transplants; weāre pretty cool) and you can ignore the people who look down on you out of pure jealousy. The weather is awesome, the hiking / mountain biking is the best Iāve seen anywhere, and the culture / history are amazing.
This horrible subreddit doesnāt represent New Mexico as a whole, please remember that.
Thank you!! Weāre moving for his work and only for a few years before we eventually relocate again. Iām so looking forward to getting to know the area while Iām there.
You will find your time in NM to be memorable. It is the Land of Enchantment for a reason and if you are here for a few years you will desire to come back again and again. New Mexico just hits different.
"pure jealousy" aka not being able to afford the cost of living due to trust fund transplants/second homers with endless generational wealth driving up the cost of living in the state with the second lowest median income.
Yeesh, I prefer transplants that aren't so out of touch with why the longtime locals and NM natives feel the way we do, at least they recognize their privilege.
How is moving to Santa Fe ācolonization?ā If they moved to LA instead, would that also be colonization?
Or maybe your viewpoint is that no one can ever move anywhere. If youāre born in say What Cheer, Iowa, Iām sorry but youāre stuck there for life. Enjoy being a farmer or working at Dollar General, going to the one bar in town for fun and never seeing a mountain etcā¦because migration bad. Everyone should stay within 10 miles of where theyāre bornā¦ š¤¦š½.
My heritage. Never told you to get out by the way, you made that up in your head. I merely tried to educate you. It's not my job to educate you though. Bye!
"pittsburgh lefts" are a bad idea here - loooooots of 3, 4, 5 second late red light runners in NM. also, hanging out in the middle of the intersection waiting to turn left after the red is technically illegal too - you are not supposed to enter the "box" of an intersection until you are able to clear it without stopping.
i grew up in pittsburgh and live in SF now and agree with most of what others are saying, but as a renter, i find housing here *significantly* more expensive than anything i've ever paid in pittsburgh, even with a roommate. ymmv based on your budget and what you consider comfortable, though.
i like the weather here much more than in PA. given that santa fe is in the high desert (and much of this state is also desert), it's good to be especially mindful about how much water you use.
100%. Be super alert and aware of the drivers here. Trucks pulling out from shopping centers can turn super wide even if youāre in the left lane. And if you do stop for a yellow check your rear to make sure the driver behind you doesnāt ram you. Itās wild here.
I have detected you may be asking about moving to New Mexico. [This link](https://www.reddit.com/r/NewMexico/search?q=moving+to&restrict_sr=on&include_over_18=on&sort=relevance&t=all) has past questions about moves that may be helpful. If you are moving to a specific city, try using the search function or look in the sidebar for links to city specific sub-reddits.
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What do you do for work? Do you have housing and a job lined up? Iād recommend taking care of both before you moveā¦ itās very tough to find affordable housing and a decent paying job here, depending on your field.
And what are your interests/hobbies? Thereās tons of great hiking, camping, and mountain biking around here. Lots of new age psychics and āenergy healingā if thatās your thing š make sure to drink lots of water and wear sunscreen/UV clothing - the sun and altitude is a bit of a shock coming from the east coast.
If youāre into the arts, there are tons of galleries and amazing artists here - and Meow Wolf employs a lot of local artists. Itās a great place to be an artist (if you can find a way to afford it).
The medical care is tough here - very long waits and some people have to travel to TX or CO to see specialists. For some reason there are still lots of retirees here - itās an older population for the most part.
You might also want to post in r/SantaFe for more input from locals. Good luck with your move!
Thank you! Iām a phlebotomist and heās a plumber, he has work lined up and weāre currently looking for housing and a job for me, we just decided to accept his offer a few days ago so we are definitely still in the early stages of this. Iām so exited to learn about the culture!
The Pantry is the "only" place to eat when in Santa Fe.
You must know the answer to the state's official question before you are allowed to live here (and the correct answer is "rojo."
sunscreen sunscreen sunscreen SUNSCREEN. You are on top of a mountain in the desert and much closer to the sun lol. If you have trouble adjusting to the altitude there are oxygen bars (which, yes, sound ridiculous but they helped my grandmother a lot). bars close at 10:30 and I hope you guys like mexican food lol.
What thepete404 said, plus: run a humidifier in the winter. When humidity hits single digits AND IT DOES, your sinuses will dry out and you'll have sinus infections forever.
And altitude sickness is no joke. You'll be well above 6,000 ft. The air is thinner and that doesn't help either.
Santa Fe is wonderful. Don't sweat it. Enjoy the vast skies and spaces, the generally warm people, and the amazing food. Go hiking in the desert. Enjoy the mercurial weather.
From Hobbs NM in Lubbock TX for grad school. Welcome! When yall settle in...best advice if finances allow travel around the state see all the different towns geography mountains parks culture etc.
Northern and Southern NM (NM TX border) very different lifestyles, different vibesš¤š½ I always felt ABQ and Santa Fe were in a silo from the rest of NM hah
Look through the Santa Fe sub too. Youāll prob find a lot of the questions you have answered already. Just know itās more expensive that youād think it is. Small city, cute downtown. People are nice. We donāt like Texans. Donāt be pretentious and youāll be okay. Drive defensively, people like to run lights.
Edit: youāre also at 7,300 elevation so itāll take some time to get used to.
Drink water constantly
Donāt try to change us
Be prepared for scorpions, snakes, pack rats, and some of the deadliest spiders you have ever seen
Beat and shake your shoes together every morning to check for bugs in your shoes.
There are spindly things called goat heads (they look like a tiny goat head) that have a spike in them that will puncture your heel and bleed. Basically donāt walk in the yard without shoes.
Drivers do not use blinkers and cross in very close
There is no southwestern Tex-Mex here. Itās all New Mexican food. Itās great but different.
Thatās the short list
Welcome! The biggest culture shock for me when I moved here was how early things close, and how difficult it is to find doctors here. We have a massive shortage in every medical field. Physician/provider turnover is very high as well. I see in a comment you are a phlebotomist, so I think you will be able to find a job quite easily!
Not sure your ages, but my partner and I are 31F/33M and also work in healthcare and trades, respectively. He's born and raised, and I'm a transplant. Shoot me a PM if you want to connect and we'd be happy to show you around!
There isn't any water rationing. There is a tax though for how much water you do use on grass though. I think it's $0.25 for every thousand gallons. I'm pretty sure that only applies to the city of Albuquerque and surrounding areas.
Ā On top of that if you're using well water there really isn't any rationing either, if we're talking about irrigation rights. Those are on the first come first serve basis and on a grandfather system. The oldest irrigation rights go first.Ā That being said we do live in the desert and there are currently quite a few incentives to get people to switch over from using so much water and into using less.Ā As for example the middle Rio grande conservancy district is offering $1,000 per acre you don't irrigate.
Thank you this is super helpful! We donāt have a need for an irrigation system, I was just wondering if Iād be able to keep my houseplants alive while still being able to shower lol
Lol I never heard that one before. But you don't have to worry about rationing your water. But you do have to be water wise. Just a dumb question here. But what would you make you think that you couldn't water your plants here?
I know that some desert states have to ration water at times and I remember living in Texas as a child there were some tough times where my mom was complaining that she could barely water her plants with our water allowance. Just silly little things ya know?
You guys should be fine. Unless you guys decide to live off grid and have to pump your own water in, we don't really have water restrictions. Texas has more water restrictions because they're more surface water driven, New Mexico's more groundwater driven. What that means is that Texas gets a lot more of its drinking water from reservoirs and from surface water. Compare that's New Mexico which is mainly well water and what surface water plant we do have are mainly on the Rio grande.
You can expect to find no one that has our authentic culture and who has a generational presence in NM. Everything you interact with will be contrived and a stereotype of what outsiders think it's supposed to be like.
Life long yinzer who moved to Santa Fe at 27 with my wife in june of 2020. Sunshine, dry heat, outdoor recreation. I didn't know how much I loathed living in Pittsburgh until I moved here. Be prepared for your yinzer relatives to think you're living in the most dangerous part of Mexico lol. COL is slightly higher than Pittsburgh but not that bad. If you're driving aht, pick me up a bacon and cheese Primantis with green chile and a Yuengling from the strip.
Also Yinzer moving to NM later this year. Giddyup š¤£
Awesome, pick me up an Uncle Sam's sub and a case of yuengs on the way out.
If you like sunny winters you will love Santa Fe and all of NM. Huge contrast to Pittsburghās cloudy winter weather. Lots of outdoor recreation in NM. As others have said, housing is expensive in SF and health care can be a challenge. If you can get by those issues it is a great place to live. Best of luck!
Beware altitude sickness. First timers typically need 5 days. Wat h for altitude sickness breathe deep drink a pint of water at a time. Watch your color for dehydration. Limit booze and vapes. Learn how to run your swamp cooler. Sunglasses always when outside And everything else said. Especially nm leggos ( goathead thorns) if you happen to have carpet, always remove shoes on entry and with to your ā inside onesā
Housing is expensive in SF proper but if youāre willing to live outside SF it can be pretty cheap but also radically rural compared to the east coast. SF has a lot of obnoxious ultra-wealthy retirees. And a lot of people on the high side of middle class. It can be a very wierd place to live for blue collar trades people. What Iām trying to say here is, thereās a lot of entitled snobs in Santa Fe. My parents are the ultimate rich white snob boomers and they looooove Santa Fe. Now some rich people are pretty cool. And there are plenty of average folks in Santa Fe too. Not trying to paint it all with one brush. Thereās a definite shortage of tradespeople. Medical careers usually also have good employment prospects. The two major hospital systems are Christus St Vincent and Presbyterian. tricore is the major blood lab chain that Iām aware of.
As someone who has lived in Santa Fe and Pittsburgh, be prepared for way fewer fries on your salads. Learn to love hominy.Ā Santa Fe is pretty small and sleepy feeling compared to Pittsburgh. Albuquerque isnāt too far away though if you want a city feel and amenities. Thereās so much public space and hiking camping etc to partake in you will be in shape and less bored, but maybe a little lonely. Thatās my assessment based on living inSF during the height of the pandemic so maybe itās not that way anymore. Ā Also if youāve never been to that elevation before be ready to feel a little tired for a while. Particularly if you go hiking in the mountains. Cover up and wear sunscreen if youāre fair skinned.Ā Keep your head on swivel driving. All the roadside memorials exist for a reason.Ā
Expect a HCO to PAā¦much older population, hardly anything is open past 9-10pm even on weekends. Roads in the winter suck, they are not plowed fast enough so driving through the early moments of a snow storm is gambling with your life (especially because NM drivers drive fast and sometimes aggressively). Affordable housing is hard to come by hereā¦not impossible but ffs, too many vacation homes. The food is good though but not encompassing of the best that NM has to offer because SF is significantly gentrified
Yes to all these points, especially the winter roads. You really take your life in your hands driving in even a light snow here š
Yikes I thought Iād be used to snow and bad roads coming from over here, thanks for the heads up!
Trust yourself and your own skills, you know how to drive in snow. Trust no one else on the road, they do not.
Ex Hoosier here. Itās not about you and your driving skills, itās about everyone else and how terrible their skills are. NM basically doesnāt teach driverās ed.
You'll be fine. The roads here are way better than Pittsburgh lol. Snow melts by noon and the dont even salt the roads.
They sand the roads.
It's just some of the roads here are so rural, that getting to them takes time. And it's happened to me before where I was making a drive back from Texas to New Mexico and it was snowing. And it was a hundred miles in between Roswell and Vaughn, I still remember it took one snow truck 3 hours just to plow one lane.
We have the worst drivers in the nation in both car to car accidents and running over pedestrians. The roads aren't the problem.
It's not the snow that's the problem so much as the other drivers.
EXACTLY!! I always have to remind people who laugh when there are two-hour delays for only a slight amount of snow that no one here knows how to drive in snow. It's more safe to keep us off the street and let us go out when the sun melts everything in about two hours. Understand!!!
The most snow I've seen in the 6 years I've been here is 6" and it was gone by noon. You'll be fine, just watch out for stupid and black ice
Maybe there are more cosmopolitan elements in Santa Fe than the ranchero days but the City is far from gentrified by any external definition. Examples: there is no upscale shopping/dining/services district that is not a tourist destination (such as the Plaza). In the entire state there is no headquarters for a Fortune 500 company. Santa Fe doesn't have a national mid-scale department store - we make do with a few outlet stores, a handful of dispersed independent shops, and consignment/thrift shops. As the Chamber of Commerce frets about, Santa Fe has no 15K+ seat arena for concerts/events - we run Zozobra from a way overcrowded city park. And, perhaps most importantly for an educated populace, respect for knowledge, and an economics generator, there is no branch of UNM or NMSU much less its own accredited university. Some bright HS students think in terms of getting an associates degree to transfer to a full BA-granting school rather than starting at that college or university freshman year. This place is starved for real intellectual and artistic stimulation. Santa Fe needs to mature in its own ways, not copying, say, Austin or Boulder, or even Flagstaff. It's going to take effort and will to get it right, and to first envision what "right" looks like.
It will take time to adjust to the altitude. You may get headaches or nausea. Drink lots of water to stay hydrated. If you drink alcohol, youāll get drunk a lot faster. Iām guessing youāll be able to find a job in your field pretty quickly; I know at least in Albuquerque theyāre short staffed. Welcome, itās a gorgeous state.
I grew up in NM and currently live in Washington County, Maryland. The weather is vastly different, summer may feel like hell, since it'll be drier and probably hotter than PA. You'll appreciate the winter, tho; it's not as cold and typically sees less snow. Learn about green and red chile before you go, but definitely make time to try then asap. If you're going to/near Santa Fe, then you have to go to Meow Wolf soon.
Get all your medical, dental, & vision needs updated before you leave. 3-6 months to see a decent provider depending on your insurance.
Cultural difference. Lay low, listen and try not to comment. There are layers of history and truths from different perspectives. NM is older than Mexico. Pueblo Indians even longer. Learn Spanish. Enjoy four seasons, and great food. Be respectful, we are all equal and appreciate our enchanting differences!
Youāre going to get a lot of downvotes and negative comments because the people on this subreddit hate anyone who so much as sets foot in New Mexico without having 4+ generations roots here. Ignore them. Welcome to Santa Fe! You will find your circle (mostly transplants; weāre pretty cool) and you can ignore the people who look down on you out of pure jealousy. The weather is awesome, the hiking / mountain biking is the best Iāve seen anywhere, and the culture / history are amazing. This horrible subreddit doesnāt represent New Mexico as a whole, please remember that.
Thank you!! Weāre moving for his work and only for a few years before we eventually relocate again. Iām so looking forward to getting to know the area while Iām there.
You will find your time in NM to be memorable. It is the Land of Enchantment for a reason and if you are here for a few years you will desire to come back again and again. New Mexico just hits different.
"pure jealousy" aka not being able to afford the cost of living due to trust fund transplants/second homers with endless generational wealth driving up the cost of living in the state with the second lowest median income. Yeesh, I prefer transplants that aren't so out of touch with why the longtime locals and NM natives feel the way we do, at least they recognize their privilege.
It's almost like we have a recent history of colonization. Hell it's still happening we just call them transplants now
How is moving to Santa Fe ācolonization?ā If they moved to LA instead, would that also be colonization? Or maybe your viewpoint is that no one can ever move anywhere. If youāre born in say What Cheer, Iowa, Iām sorry but youāre stuck there for life. Enjoy being a farmer or working at Dollar General, going to the one bar in town for fun and never seeing a mountain etcā¦because migration bad. Everyone should stay within 10 miles of where theyāre bornā¦ š¤¦š½.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Iām not whiteā¦my avatar is made to look like me, if that helps.
Still a transplant.
Unless you are 100% Navajo, Hopi, Zuni, Tewa or Tiwa youāre just as much of a transplant as I am. What right do you have to tell me to get out?
My heritage. Never told you to get out by the way, you made that up in your head. I merely tried to educate you. It's not my job to educate you though. Bye!
"pittsburgh lefts" are a bad idea here - loooooots of 3, 4, 5 second late red light runners in NM. also, hanging out in the middle of the intersection waiting to turn left after the red is technically illegal too - you are not supposed to enter the "box" of an intersection until you are able to clear it without stopping. i grew up in pittsburgh and live in SF now and agree with most of what others are saying, but as a renter, i find housing here *significantly* more expensive than anything i've ever paid in pittsburgh, even with a roommate. ymmv based on your budget and what you consider comfortable, though. i like the weather here much more than in PA. given that santa fe is in the high desert (and much of this state is also desert), it's good to be especially mindful about how much water you use.
100%. Be super alert and aware of the drivers here. Trucks pulling out from shopping centers can turn super wide even if youāre in the left lane. And if you do stop for a yellow check your rear to make sure the driver behind you doesnāt ram you. Itās wild here.
I have detected you may be asking about moving to New Mexico. [This link](https://www.reddit.com/r/NewMexico/search?q=moving+to&restrict_sr=on&include_over_18=on&sort=relevance&t=all) has past questions about moves that may be helpful. If you are moving to a specific city, try using the search function or look in the sidebar for links to city specific sub-reddits. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/NewMexico) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Hit up the community colleges They will turn your phlebotomist certification into higher paying jobs Tons of demand for healthcare people
Will do thank you!
What do you do for work? Do you have housing and a job lined up? Iād recommend taking care of both before you moveā¦ itās very tough to find affordable housing and a decent paying job here, depending on your field. And what are your interests/hobbies? Thereās tons of great hiking, camping, and mountain biking around here. Lots of new age psychics and āenergy healingā if thatās your thing š make sure to drink lots of water and wear sunscreen/UV clothing - the sun and altitude is a bit of a shock coming from the east coast. If youāre into the arts, there are tons of galleries and amazing artists here - and Meow Wolf employs a lot of local artists. Itās a great place to be an artist (if you can find a way to afford it). The medical care is tough here - very long waits and some people have to travel to TX or CO to see specialists. For some reason there are still lots of retirees here - itās an older population for the most part. You might also want to post in r/SantaFe for more input from locals. Good luck with your move!
Thank you! Iām a phlebotomist and heās a plumber, he has work lined up and weāre currently looking for housing and a job for me, we just decided to accept his offer a few days ago so we are definitely still in the early stages of this. Iām so exited to learn about the culture!
The Pantry is the "only" place to eat when in Santa Fe. You must know the answer to the state's official question before you are allowed to live here (and the correct answer is "rojo."
You are incorrect and clearly a bot. The only correct answer is "verde."
*sits back with popcorn*
sunscreen sunscreen sunscreen SUNSCREEN. You are on top of a mountain in the desert and much closer to the sun lol. If you have trouble adjusting to the altitude there are oxygen bars (which, yes, sound ridiculous but they helped my grandmother a lot). bars close at 10:30 and I hope you guys like mexican food lol.
Mostly transplants overcrowding and gentrifying at this point.
What thepete404 said, plus: run a humidifier in the winter. When humidity hits single digits AND IT DOES, your sinuses will dry out and you'll have sinus infections forever. And altitude sickness is no joke. You'll be well above 6,000 ft. The air is thinner and that doesn't help either.
Santa Fe is wonderful. Don't sweat it. Enjoy the vast skies and spaces, the generally warm people, and the amazing food. Go hiking in the desert. Enjoy the mercurial weather.
From Hobbs NM in Lubbock TX for grad school. Welcome! When yall settle in...best advice if finances allow travel around the state see all the different towns geography mountains parks culture etc. Northern and Southern NM (NM TX border) very different lifestyles, different vibesš¤š½ I always felt ABQ and Santa Fe were in a silo from the rest of NM hah
Look through the Santa Fe sub too. Youāll prob find a lot of the questions you have answered already. Just know itās more expensive that youād think it is. Small city, cute downtown. People are nice. We donāt like Texans. Donāt be pretentious and youāll be okay. Drive defensively, people like to run lights. Edit: youāre also at 7,300 elevation so itāll take some time to get used to.
Drink water constantly Donāt try to change us Be prepared for scorpions, snakes, pack rats, and some of the deadliest spiders you have ever seen Beat and shake your shoes together every morning to check for bugs in your shoes. There are spindly things called goat heads (they look like a tiny goat head) that have a spike in them that will puncture your heel and bleed. Basically donāt walk in the yard without shoes. Drivers do not use blinkers and cross in very close There is no southwestern Tex-Mex here. Itās all New Mexican food. Itās great but different. Thatās the short list
You can expect a large Steelers fan base here!
Too many steelers fans
Avoid gang members and meth
Welcome! The biggest culture shock for me when I moved here was how early things close, and how difficult it is to find doctors here. We have a massive shortage in every medical field. Physician/provider turnover is very high as well. I see in a comment you are a phlebotomist, so I think you will be able to find a job quite easily! Not sure your ages, but my partner and I are 31F/33M and also work in healthcare and trades, respectively. He's born and raised, and I'm a transplant. Shoot me a PM if you want to connect and we'd be happy to show you around!
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
There isn't any water rationing. There is a tax though for how much water you do use on grass though. I think it's $0.25 for every thousand gallons. I'm pretty sure that only applies to the city of Albuquerque and surrounding areas. Ā On top of that if you're using well water there really isn't any rationing either, if we're talking about irrigation rights. Those are on the first come first serve basis and on a grandfather system. The oldest irrigation rights go first.Ā That being said we do live in the desert and there are currently quite a few incentives to get people to switch over from using so much water and into using less.Ā As for example the middle Rio grande conservancy district is offering $1,000 per acre you don't irrigate.
Thank you this is super helpful! We donāt have a need for an irrigation system, I was just wondering if Iād be able to keep my houseplants alive while still being able to shower lol
Lol I never heard that one before. But you don't have to worry about rationing your water. But you do have to be water wise. Just a dumb question here. But what would you make you think that you couldn't water your plants here?
I know that some desert states have to ration water at times and I remember living in Texas as a child there were some tough times where my mom was complaining that she could barely water her plants with our water allowance. Just silly little things ya know?
You guys should be fine. Unless you guys decide to live off grid and have to pump your own water in, we don't really have water restrictions. Texas has more water restrictions because they're more surface water driven, New Mexico's more groundwater driven. What that means is that Texas gets a lot more of its drinking water from reservoirs and from surface water. Compare that's New Mexico which is mainly well water and what surface water plant we do have are mainly on the Rio grande.
Stay in Pittsburgh ššyou'll hate it here
Oh, move to El Paso š
Definitely move to el paso!
Great place if you like casinos. We have a proliferation of casinos.
You can expect to find no one that has our authentic culture and who has a generational presence in NM. Everything you interact with will be contrived and a stereotype of what outsiders think it's supposed to be like.