If you enjoy an active life, love the outdoors and want a truly gentle climate with four seasons, come and visit. I suspect it will be hard for you to leave.

Population: Just over 2,000,000 in mid-2009. That works out to just about 15 people per sq. mile. And that works out to a lot of open space to explore at your leisure.

Cities: Just as from the time of the original settlers before 1,000 AD, the larger centers are along the Rio Grande: Santa Fe (the state capital), Albuquerque (the economic capital) and Las Cruces (the heart of the farming community). After those three, the rest of the state is dotted with small cities, towns and villages. [One note here… when I say ‘Albuquerque’ I really mean the Albuquerque/Rio Rancho area. The two are joined at the hip… separated only by a county line.]

Climate: Before ‘finding’ New Mexico, I lived in a lot of places throughout the country. Without question, this is the best I have ever experienced. We range in altitude from sea level to more than 11,000 ft. – you can always find living conditions that suit you. Add low humidity to the mix, light that has excited painters and photographers for over a century and you will understand my enthusiasm.

Housing: Location matters, of course, just like everywhere else. But, outside of the tourist-expensive cities of Santa Fe and Taos, it is easy to find a good home less than 15 years old that costs under $200,000. Even in the Albuquerque/Rio Rancho area. In fact, one of the joys of living in New Mexico’s largest metropolitan area is the ability to have your cake and eat it too . Albuquerque/Rio Rancho has all the conveniences of a major city with very little downside. Traffic is minimal by the standards of most cities this size – and commuting time for those with a daily destination remains well under 30 minutes.

Medical: A VA hospital, a major heart hospital, cutting-edge hospital attached to the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque and financially stable HMO’s are all part of the mix. Next year, two additional hospitals will join the mix in Rio Rancho.

Lifestyle: Relaxed, a genuine mix of city, country and breathtaking scenery all wrapped in a climate that is second to none. Come and see for yourself… and take a look at my Retirement Site if you would like to request my brochure or my Albuquerque / Rio Rancho site if you wish to explore housing in the state’s largest city.

January’s unemployment numbers finally arrived — and they were not worth waiting for. Unfortunately, we are starting to catch up to the rest of the country.

New Mexico:
January 2010 – 8.5%
December 2009 – 8.2%
January 2009 – 5.9%

The rate for the whole nation was 9.7%

Albuquerque/Rio Rancho fared even worse:
January 2010 – 8.9%
December 2009 – 8.2%
January 2009 – 5.9%

Overall job growth in 2009 was a negative 3.3% for the state — and that is above the nation’s negative 3%.

Unemployment statistics for February are not available yet due to the short month as well as the 30-day meeting of the state legislature. But, no reason to believe that there has been any positive change. And, one indication of the grinding nature of this recession is the increase in foreclosures this January… a sharp rise from 1.36% in January of 2009 to 2.40% this January. Like every other economic statistic, we are better off than most (the national average is 3.19% for this past January). But, that is small comfort to those who have exhausted their financial resources.