New Mexico was #1 post-NYC destination until Hawaii came on the radar.  It appeals to me in it’s Mexican-ness and in it’s high-elevation warm weather, which means cool nights and low humidity.  It seems to have soul and history deeper and broader than its history as part of the U.S.  I’d love to live in Truth-or-Consequences, just because I want to be able to say I live in Truth-or-Consequences, because it sounds like such a hard-as-nails old-West town. And there are a few towns in northern New Mexico that seem beautiful and interesting, as well.  However, Eli may never ever be able to find work in a place like that.  Las Cruces sounds like a really nice town as far as a small city with good quality of life and some possibility of employment for Eli, but the surrounding area (in southern NM) may be less mountainous and lovely than those gorgeous places I see in photos.

So, Santa Fe, at elevation 7,260 feet, may be the best New Mexico option as far as allowing computer-related employment for Eli, while still being close to the escape of the mountains.  It’s population is 73,720, with a solid art- and restaurant-filled downtown, where we would be able to walk and bike around, if we could find a decent place to live that we could afford.  While not as expensive as Brooklyn, rent is steep at  around $1200-$1800 for a 2 bdrm house/condo.  I think I would love the weather: 7 months/year have an average “high” temp of over 60F and lots and lots of sun.  A downside could be  a daily driving commute to a nearby town for me.

I wonder about Albequerque.  It’s definitely less expensive, but I read that it has more traffic issues, crime issues, no vital downtown.  I’d love to know what the real story is, so if anyone has lived there or been there, let me know what your impressions were.

There are often jobs at NHSC-approved clinics in Alamogordo, Cuba, Espanola, and so on.  In my online research, I haven’t been able to find enough information about these places to really form an impression about them.  Espanola sounds pleasant enough as a small town. Cuba sounds like there’s nothing there for entertainment or good food, but not bad in any way for a self-sufficient person. We are hoping to take a trip to New Mexico in late August to try to get a feeling for some of these places.