Moving - border town - NM/west TX - please advise

[Agave]

It looks like before too long, I'm heading out to a border town in New Mexico or West Texas. I may have a choice of two or three. I may not. I've been told I need to research them and make a list in order of choice. DC, where have you lived, worked, or traveled? What can you tell me about these towns? Which one should I pick? Which should I avoid?

If it helps, here's a bit about me. I'm a few days shy of my 22nd birthday. I'm single. I have no children. I'm a Spanish-speaker. I adapt readily.

I live in a rural area and I love it. I've lived in a big city (Memphis) before and hated it. However, I do like being a half hour from town (Jackson, Tenn).

My starting salary will be $36.6k but will increase much after the second year.

A plus would be having a Messianic Jewish or Sabbath-keeping Christian congregation within an hour. Another big plus would be having a broadband Internet connection available.

Here is a list of possible towns where I could be.

In Texas: Del Rio, Bracketville, Carrizo Springs, Comstock, Eagle Pass, Ulvalde, El Paso, Alamogordo, Fabens, Fort Hancock, Ysleta, Marfa, Alpine, Fort Stockton, Presidio, Sanderson, Sierra Blanca, Van Horn.
In New Mexico: Las Cruces, Deming, Lordsburg, Truth or Consequences

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[TN_Mike]

Not sure how much advice I can give but I'll give a little. I have never lived in either Texas or New Mexico but I have visited El Paso several times. It is a pretty decent town/city and I liked it. I also have a co-worker who lived ther prior to moving here to Memphis and he loved it there and would like to go back some day.

I would bet that pretty much everything you listed as what you were looking for could be found in El Paso.

Good luck with the new job and keep in touch!

[Rock and Glock]

I've been through most of them, but never lived in any of them. One difference to note is state taxes - Texas does not have an income tax, but if you buy a house, the property taxes can be high.

Good luck, keep us posted, and congratulations!

[libertarian5]

Of the NM cities you listed, Las Cruces is really nice. El Paso is nice also, but taken collectively with Jaurez it ia a huge metropolitan area with lots of big city issues. (air pollution, crime, congestion) buena suerte

[AZ Husker]

Juarez is one of the worst criminal hot spots on the border. I'd avoid El Paso. Las Cruces is a nice town, as far as border towns go.

[Hopyard]

There is nothing in Ft. Stockton, Van Horn or similar.
Your best bet is El Paso, though living there on your income might be tricky at first.

(And bring plenty of skin moisturizer. It is dry as dead bones out there.)

[TX-JB]

I would proably pick Las Cruces over any of the others in NM. In Tx, Del Rio, Has a really nice lake (Amistad) with excellent fishing not too far away. Uvalde and Bracketville would have some outstanding deer hunting oppurtunities, nearby. I would stay away from El Paso myself.

[Eirerogue]

I've lived in El Paso on two occasions and enjoy the city. I too was there for work and I always found everything there we needed.

Juarez crime issues will not affect your day to day living in El Paso. It does affect your auto insurance rates, but it's still cheaper than LA.

On Mesa Street on the West Side, there is a large Jewish community complex which appeared Orthodox from my views during Sabbath.

There is COX cable and you've got everything you need for hi-speed connections. You won't pay State Tax in TX vs NM, but your property taxes in TX will make up for it. If your single, some nice apartment complexes on El Paso's West Side.

Also, El Paso has a very good airport with excellent connections through Texas and US.

Best of luck. Drop me a PM if I can point to anything else.

[Agave]

Also, El Paso has a very good airport with excellent connections through Texas and US.

I didn't think about an airport being an issue. Of course, the airport in El Paso is only an hour from Las Cruces.

On Mesa Street on the West Side, there is a large Jewish community complex which appeared Orthodox from my views during Sabbath.

The Orthodox community doesn't appreciate my brand, but I won't talk about that any more. I did find a Messianic congregation in El Paso though.

You won't pay State Tax in TX vs NM, but your property taxes in TX will make up for it.

I don't plan on buying property out there. However, I do understand that property taxes affect rent prices.

Thanks for the comments, everybody. Keep 'em coming!

[flagflyfish]

I got transfered to Alamogordo, NM. Nice little town, I've been to Crucus twice and liked it. Nothing better than the Southwest weather!

[simon]

Las Crucus...pretty nice for that area,State University town,not to big...good choice.

[artz]

wow ! Your lucky ! Thats was a dream job/location for me once. Reading Skeeter Skeltons' books just put fuel on that fire.
Before I moved back to Georgia to help mom, I was gonna move to Alamogordo. Beautiful country !

[Rob72]

Hmmm... some tough choices. I grew up in SW Colorado, and have lived & travelled through the region. I'd have to say Las Cruces, if you like the small-community feel, but El Paso can be nice. Dope and trespassores in all places listed, but (simply by statistics) fewer in Las Cruces or T or C.

[dan728]

Well I have to go a little outside T or C is a liitle scummy Cruces is a little big Demming and Lordsburg, are awsome small communities. Silvercity is also in the area and very nice.

[nuparadigm]

It looks like before too long, I'm heading out to a border town in New Mexico or West Texas. I may have a choice of two or three. I may not. ... What can you tell me about these towns? ...
here's a bit about me. ... I adapt readily.

I live in a rural area and I love it. I've lived in a big city (Memphis) before and hated it. However, I do like being a half hour from town (Jackson, Tenn).

...
A plus would be having a Messianic Jewish or Sabbath-keeping Christian congregation within an hour. Another big plus would be having a broadband Internet connection available.

Here is a list of possible towns where I could be.

In Texas: Del Rio, Bracketville, Carrizo Springs, Comstock, Eagle Pass, Ulvalde, El Paso, Alamogordo, Fabens, Fort Hancock, Ysleta, Marfa, Alpine, Fort Stockton, Presidio, Sanderson, Sierra Blanca, Van Horn.
In New Mexico: Las Cruces, Deming, Lordsburg, Truth or Consequences

Wherever you go, you will need to adapt. You'll be learning the job and learning to track humans. That is why you EOD at a station such as you have mentioned. You'll be working at least 50 hours a week (probably more) and won't have much discretionary time until you make it off probation and become a Journeyman Agent. Your best Stations for leatning to track humans are those closer to The Line: Eagle Pass, Del Rio, Ysleta, El Paso and Las Cruces.

I know for a fact that you can get broadband in: Alpine, Eagle Pass,
Del Rio, Marfa, Fort Stockton, Uvalde, Las Cruces, Deming, Lordsburg and El Paso.

Of the towns you mentioned, several have colleges (with other people your age) in or very near them: El Paso (big city), Alpine, Las Cruces, Ysleta.

You can't get more rural than: Sanderson, Fort Hancock and Sanderson.

If I were you, I'd request a Station where the Sector headquarters is located. That way, you'll cut down on your travel time to your very-frequent post Academy training sessions. (All of this training is done at Sector Headquarters.) Those towns/cities are: El Paso, Del Rio and Marfa.

Get used to working on the Sabbath; you'll have to do it sometimes.