Yes, the snowbirds are flying and I must admit we are “snowbirds.” As much as we love Montana and the Madison Valley, our old bones are happier in above-zero temperatures. So we head for Las Cruces, New Mexico for the winter months. This area of south central NM has four seasons but is typically 20 to 30 degrees warmer than our corner of Montana. So why did we choose New Mexico? We wanted south, warm, friendly and slow. New Mexico reminds us of Montana in many ways – it is mostly high desert, has a low population of friendly people and an interesting culture. Las Cruces has a population of 93,450 but feels like a small college town. The city is spread out, easy to get around and traffic moves leisurely. We have beautiful mountain views off to the east and wide open vistas, just as we do from our windows in Montana. We feel we have the best of both worlds.
We work from our “virtual” home office and can do everything from here that we do in our Ennis office, except for actually showing property. But our capable associates in our MT office take care of that. We stay very busy here so it is hard to call it a “vacation,” but it is a pleasant change of pace.
Officially, the first baby boomers became eligible for Social Security on January 1, 2011. That means more boomers will be retiring and looking for their perfect retirement home. They have been and will continue to head for interesting places all along the Rocky Mountain Range, from Montana to New Mexico and everywhere in between. They are looking for life style changes, beauty, community, recreation and affordability. Many are leaving cities for smaller towns where they can feel safe and connected. The Rocky Mountain Range has been called the “third coast” because of the higher property values and intense draw. We originally moved to Montana in 1993 from San Diego. Most of our friends thought we were crazy, but we’ve never regretted our move. We were living the so-called “good life,” but it was stressful and unsatisfying. We feel sorry for people still living in the fast lane, who don’t even realize that there is another way to live.
Both of our homes have been good investments and we love the time we spend in both places. It has been easy to make friends and become part of both communities. So we will continue being snowbirds, flying south in the winter, and looking forward to our wonderful summers up north.
Our home in Montana
Our home in Las Cruces, NM
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