Love It! - 3/1/2022

Best place in NM to live , unless you like crowds, traffic, crime, and concrete. Plenty of jobs and min wage is now close to $12/hr. Housing is a little pricey but nature is at your doorstep. Elk, deer, wild horses abound.

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Lovely scenery - 3/1/2022

I love Ruidoso, or "noisy river". I have always visited but now i live here. Was my first choice if I ever moved. I am so glad I left El Paso, was getting way to big there. Ruidoso is beautiful and small. Nothing fancy just beautiful nature and wildlife.

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Amazing, don't be a “rude Texan” - 11/4/2021

I’ve lived in this town for nine years and loved it. The weather is by far the best thing about this town. Just don’t be a “rude Texan,“ and you will be fine. Try not to honk at people or act entitled to everything. Don’t be a Karen, and you’ll be fine.

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Thought I'd like it but no - 6/26/2021

Dumpy little town that feels depressed. A few cute shops downtown but mainly consignments and junk stores. Restaurants and grocery stores aren't good. Locals seem a bit down and out. Really disappointing. Some nice scenery but the lakes aren't very vegetated. A hole in the ground that has a little water. Very hot, dry and dusty. Don't see a lot of rich Texans and Californians. More like middle to lower class.

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All Good But Police Force Needs Huge Improvement - 12/20/2019

Great place to live. Would be a lot better if the local police were not so arrogant & "all knowing" (just ask one).

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Retirement Village/Welfare Town - 2/5/2016

Too small for an aspiring person to grow. The work force is pretty weak. Most decent employees didn't grow up here; they transplanted from areas where a person has to put forth effort to keep a job. Therefore, the average worker from a big city shines like a superstar, even though all they're doing is being punctual and consistently showing up to work. The people that grow up here learn how to work the welfare system to their advantage because it's more profitable than the minimum wage jobs the town offers. Higher costs of living and poor wages keep the lower and middle classes struggling just to keep ends met. Even when people strive to make something of themselves, the town has a way to suppress ambition and thwart efforts. So, even college graduates struggle to make a living. Commerce revolves around tourism, so work seems limited to months that are heavy with vacationers, and productive members of the town usually work multiple jobs. The job diversity is weak as well, limited to mainly food industry, construction, and house keeping. As well shopping is limited to pretty much walmart and a handful of other stores (unless looking for novelty gifts at midtown, then there's a plethora of stores). If the local has money, he/she most likely didnt come from here. This place is home to migratory oil rich Texans that buy second homes to escape 100 degree summer heat. Money doesnt really trickle down from them, so their counter parts are piss poor New Mexicans that pay high rents for shacks/mobile homes. And the people caught in between will most likely spiral downward instead of succeeding. Not very flattering, but important to know before making a life decision of that caliber. The environment is beautiful! Hiking is available all around, and the mountains remind you that this is the southern tip of the Rockies. Skiing is the main winter attraction, and forest activities are the summer attraction. Better have money before you move here or be content with cheap/free entertainment. Night life might as well be nonexistent as there are only a handful of bars that are unimpressive. Drinking and drug use seems to be the past time here, so be sure your tolerance is up. I moved here out of necessity because my family owned a cabin business and my life hit a rough patch. Due to my class (slightly above lower class) i met and found a lot genuine people unlike Austin where i came from. Being poor together built a comraderie [phone spell check fail, sorry] with my friends that I'll cherish the rest of my life. This place is so bass ackwards and lost in time that it helped me evaluate my situation and focus on constructive hobbies to possibly help myself progress in a different location. All in all, come visit, dont move here unless you have wealth. If you need a secret hiding place to reset, come and heal, then get out before it consumes you too

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RuiDoso, NM - 9/12/2012

The economy is heavily tourist based which relates to service industry and minimum wage in a resort community. Great place to retire, not a good place to work. Good help is almost non-existent which is not specific to Ruidoso but all o f New Mexico. Do some research on the Harvey Girls and you will be fully aware of the New Mexico work ethic. Prices are artificially high, especially gasoline. Prices in Roswell are .30 to .50 cent per gallon lower. The economy caters to wealth Texans and Californians. If you are thinking about moving to Ruidoso to live and work, go somewhere else. You will be sorely disappointed. If you are coming here to retire be aware of the lightening real estate tax in New Mexico. My property tax doubled when I refinanced my home in Ruidoso from $1700 to $3400 per year. The lightening tax is not unique to Ruidoso. It applies to all of New Mexico especially the nicer places to live.

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Wesley Chapel, Florida - 3/12/2012

Wesley Chapel Florida is a Great place to retire. Close to Tampa and Sarasota. Small town atmosphere. Quiet and peaceful.

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RUIDOSO-12 YR VETERAN - 10/23/2010

The best thing about Ruidoso is its climate. To me, it is perfect... you get all four seasons. It seems to be never too cold, never too hot. It is usually sunny so you can be outside a lot. The town is working on expanding the mountain biking trails and the ski season was awesome last year. The mountain is about 20 min from town..awesome! Also, you get the hiking to yourself a lot. It's not crowded, in fact you'll probably be one the only one on the trail. The music scene is starting to evolve here which is cool. The town is spread out so even though there are only about 10k people here you can run into someone you know once every couple years...its wild. Down sides: The snow on the mountain is inconsistent. There aren't very many young, progressive, career-oriented people here. There seems to be more low-income hispanic families and lots of old retired people for full time residents. I love Ruidoso but it is limited on things to do. If you want a simple life come here. There is no traffic and it is REALLY LOW KEY. BUT,, limited on friends, and things to do after awhile. Its also very transient, so friends come & go. I have young children and am debating on whether to stay or go. I don't want them to be limited in competition, sports, friends. I wish there were more people here like me.

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Ruidoso I wish you were closer - 5/25/2007

The climate is wonderful! It is seems to always feel crisp and clean. The cool nights are invigorating and the day's heat is never oppresive. The terraine has a rugged beauty that cannot be ignored. The town has a rolling informal feel that just begs to be slowly discovered. The shopkeepers seem never to be to busy to stop and chat a while. Yes, it is a bit pricey to buy a home there but it is well worth the cost. I would love to retire there but it is too far away from family. So while I am looking for a retirement location closer to home, my first choice will always be Ruidoso.

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Health care - 4/18/2006

The climate is wonderful. The atmosphere is the best I've ever seen. The only problem is that the health care is next to nothing. To get a specialist in any health care problem, you have to go to El Paso or Albequerque or Houston. People say that they don't think about getting sick, and therefore - don't. They say it's mind over matter. People do seem to have less health problems here. Maybe it's mind over matter. I think in the Upper Canyon most people are living in Texas the majority of the time, and wealthy.

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Expensive - 4/14/2006

The cost of living compared to wages in Ruidoso is ridiculous. It is a resort community catered to rich Texans... if you aren't a retired Texan and you plan on trying to make a living in this town, you might want to reconsider your options. Not only is housing high, utilities are high. Skiing isn't guaranteed in the winter; this past winter they only had 7 trails open. We only had one decent snowfall, but the year before that was fantastic. Most everything here depends on tourism and if the winters are warm, the economy suffers.

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