For those of you who are thinking about retiring to New Mexico, but aren’t sure where exactly, worry not because we bring you the 10 best places to retire in New Mexico. If you appreciate mountains, high plains, and desert, there is no better state.
Even though most people presume that the state’s name is taken from the nation of Mexico, New Mexico actually got its name in 1563 thanks to the Spanish explorers. The country of Mexico, being a part of New Spain, got its name centuries later, around 1821. Truth to be told, New Mexico, which is located on the border of Mexico, was a part of the country, but only for about 12 years, and it became part of the United States on January 6, 1912.
New Mexico stands out from other states by having the most percentage of the Hispanic and Latin population, 47% according to the latest data. They trace their ancestors to Spanish colonists who came between 16th and 18th century. Due to this, almost half of Hispanic and Latin population speak Spanish at home. If you would like to practice or learn Spanish, there is no better place. Also, New Mexico has the second highest percentage of Native Americans (9,4%), Navajo and Apache tribes being the largest ones.
To determine best retiring places in New Mexico, we used 20 most livable places in New Mexico (with a population greater than 5,000) according to Area Vibes. After that, we checked each place for the cost of living, the number of physicians per capita (100,000), crime rates and residents aged 65 years and over. All the data was taken from Sperling’s Best Places and U.S. Census and separate rankings from 1 to 20 were made for each of these factors. After we had summed up the scores for each place in Retirement Score, we got what we were looking for.
And if you are still not sure about moving to New Mexico to enjoy your golden years and want to explore more options, don’t skip our article on cheapest countries to live like a king.
Let’s begin our list of the best places for enjoying your life in New Mexico, after your hard working days are over!
10. Santa Fe
Retirement Score: 43
Cost of Living: 20% more expensive than the U.S. average
Physicians per Capita: 305
Crime Rates: 64
Residents Aged 65 and Over: 17,6%
The fourth largest city in the state, Santa Fe is also the oldest city in New Mexico. It was founded by Spanish colonists, but was inhabited by ingenious people for several hundred years.
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9. Las Cruces
Retirement Score: 48
Cost of Living: 7% cheaper than the U.S. average
Physicians per Capita: 149
Crime Rates: 55
Residents Aged 65 and Over: 13,6%
If you like warm weather, the second largest city in New Mexico will do the trick. Winter is moderate here and the rainfall is moderate. Also there are lots of events happening through the whole year, so you will have a proper entertainment.
8. Alamogordo
Retirement Score: 49
Cost of Living: 4% cheaper than the U.S. average
Physicians per Capita: 124
Crime Rates: 47,7
Residents Aged 65 and Over: 16,8%
If you choose to live in Alamogordo, you choose the history. Several historical events happened in this city, but the most known are the city’s connection to first nuclear bomb test and being the resting place for the Atari. Inside this city’s borders, Atari buried unsold copies of their massive commercial failure E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, dubbed the worst game ever.
7. Corrales
Retirement Score: 50
Cost of Living: 46% more expensive than the U.S. average
Physicians per Capita: 132
Crime Rates: 21
Residents Aged 65 and Over: 19,4%
This is an option for those who want to run away from the city. Corrales was elected as #19 in CNN Money’s list of the 100 best places to live in 2007 and tries hard to keep its image. The problem is fast expanding cities that surround Corrales.
6. Raton
Retirement Score: 51
Cost of Living: 16% cheaper than the U.S. average
Physicians per Capita: 87
Crime Rates: 55
Residents Aged 65 and Over: 19,1%
Raton is the place for those who want to find some peace in a smaller city, but also don’t want to put their budget in danger. Raton is the most affordable option on our list of 10 best places to retire in New Mexico.
5. Silver City
Retirement Score: 52
Cost of Living: 8% cheaper than the U.S. average
Physicians per Capita: 210
Crime Rates: 74,2
Residents Aged 65 and Over: 19%
Silver City has an important historical significance being a campsite for Apache tribe, but also being inhabited by ingenious people through various historical periods. Sadly, lots of prehistoric sites in the city were looted and damaged, leaving archeologists with the little research material.
4. Los Alamos
Retirement Score: 52
Cost of Living: 15% more expensive than the U.S. average
Physicians per Capita: 290
Crime Rates: 28
Residents Aged 65 and Over: 16,6%
Los Alamos could easily change its name to “The Millionaires City”. According to available data, Los Alamos has “the highest millionaire concentration of any US city with 12.4 percent of households having at least $1 million in assets.” Don’t let this discourage you, since the city is rather affordable but offers great conditions for living.
3. Los Ranchos De Albuquerque
Retirement Score: 53
Cost of Living: 36% more expensive than the U.S. average
Physicians per Capita: 381
Crime Rates: 37
Residents Aged 65 and Over: 18,9
Just like Corrales, Los Ranchos has a problem with upcoming urbanization. The city seems perfect for retirees, having dense vegetation and slower pace of life, but this idyllic surrounding is in danger since the neighboring city of Albuquerque is trying to expand itself too close to the village.
2. Ruidoso
Retirement Score: 54
Cost of Living: 9% more expensive than the U.S. average
Physicians per Capita: 151
Crime Rates: 47
Residents Aged 65 and Over: 23,7%
Ruidoso is one of the fastest growing cities in New Mexico at the moment, with new resident coming almost all the time, so you can be a part of the movement. Also, if it means something, Neil Patrick Harris grew up here and turned out just fine.
1. White Rock
Retirement Score: 55
Cost of Living: 19% more expensive than the U.S. average
Physicians per Capita: 290
Crime Rates: 17
Residents Aged 65 and Over: 17%
White Rock stands as the most desirable on our list of 10 best places to retire in New Mexico. It is a smaller town, surrounded by lots of interesting sites, including White Rock Canyon and Blue Dot Trail. Except being the safest city on the list, it is close to the larger cities like Los Alamos, so you can get a little taste of big city life if you want.
