Buying Austin Texas Or New Mexico Homes

February 12, 2009 by Henry · Comment
Filed under: Real Estate 

If you want to buy a new home in place that is bustling, growing, and interesting, but a little off of the map too, then try Austin, Texas. Austin Texas homes are being built fast and. although the area is growing without a doubt; it is still early enough to get a good deal on a house.

Austin Texas homes are much cheaper, but still built to last, than houses in many other big cities because the heat and the dryness of the area, as well as the fact that it is in Texas, scare most people away.

You should not be scared away by any of these conditions. Go out and look at the new homes in Austin Texas; you’ll be surprised with weather and home quality. Although there is many things wrong Texas, Austin is very different from most of the rest of the state. In the first place, Austin Texas homes are often newly built, and benefit from superior water and city services, so even though it is dry around you, there is no worry about droughts.

The hot weather is another thing. Austin Texas homes are cooled by air conditioning, but when you are out of the house, you will just have to deal with the heat, and that is all that there is to it. But do not be scared away by the Texans at least.

If you are buying a home in Austin Texas, you are likely to be living next to some of the most interesting and progressive neighbors anywhere. This is because Austin is such a Mecca of culture and art. There is a great music scene, a pretty left wing political scene, and arts and literature are also not far behind.

Austin Texas homes are not located next to rednecks in El Paso, but in an area with an artistic community to rival New York City. The east coast snobs might scoff, but I say let them, they’ll lose out. Unlike Manhattan, Austin is still growing that no one but the very rich can flourish.

Austin Texas homes are within the reach of most middle or working class families, so it really does make a lot of sense for you to move there. The amount of home you can buy can not be bought else where for the same price. No matter what your economic background is, you really should think about owning a home in Austin, where you will benefit from one of the liveliest communities in America. After all, all of the cooler and less desolate places have already been settled, so where else do you think that you are going to go, anyway?

You could move to the southwest, New Mexico. New Mexico is primarily a large rural state that has much to offer in the way of real estate, year round outdoor activities, and cultural events and celebrations. Prices of New Mexico homes vary throughout the state and greatly depend on geographical location. Santa Fe is the capitol of New Mexico, which is located in the north central part of the state. Los Alamos, home of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, is just thirty minutes west of Santa Fe, and just forty-five minutes southwest on I-25 is Albuquerque, the largest city in the state.

Historic Route 66 passes directly through Albuquerque complete with nostalgic cafes and businesses along the way. Further south is Truth of Consequences, then Las Cruces, the second largest city in the state, where I-25 ends and I-10 begins, taking motorists forty-five miles south to El Paso, Texas, and the Mexico border? To the east is the infamous alien town of

Treasure Hunting in New Mexico

January 12, 2009 by Fred Peters · Comment
Filed under: Travel & Transportation 

With its rocky crags and cavern-riddled mountains, it’s no wonder that New Mexico is home to some of the most incredible stories of hidden treasure in North America. The “Wild West” was famous for the reckless bravery and lawlessness of criminals who would hold up stagecoaches, chase down trains, and gather up loads of treasure that were never found after their untimely demise. Other tales tell of prospectors who found immense caches of gold through the mountains, only to die before revealing the exact locations of their hoards. It is believed that many of these treasures remain hidden throughout the state, awaiting discovery by lucky adventurers.

One story from 1836 is of an old prospector named Adams. After suffering an attack by Indians, Adams stumbled into the town of Pinos Altos. Before dying of his injuries, Adams told tales of a wondrous red hill just north of the town where gold was scattered everywhere, ripe for the taking. In his knapsack was $7000 worth of gold nuggets which he claimed came from this hill. Prospectors raced to the site, trying to find the gold-rich hill, but none succeeded. Pinos Altos currently maintains many buildings and historic sites from the gold rush including the Buckhorn Saloon and Opera House and the Pinos Altos Historic Museum.

The Hembrillo Basin, just below Victorio Peak, is the site of one of the more baffling treasure mysteries in New Mexico. In 1937 Milton Earnest “Doc” Noss was traveling through Hembrillo Basin when he stumbled upon a large rock that turned out to be the cover-stone of an unbelievable treasure trove. There are numerous theories as to the source of this cavern filled with treasures beyond imagining, but none has been proven. By 1938 Doc Noss managed to gain legal claim to the treasure, and worked to remove as much of it as he could. In the fall of 1939, Doc decided that he needed to enlarge the opening to the hidden treasure, and arranged to blast the narrow tunnel with eight sticks of dynamite. This was a mistake, causing a cave-in that permanently blocked further entry to the cavern.

In 1955 the White Sands Missile Range decided to expand its territory into Hembrillo Basin. Doc’s wife, Ova “Babe” Noss, fought to retain her rights to the sealed treasure trove, but the ownership of both the land and the treasure beneath it was highly disputed. Eventually military personnel apparently found another entrance to the hidden cavern, and the dispute became even more rabid. Finally in 1963 the state put together a mining expedition to uncover what treasure remained on the site. The venture was unsuccessful, for any remaining gold had either been removed, or the location of the cavern had again been lost. To this day, the mystery of the treasure of Hembrillo Basin has not been solved. Doc and Babe’s descendants still fight to find out what happened to the treasure, and whether any remains beneath Victorio Peak.

The mountains are home to many other hidden treasure troves. A deep canyon in Caballo Mountain, near Las Cruces, is said to hide goods stolen by Indians from the Spanish. The Capitan Mountain supposedly hides a horde of Aztec gold and silver worth $25 million. Steins Peak is home to Doubtful Canyon, where the takings from a stagecoach robbery are reputedly hidden. More illicit treasure is said to be hidden at Devoy’s Peak near Mount Dora. Other places with legends of lost treasure troves include Cimarron, Cooney, and Tijeras Canyon.

Living In New Mexico

December 4, 2008 by Aretha Singh · Comment
Filed under: Real Estate 

With its many unique natural wonders, mountain ranges and desert areas, the exotic Native American and Spanish culture, combined with the magical quality of its light and salutary nature of its air, New Mexico is one of the most popular states. It is known as the Land of Enchantment. Today, New Mexico’s almost 2 million residents are among the United States’ most diverse populations, with an ethnic make-up of approximately 45 percent non-Hispanic, 42 percent Hispanic and almost 10 percent Native American.

New Mexico real estate prices have traditionally been some of the lowest in the nation. With the inflow of people from other states, prices have increased dramatically. A single family home in Santa Fe will set you back in the $500,000 range, while the same home will run half that in Albuquerque. Taos homes vary entirely on the specific structure. Appreciation rates for New Mexico in 2005 were nearly 12 percent.

The Albuquerque – Santa Fe metro area includes six major communities, making it the center of the state’s commercial and governmental activities. These are the most popular places. The overall cost of living in Albuquerque is 18% below the national average, with a median home price of $170,800 in the Albuquerque metro areas. Santa Fe, one of the oldest cities in the USA, is a much more expensive place to live, with median home prices rising above $400,000, with few homes selling for anything below $250,000. Helping to balance the costs of some of the more expensive areas, New Mexico’s residential and commercial property taxes are among the lowest in the United States, with tax rates depending on the property type and location. Though Santa Fe is very expensive, but if you can afford it, it is a nice place to live. It’s beautiful, has a strong and flourishing culture and many of the events and issues that take place here are interesting and entertaining. This area has very good weather. The high-desert offers the delights of sunshine (about 300 days per year) and low humidity but not the scorching temperatures of the lower elevations. Sometimes it’s even snowing here.

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