# Wanted near Gallup New Mexico...



## Morria07 (Jul 8, 2006)

My husband and I were going to go to Chicago, but now our life has changed.

We are looking for land to homestead near the Navajo Rez and Gallup New Mexico... we need something that is low cost, but lots of land as we are buying/homesteading it for ourselves and our not-for-profit outreach to youth of the area. We will be moving by Christmas to the area. Thanks everyone! Look forward to join the long term homesteaders for real now!


----------



## DamnearaFarm (Sep 27, 2007)

I don't have anything to offer you other than well wishes from another Tennessean heading to the Land of Enchantment ;-)


----------



## donsgal (May 2, 2005)

Morria07 said:


> My husband and I were going to go to Chicago, but now our life has changed.
> 
> We are looking for land to homestead near the Navajo Rez and Gallup New Mexico... we need something that is low cost, but lots of land as we are buying/homesteading it for ourselves and our not-for-profit outreach to youth of the area. We will be moving by Christmas to the area. Thanks everyone! Look forward to join the long term homesteaders for real now!


I know this is probably the WRONG thing to say... and I probably should hit the "back button" and Melissa probably is NOT going to like it. But this is somethiing I feel soooooooo strongly about, I HAVE to say it. I just HAVE to.

I hope that when you are living near the Rez and doing your "youth outreach" whatever that is, that you will take the time and make the effort to learn the ways and beliefs of the Dine people.

When I lived in Durango, Colorado, I had a great deal of contact with the Nation and I came to love and respect these people so much. Many non-native peoples do not understand their lifestyle, their beliefs and because of that they look down and ridicule them. But it is only because of lack of understanding. 

It always worries me when I read things like "youth outreach" because that usually means the attempted distruction of the native ways in favor of white man's ways. I know that the Dine are strong and keep their own belief system intact even when "accepting" other tenants. But it pains me to see younger people turning away from their culture and being ashamed of who they are and where they came from because their lifestyle does not meet with the approval of the "upscale, white community".

Please, when you are there, take the time to learn about these people and what they believe and what is important to them. You might think you are going there to enrich their lives, when in fact, it will end up being the other way around, if you allow it to happen.

donsgal


----------



## Morria07 (Jul 8, 2006)

donsgal said:


> I know this is probably the WRONG thing to say... and I probably should hit the "back button" and Melissa probably is NOT going to like it. But this is somethiing I feel soooooooo strongly about, I HAVE to say it. I just HAVE to.
> 
> I hope that when you are living near the Rez and doing your "youth outreach" whatever that is, that you will take the time and make the effort to learn the ways and beliefs of the Dine people.
> 
> ...



I totally understand... I have studied native american culture since I was 7... I know it in many ways better than others. I actually do my best to adopt the native culture as much as I can. Our outreach is based on their culture...and in hancing it. They are more back to the earth...they know more about the land. We want to help them by giving them places to hang out, and helping them find ways to help their people, keeping their culture, and finding new ways to bring land friendly deveopments that will help their people. 

I am still researching my own heritiage, but there is a good possiblity I am part native american my self on my birth father's side... :rock:


----------



## donsgal (May 2, 2005)

Morria07 said:


> I totally understand... I have studied native american culture since I was 7... I know it in many ways better than others. I actually do my best to adopt the native culture as much as I can. Our outreach is based on their culture...and in hancing it. They are more back to the earth...they know more about the land. We want to help them by giving them places to hang out, and helping them find ways to help their people, keeping their culture, and finding new ways to bring land friendly deveopments that will help their people.
> 
> I am still researching my own heritiage, but there is a good possiblity I am part native american my self on my birth father's side... :rock:


What a relief. I'll be happy to donate to your organization when you get to that point. Please put me on your mailing list. It sounds like a very worthwhile endeavor.

lookie.here[[[at]]]]gmail.com

Thanks and best of luck with your project.


----------



## farmergirl (Aug 2, 2005)

When my DH and I were traveling around the country searching for our new homestead back in 2003, I fell absolutely in love with Gallup, New Mexico. I wanted to live in the desert, but couldn't convince DH to come with me...LOL He kept whinning about rainfall and trees  If I could afford to have land in two different places, I'd be right there with you in Gallup. I felt an overwhelming connection to the people and to the land. Unlike I've felt anywhere else.


----------



## donsgal (May 2, 2005)

farmergirl said:


> When my DH and I were traveling around the country searching for our new homestead back in 2003, I fell absolutely in love with Gallup, New Mexico. I wanted to live in the desert, but couldn't convince DH to come with me...LOL He kept whinning about rainfall and trees  If I could afford to have land in two different places, I'd be right there with you in Gallup. I felt an overwhelming connection to the people and to the land. Unlike I've felt anywhere else.


I have always liked the place too. And what is really cool is that they have an Amtrak station there (or at leasted they used to). I've always wanted to go someplace on a train! 

http://www.city-data.com/city/Gallup-New-Mexico.html

donsgal


----------



## farmergirl (Aug 2, 2005)

donsgal said:


> I have always liked the place too. And what is really cool is that they have an Amtrak station there (or at leasted they used to). I've always wanted to go someplace on a train!
> 
> http://www.city-data.com/city/Gallup-New-Mexico.html
> 
> donsgal


I could tell you all about train travel. My DH and I traveled cross country and back again by Amtrak for our honeymoon.


----------



## Morria07 (Jul 8, 2006)

http://www.realtor.com/realestate/gallup-nm-87301-1093844584/

It does not have land for horses but we can have rabbits. :rock: What do you all think?


----------



## Nik (Jul 31, 2004)

Kind of like Donsgal, I feel I should hit the back button, but after living in NM and teaching around the state, including Gallup, for the last 8 years there are a couple of things I feel compelled to say. First, I need to state is that I am 1/4 Native American, so don't think I'm being prejudiced. 

1. Gallup has a TERRIBLE crime rate, and the DUI rate is one of the highest in the U.S.. When I moved out to NM from IL, my insurance rates went up between 300% and 1000%. Not because of anything we did, but because of the amount of uninsured and drunk motorists. You will probably not want to drive late at night and on the weekends to stay on the safe side.

2. Be prepared to be discriminated against. I know that they have been presecuted and discriminated against for years, so they probably have the right, but you can wind up in a very hostile enviroment because of the color of your skin, even if you are trying to help them. 

3. I know you are going there to help, but the sheer size of the poverty problem will leave you stunned. I applaud you for taking the initiative to help, but I know seeing that amount of despair day in and day out would take it's toll on me. 

4. Property can be on the extremely high side. When I lived in Farmington, I was told that only 4% of the land in the county was not in BLM or the reservation, so the houses and land that were available were in high demand. I'm not sure if that figure was true, but with the cost of living up there, I would believe it. When I first moved there, one of the places we looked at was a single wide in the bad part of town, and they wanted $750 a month. And that was several years ago.

Good luck, and stay safe.


----------



## DamnearaFarm (Sep 27, 2007)

Not trying to horn in on Morria's post (we've spoken via PM, lol :0) but i'd heard bad things about the area too. We'd looked at Gallup and Grants and were warned away. Not getting any encouragement on Moriarty either. We're still looking there. ANy input on Moriarty or Alamogordo or Tres Piedras, Nik?


----------



## Nik (Jul 31, 2004)

RamblinRoseRanc said:


> Not trying to horn in on Morria's post (we've spoken via PM, lol :0) but i'd heard bad things about the area too. We'd looked at Gallup and Grants and were warned away. Not getting any encouragement on Moriarty either. We're still looking there. ANy input on Moriarty or Alamogordo or Tres Piedras, Nik?


'

If I had to choose between those three, I would go for Alamogordo. Nice views, close to the mountains, close to Cruces and the university, and the property is still somewhat reasonable. I was never impressed with Moriarity like I was with Alamo. PM if you got any other locations you're looking at.


----------



## bbbuddy (Jul 29, 2002)

We're in AZ, but we traveled to Moriarty to buy a 6 wheel ATV from a guy that had it on Craigslist.
I thought the area was very pretty, but he said they were trying to move after raising their kids there, because the whole place had been overrun with meth labs and crime from those types...


----------



## DamnearaFarm (Sep 27, 2007)

Most of the reports i'd gotten on Moriarty were about the abject poverty there. So far i've heard nothing bad about Alamo, can't say the same about Tres Piedras. We've been told it's wicked bad weather in the winter and pretty closed minded to newcomers. We've also been told both Moriarty and Tres Piedras were pretty barren of jobs too. 

A shame, as there are some nice properties in TP and Moriarty that look promising. We're still visiting them, but with wide open eyes.


----------



## Morria07 (Jul 8, 2006)

I should have stated this sooner, but my husband is 1/16 Cherokee, and I am 1/64 Native (I was adopted so lucky to have just learned that). 

We dont care about the crime rate and all of that...but we care about the people. I personally have worked with the homeless for about 3 years...proverity is nothing new to me. Personally I have lived at or below poverity leavel since I have been on my own. My old house just went up for sale (it was a rental), so hopefully we will have some savings built up soon...we have a neighbour wanting to by it as a rental...so that is good news.

As well, we are spending the summer working at a local camp in the Van der Wagen area...so we are geting the lay of the land.


----------

