# homesteading in new mexico



## E W Texan

Hi everyone,
I live in Texas, but thinking of retiring in New Mexico and living off grid. The problem I'm having is finding suitable land online. When I do a search for small acreages (5 acres or so), most of what I find is in subdivisions. I'm looking mainly in Lincoln county. I don't want to go too far north because I would like a moderate climate. Not too cold. I do want to be in or near the mountains. Anyone here homesteading in New Mexico? Any advice?


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## kinnb

welcome!!


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## jane2256

I loved the Silver City area when I was there!


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## b_yeag

Welcome,

After three years of searching for the right spot I finally found some land in Otero County, NM. Its 5 acres smack dab in the middle of nowhere. (Closest cities are Cloudcroft and Mayhill) My property is right at 8100' and I can tell you it gets pretty cold up there. If you are looking for a more moderate climate you can look in the High Rolls area, Otero County, or the Alto area, Lincoln County. When I initially started my search I was looking for land than I ended up with but eventually made the concession based on the fact the land had electric, internet, and a spring. I don't think we will totally develop this land and we are happy to leave our RV up there and just work on little things for now. Eventually, once funds allow, we would still like to get into at least 10 acres up there. 

A little info on what we were looking for and what we learned while on the hunt:

We really wanted privacy and a place we could go to relax with our family and friends. We have an RV and several friends and family members do aswell so anything we bought needed to be able to accommodate this. (We have installed 3 full RV hookups since we purchased the land) What made this tough is what you are seeing. Most of the land is in communities or is sub-divided with restrictions. We did not want any part of that. We wanted and waited to find unrestricted land. Another factor that makes this tough is the fact that there really isn't a lot of privately owned land in the area. Much of it is owned by the government in one way, shape, or form. Big problem number 2, Water. It sure seems like every drop of water in NM is already owned by somebody so finding a place with water rights or an existing well was a big concern for us. Wells are really expensive to drill in the mountains as they are drilling through Limestone. Another issue for us was cellphone coverage. Its spotty in our area, we don't have any at our spot, but we do have high speed internet so we can use our phones. Cellphone coverage in Lincoln County is better than in Otero County. 

I'm happy to provide more info on the area if you need any. I have been spending time in those mountinas my entire life. 

Ben


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## E W Texan

Ben,

Thank you very much for your reply. You've confirmed some of my concerns. I'm not giving up though. I want to live in the mountains and have access to elk hunting. I would like to discuss this more with you when I have more time. Thanks again!

Ed


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## TxGypsy

E W Texan said:


> Ben,
> 
> Thank you very much for your reply. You've confirmed some of my concerns. I'm not giving up though. I want to live in the mountains and have access to elk hunting. I would like to discuss this more with you when I have more time. Thanks again!
> 
> Ed


You can do that in Texas. There are mountains and there are elk. Check out Jeff Davis county.


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## DryHeat

I might second the suggestion of the Silver City area, particularly north and northwest of the town. North about an hour is the headwaters of the Gila River with warm springs. Northwest another hour is the outlet of the Gila after running through designated wilderness, merging with the San Francisco River in the Pleasanton and Catwalk area. Up in there is maybe 6000' elevation valley settled by Mormons in the late 1800s, very near the Arizona border.


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## melli

b_yeag said:


> Welcome,
> 
> After three years of searching for the right spot I finally found some land in Otero County, NM. Its 5 acres smack dab in the middle of nowhere. (Closest cities are Cloudcroft and Mayhill) My property is right at 8100' and I can tell you it gets pretty cold up there. If you are looking for a more moderate climate you can look in the High Rolls area, Otero County, or the Alto area, Lincoln County. When I initially started my search I was looking for land than I ended up with but eventually made the concession based on the fact the land had electric, internet, and a spring. I don't think we will totally develop this land and we are happy to leave our RV up there and just work on little things for now. Eventually, once funds allow, we would still like to get into at least 10 acres up there.
> 
> A little info on what we were looking for and what we learned while on the hunt:
> 
> We really wanted privacy and a place we could go to relax with our family and friends. We have an RV and several friends and family members do aswell so anything we bought needed to be able to accommodate this. (We have installed 3 full RV hookups since we purchased the land) What made this tough is what you are seeing. Most of the land is in communities or is sub-divided with restrictions. We did not want any part of that. We wanted and waited to find unrestricted land. Another factor that makes this tough is the fact that there really isn't a lot of privately owned land in the area. Much of it is owned by the government in one way, shape, or form. Big problem number 2, Water. It sure seems like every drop of water in NM is already owned by somebody so finding a place with water rights or an existing well was a big concern for us. Wells are really expensive to drill in the mountains as they are drilling through Limestone. Another issue for us was cellphone coverage. Its spotty in our area, we don't have any at our spot, but we do have high speed internet so we can use our phones. Cellphone coverage in Lincoln County is better than in Otero County.
> 
> I'm happy to provide more info on the area if you need any. I have been spending time in those mountinas my entire life.
> 
> Ben


Any chance of some pics of either your homestead or the view...very curious what is in them hills...lol
8100' wow, that is high...I hear the air is really dry at altitude, so anyone with nasal constrictions can sleep well.


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## E W Texan

DryHeat said:


> I might second the suggestion of the Silver City area, particularly north and northwest of the town. North about an hour is the headwaters of the Gila River with warm springs. Northwest another hour is the outlet of the Gila after running through designated wilderness, merging with the San Francisco River in the Pleasanton and Catwalk area. Up in there is maybe 6000' elevation valley settled by Mormons in the late 1800s, very near the Arizona border.


Thank you DryHeat! I will check it out.


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## Lauradinkins

I live in the East Mountain area near Mountainair. We are at about 6000 feet and have loved the weather here. I grew a ton of vegetables this past season and still have some cool weather crops going. We have had great success with all of our livestock. The winds can get pretty miserable. There is still affordable mountain view land and it's only an hour drive to Albuquerque for necessities.


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## E W Texan

Is the available land you're speaking of in a subdivision? Do you have an idea of current land prices per acre? I visited Mountainair briefly and it was a beautiful area. Thanks for your help.


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## Lauradinkins

E W Texan said:


> Is the available land you're speaking of in a subdivision? Do you have an idea of current land prices per acre? I visited Mountainair briefly and it was a beautiful area. Thanks for your help.


I think there are a variety of options here. I don't live in a subdivision I did not want any restrictions on my use of the land. I have noticed that land takes a while to sell here so prices may be negotiable. The water issue is important. We haul our water from Mountainair we have heard too many stories of wells gone dry around here to sink that kind of money into drilling. Maybe someday. But overall I love living here. We relocated from Florida 2 years ago and have never looked back.


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## Lauradinkins

E W Texan said:


> Is the available land you're speaking of in a subdivision? Do you have an idea of current land prices per acre? I visited Mountainair briefly and it was a beautiful area. Thanks for your help.


Forgot to answer your question about price per acre I don't really know. We paid 2000 per acre for 30 acres 10 years ago but not much has changed in those 10 years. No more development at all so I can't imagine it has gone up too much since.


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## Lauradinkins




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## E W Texan

Wow! Is that your place? Beautiful!


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## Lauradinkins

E W Texan said:


> Wow! Is that your place? Beautiful!


Yes this was after a good bit of rain this past
Spring. It's a lovely shade of brown now like most of New Mexico that is the Manzano Mountains.


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## E W Texan

I love horses. I've owned them most of my life. Dang I'm starting to get excited! I would love to have a place like that!


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## Lauradinkins

E W Texan said:


> I love horses. I've owned them most of my life. Dang I'm starting to get excited! I would love to have a place like that!


EW if I see some local land that looks like it could be of interest to you I'll let you know. Another area to look at is around Magdalena. I know a lot of people who live in and around that area and love it. It is close enough to a civilization to make it convenient to shop but remote enough with plenty of Mountain ranges in view and close to lots of Elk hunting sections.


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## E W Texan

Thank you ma'am. I appreciate your help. It will be about 3 years(I hope)before I retire, but I would like to get the land bought before then. Also I just need to make a trip and do some looking around, but I won't be able to do that until probably after the first of the year. In the mean time I'm just trying to gather all the info I can. Everyone here has been very helpful. Thanks again.

Kind regards,
Ed


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## BirdWatcher2477

E W Texan said:


> Thank you ma'am. I appreciate your help. It will be about 3 years(I hope)before I retire, but I would like to get the land bought before then. Also I just need to make a trip and do some looking around, but I won't be able to do that until probably after the first of the year. In the mean time I'm just trying to gather all the info I can. Everyone here has been very helpful. Thanks again.
> 
> Kind regards,
> Ed


Did you ever find land in New Mexico? It looks very beautiful there, however having limited water in the area makes me nervous?


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