Retirees Flocking to Southern New Mexico

It usually takes retirees several visits to this small desert town in the southern New Mexico outback to decide on making it their home. It took Marie Miller one mouse click.

The 66-year-old retired nurse, who was charmed by the southern part of the state after a visit to Las Cruces five years ago, did a virtual tour of Deming on the Internet. She found a retirement community called Country Club Estates and was immediately sold.

Seduced by the ample sunshine, mild weather and small-town atmosphere, Miller bought her home online, left the snowy confines of Vermont and headed south.

“I was tired of the winters up there, and I wanted a small town,” said Miller, who moved into her home five months ago. “I picked the best time to move because I missed an awful winter in Vermont.”

Retirees like Miller are fueling a mini-boom in Luna County, where the population has soared by 38% over the past decade. Deming, the county seat, has seen its population grow by 28.7%, from 10,970 in 1990 to 14,116 in 2000, according to new census figures.

The city is about 60 miles west of Las Cruces, 35 miles from the New Mexico-Arizona border and 35 miles north of Mexico.

“Many retirees come here to visit, they like the area, they like the economy, so the next thing they do is they move here full time,” said George Pintar, executive director of the Deming-Luna County Chamber of Commerce.

New Mexico, like many other Sunbelt states stretching from the South to the West, is fast becoming a desirable destination for retirees. And southern New Mexico, with its warm climate, open spaces and low cost of living, is benefiting from that trend.

Lincoln County, for example, also has seen its population skyrocket by nearly 59% over the past decade, partly fueled by retirees.

Many of them are attracted to the area by the booming tourism industry in Ruidoso, said Joan Zagone, executive director of Ruidoso Valley Chamber of Commerce.

“The tourism industry has given us all types of activities and really attracted retirees and other people here,” said Zagone, who moved to Ruidoso 25 years ago after vacationing there. “Typically, people found us on vacation, find out how special it is and came back.”

Deming, locals say, is a perfect fit for senior citizens looking for a place to spend their final years. The cost of living is low; the weather, except for the sporadic dust storm, is warm year-round; crime is negligible and the people are friendly.

It was the friendly nature of the town’s people that lured Carl Bailey to Deming 15 years ago from West Virginia. Bailey, 64, was searching for a place to build an RV park and was deciding between Arizona, Florida, Texas and New Mexico.

Deming’s congeniality won him over.

“It was an excellent choice. Deming welcomed me with open arms,” said Bailey, now a city councilor. “Deming has been good to me and my business.”

Bailey said he’s also witnessed Deming’s booming growth over the years. When he first opened Little Vineyard RV Park, there were only three other RV parks in town. Now there are more than a dozen.

And his park also has grown, from 59 RV sites in 1985 to 152 sites now.

Unlike Miller, who moved to Deming after surfing the Web, most people decide to relocate here after visiting, Bailey said. Deming is off Interstate 10, and many people stay here overnight on long trips to Arizona or California, he said.

Once they stop, they’re hooked.

“I counted approximately 100 people that have come into my park over the years that live here in Deming,” he said. “They are coming and staying and calling it home. We’ve got friends all over the city now that used to stay here.”

Deming is not just banking on retirement to drive its economy. The city also is attracting industry.

Nevada-based Roswell Greenhouse Co. has announced plans to build a $20-million greenhouse for tomatoes in Deming that could mean as many as 150 new jobs. Construction on the greenhouse is slated for October.

Solitaire Holding, an Oklahoma-based mobile home manufacturing company, has completed construction on a 172,000-square-foot factory in Deming. The company is scheduled to begin production in May, and the plant is expected to employ as many as 200 people.

Duke Energy North America also is planning to build a state-of-the-art, $250-million natural gas-fired power plant in the town. The plant, which is still awaiting final approval from the company’s board of directors, is expected to employ 350 to 400 people during construction and 25 permanent workers once it’s online.

“This should be an absolute big boost,” Pintar said. “It’s going to make a big difference in our economy.”

With new jobs locating to the city, Deming officials want to cultivate a viable work force. They are spending $1 million to renovate an old Kmart into a new vocational and technical school that is expected to open in August.

“We will have the ability to train folks if companies want to move here,” said Larry Truax, project coordinator for Luna County. “That in itself will help growth.”

The signs of growth are everywhere.

The Kmart where the vocational and technical school will be located moved into a bigger building. The city convention center is doing the same. And the city library, which is overcrowded with books, will move into the old convention center home.

The city golf course also has grown from nine holes to 18.

“I think that is a very big change for our tourist industry, because our RV folks take advantage of it during the winter,” Truax said. “It’s a big attraction for the snowbirds.”

https://www.cityofdeming.org/chamber.html

https://www.ruidoso.net/chamber/

https://www.census.gov