| Weather | | How much crime? | | What are the neighborhoods like? | | What are the people like? |
| At 6,500 feet, Magdalena has hot, dry summers and cold, snowy winters. Winter lows stay below freezing from November through February while hail and freezing rain frequently create hazardous driving conditions. Snow stays on the ground almost all winter. Windy days are common with extreme winds during most of the spring. Though not in the path of hurricanes or tornadoes, dust devils do regularly whip through town (more delightful than destructive)whirling up out of nowhere without a cloud in the sky. And speaking of the sky, the majority of the days are sunny and clear, even during the winter. Average rainfall is about 12 inches and most of that falls in July, August, and September which is known locally as "monsoon season". Flash flooding can occur but isn't common except in the arroyos. | | Serious crime is unusual enough that residents are still shocked when it does happen. Drunk driving is a serious problem throughout New Mexico and Magdalena is no exception with several tragic fatalities either in or just out of town every year. Local and state law enforcement strictly enforce speed limits in an effort to combat drunk driving. There is tension between the Hispanic and Navajo people that infrequently erupts into violence. There is a gang-related crime problem in Socorro (which is about twenty-five minutes away) that sometimes spills over into Magdalena resulting in assault, burglery and destruction of property. There have been some suspected drug related murders outside of town but not right in town. Marijuana is the most common drug that kids are busted for in high school.
There isn't a lot of theft as the town is small enough that everyone knows most everyone and "watching what's going on" is probably the number one pastime. I wouldn't leave my car or house unlocked (though most people here do) because Route 60 cuts straight through town resulting in interstate traffic and because theft is on the rise in the past five or so years. | | The commercial district, which continues to shrink, runs the length of the town along Route 6o and a block north and south of it in the center. In the town proper the best and the worst are right next door to each other. A crumbling old adobe and a double wide mobile home flank a pristine three story Victorian across the street from an abandoned building next door to lovely Craftsman. That being said, the western end of town is more uniformly crumbly and less prosperous looking. The eastern end of town is bordered by the combined elementary, middle school, high school buildings and fields. There are very few homes north of Route 60. The southern end of town is dominated by a huge abandoned Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding school. It's not in good shape: broken glass, boarded up doors and windows, graffiti, overgrown. But after leaving the town proper, ranches and newer homes fan out to the east and south and even somewhat to the west. Past Hop Canyon through the national forest are some magnificent homes, very upscale.
| | Magdalena has more than its fair share of bonafide rodeo riding,stetson sporting, snakeskin boot wearing pedigreed cowboys/vacqueros and cowgirls/vaqueras. Once a bustling mining town and then trail's end for the cattle drives, it is an authentic old western town, after all.
For about the last twenty-five years there has been a steady influx of well-educated independent thinkers seeking to bring a cultural renaissance to this area, opening galleries and coffee shops on a rotating basis.
People here are friendly to each other and polite to revenue generating tourists and hunters.
The population is split between white and Hispanic with only a couple of black people although there is really is no overt racism toward blacks. The Alamo Navajo reservation is about thirty minutes away so many Navajo attend school in Magdalena but most do not live in town. English is the main language spoken though about half the people are also fluent in Spanish.
This is a nice place to raise a family but those on outside of that demographic may be less happy here. There's not much in the way of services or activities for seniors.
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| Downtown Area | | Restaurants | | Schools | | Single life |
| The shopping in Magdalena leaves much to be desired. The only grocery store finally closed after Family Dollar opened in town. There is one bar, a few restaurants, a few galleries (more or less depending on the day and time of year), a beauty shop that sells a few gifts and flowers, a gas station convenience store, some rock hound shops and a hardware. The feed store closed last year. Shopping is rather dismal. | | Restaurants come and go but one that has withstood the test of time so far is The Magdalena Cafe serving filling breakfasts and yummy homemade pies. There are usually an average of two restaurants open at any given time but they each have different days and hours of operation. You can get microwave burgers and pizza at the bar most nights and the coffee house serves good lunches and early dinners. | | The school campus in Magdalena houses all grades K - 12. The school is on a four day week with summers off. It's not the best college prep and has some gang, racial, and drug problems but not at the same level as Socorro. There is definitely room for improvement. | | People either marry out of high school, move away, or move to the area already as a couple so it's probably not a good place to move to if you are single and hoping. There are no activities for specifically for singles.
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| Noise | | town comparison vs. | | Best hospital | | Tourist attractions |
| If you are staying at one of the motels then you are right on Route 60 with the attendant traffic noise though nights are surprisingly quiet. Every once in a while there may be a strange explosion from a New Mexico Tech test site but other than that there is no excessive noise and things are quite peaceful accoustically. | | Twenty-five minutes down the mountain to the southeast lies Socorro, right where Route 60 intersects with Interstate 25. Socorro has a Walmart, several grocery stores, a good hospital, good restaurants and drive thru's and New Mexico Tech University. It also has gang violence, more crime, more traffic, and a less than stellar high school. Drunk driving rates are even higher than Magdalena's. Magdalena does not have the conveniences and amenities that Socorro has but it is more peaceful and friendly than the larger town. The mountains surrounding Magdalena are a real bonus for outdoor lovers and the Navajo cultural and art influences make for interesting explorations. | | The nearest hospital is Socorro General, twenty five minutes southeast down the mountain on Route 60. For a small town hospital, it has a very good menu of services available and a very good emergency department.Challenging or complicated cases are transferred to the University of New Mexico hospital or another hospital in Albuquerque. | | Hop Canyon and Water Canyon are lovely. Kelly mine is a deserted ghost town and you just might find some Smithite, which is a brilliant blue stone found only here. The Very Large Array or VLA is a breathtaking site and is a must see. The vastness of the desert attuned to outer space through the enormous satellites makes even the noisiest brain calm to contemplate our place in the universe. The Alamo Navajo reservation is about thirty minutes away. Known as the small reservation (compared to the vast main reservation), it boasts a school complex, an Indian Health Service, a convenience store, and a Navajo jewelry and art coop shop with great prices. There are also usually pick ups parked about with folks offering everything from fry bread to silver and turquoise handmade jewelry. There are pow wows throughout the year. |
| General comments | | | | | | |
| Magdalena has seen better days and unfortunately that's really apparent. Old town photographs show a busy main street with even a movie theater and three story department store. All that remains of the original main street after a devastating fire are some strangely out of place brick walls and curbs. Magdalena has the feel of a ghost town that just won't give up the ghost. From the deserted stock pens north of town to the abandoned boarding school campus to the south, this town just looks beat up and broken town. There seems to be a revolving parade of renovations and reinventions but sadly growth is still in the red. | | | | | | |
