New Mexico still lets a buyer find a home for well under what the rest of the West is charging. The towns here run on red rock, Route 66 neon, and high-desert plazas. Some are artsy mountain towns and others are old railroad stops with national parks and hot springs nearby. These eight keep housing within reach without giving up any character. In New Mexico, the scenery comes built into the deal.
Truth or Consequences
Truth or Consequences traded its old name, Hot Springs, for a radio-show gimmick in 1950, and the mineral water is still the reason to live here. Homes run around $167,000, among the lowest on this list, in a Rio Grande town of about 6,000. Bathhouses and spas like Riverbend Hot Springs and Blackstone Hotsprings put mineral pools within walking distance of home rather than saving them for a vacation. The Geronimo Springs Museum covers regional history, fossils, and the town’s name-change story. Just north, Elephant Butte Lake brings boating and open water to a place that already has plenty of sun.