Knowing this stuff may not make your life any easier.  We'd have to charge for that service.

Folsom

Elevation: 6,400 feet above sea level
Location: 103.52.30 longitude, 36.52.30 latitude
Origin: first cabin by Madison Emery in 1850
Names: Ojo, Madison, Ragtown, finally Folsom in 1888
Village Incorporation: January 1909
Largest population: approximately 1000 before 1908 -- that was like a really bad year
Current population (2010): approximately 80

Folsom had a population of about 1,000 at it's peak.
The town once had the largest stockyards west of Fort Worth.
The town began its decline after the flood of 1908 washed away most of the town, killing 17 people.
The town was named Folsom to honor the maiden name of Frances Folsom. 
Ms. Folsom married President Grover Cleveland while he was in office.  She was not from the area.

New Mexico

Size: 121,666 sq miles - 5th largest state
Population: approximately 1,000,000
State Flower: Yucca
State Bird: Road Runner

Answers to the Complicated Questions from Visitors

• it's all fun
• ranching, driving, teaching, cleaning, accounting, you name it!
• yes
• use an old mayonnaise jar instead
• that's exactly what I mean
• because they can be
• pretty much the same ratio as everywhere else

Here's some stuff that might come in handy if you ever want to call this place home...

Resources & Tips

If you are interested in moving to the Folsom area or if you are a current resident with problems to solve, this is the page for you!

Moving to Folsom is not an easy task. There are rarely houses or land for rent or sale, or jobs nearby. Existing home prices are often outrageous for the quality of house and property. The nearest shopping region is 37 miles away in Raton. The nearest Wal-Mart is another 20 miles farther in Trinidad.

Worst of all, virtually no one in the area seems to be able to provide answers to questions that most people from more populated areas take for granted. Most feel that if you must pay even a small amount for a service, then that service is not a viable option. For those who are used to paying $10 just to park their car outside a restaurant, this philosophy can seem a bit confusing.

So why move here? No traffic. Clean air. Less Crime. Mountains. Wildlife.

If you still want to live here despite the difficulties, read on for helpful tips and info!

The obvious candidates are retirees who do not need jobs and have the financial means to build or move a house to live in.

Retirees are always welcome, but there are obvious problems down the road for a remote community consisting entirely of elderly citizens. Who mows the lawns, paints the houses, and trims the trees? Who drives to town for groceries and transports the ill to the doctor or hospital?

A healthy community needs a population with a distributed age pattern. A grocery store sure doesn't hurt either!

The area is also in desperate need of a licensed carpenter, plumber, and electrician. Skilled workers from Raton are loathe to travel to the Folsom area because of the distance and inconvenience.

There are a few ranching jobs around, some of which pay about $1200 per month with a house provided.

Oh, and did you read the part above about the pink lungs?  If you didn't, then quit skipping stuff.  It's gonna be really hard for you to keep up and we don't like stragglers in these parts.

There ARE jobs available for those willing to commute for a half hour to an hour. If you are accustomed to similar commutes in the city, then driving through the country unencumbered by crawling traffic will seem like a piece of cake. Until winter comes.  On a good year, you'll have a little difficulty getting in to town four or five times.  On a bad year, you sometimes won't make it.

Some businesses are reluctant to hire a person who must commute from Folsom due to the fear that inclement weather will cause excessive absence. How do you get such a job?

Lie to them!!!

The end justifies the means, especially when the alternatives are to starve to death or to move back to the city so you can die with gray lungs. Tell prospective employers that you plan to move to town if you get the job. Then don't. Just figure out how to get to work regardless of the weather.  It also helps if you are a really good employee.

Disclaimer: I myself would NEVER lie under any circumstances yada, yada, yada...

There are rarely houses for rent in the Folsom area that are anything similar in quality to what can be found in larger towns. Most are rather rundown and decrepit by the time they become rental units.

There is usually a house or two for sale, but the prices are often unreasonable. Unfortunately, people keep buying them which serves to justify the prices (the law of supply and demand sometimes sucks). Sadly, the most common reason a house becomes available is due to death of the resident. All too often these homes have been neglected for some time.

Building a house can be difficult due to the limited number of local licensed contractors. Building a house with local labor can cost $50-$60 per square foot. Contractors from Albuquerque will cost of $80-$90 per square foot.

Due to the cost and incredible logistic difficulties, North Eastern New Mexico is truly the...

Land of the Trailer House

Yes, the "Land of Enchantment" has a very high density of trailer houses - popularly renamed as "modular homes" or "manufactured homes" in recent years. Admittedly, they are of higher quality nowadays - thicker walls, nicer exteriors, better finish materials.

The key to making your "manufactured home" look better is to build on to it. The limited and distinctive rectangular shape of manufactured homes make them easily identifiable. Add a porch, deck, garage, or addition to break up the outline and the look of the home will change entirely. Many manufactured homes are now available with high peaked roofs which also improve their overall appearance.

One small caveat with manufactured homes in the area (and perhaps in all of New Mexico) is that building codes require that you place concrete runners to support the trailer. These runners are not as expensive as a continuous perimeter foundation, but they do drive the cost up.

If you buy a used trailer house, you must move it. This is not as easy as some might think because there are only a handful of decent house movers in the area. Albuquerque, the largest city in New Mexico, only lists three movers in the Yellow Pages.

New Mexico Building Codes

Unfortunately, the New Mexico state government responded to a long history of problems with building standards with a knee jerk reaction. The entire state of New Mexico is now covered by the 1997 Uniform Building Code* as a minimum building standard. You have to get permits and inspections for new homes, additions, remodeling, storage buildings, and garages. You might can build a dog house without a permit, but only if it's not too fancy.

* need to verify this - it may have changed

You can do your own construction, plumbing, and electrical work. If you choose to do your own construction, you must sign a waiver which basically states that you admit that you are a total idiot for attempting to build your own house and that you accept and understand that many bad things can happen. You must still get a permit and have your work inspected at various intervals. To do your own electrical work, you must go to Santa Fe and pass a competency test.

If you hire people to help you, you must get a federal Employer ID Number and pay the worker's social security and Medicare taxes and withhold income tax. In addition, if you do not carry Worker's Compensation insurance you will be liable for any injuries. Some people erroneously claim that you can call them "contract labor" and avoid all of this. WRONG! They cannot be "contract labor" for the purpose of construction, plumbing, or electrical work without a valid New Mexico contractor's license. The alternative is to pay them cash and hope you don't get caught.

You can hire licensed contractors to do part of the work. Those contractors must obtain permits for the work they perform. If the contractors do not have Worker's Compensation, YOU are personally liable for injuries their workers may incur while working on your property - I'm not making this up! This rule also applies if you hire contractors to build the entire house.

New Mexico does add some extra standards to the code, mostly regarding "straw bale" and "adobe" housing. The code disallows the use of such walls as support structures, so you can only use them for their insulation value. This pretty much negates any significant cost savings because you still have to build a wooden framework - now you just get to fill it with straw or mud.

For more information on building codes in New Mexico, try these site(s):

http://www.rld.state.nm.us/cid/index.htm

By the way, a copy of the 1997 Uniform Building Code is NOT available on the website. There are three volumes to the code, each one costing between $80 - $100. You probably only need Volume II for the purposes of building a house. It can be found most easily on the Internet. Used copies can sometimes be found on Amazon.com, but the price savings is not that great. It is available on cd-rom as well, but that's not much cheaper either.

Try these sources for the 1997 Uniform Building Code:

http://www.electrical-contractor.net/The_Store/IC/1997UBC_Code.htm
http://www.amazon.com

Folsom does not have a community sewage disposal system. The township narrowly voted against applying for a state grant to build such a system. Many people did not want to pay $30.00 per month for water and sewage service. Instead, they get to put in their own systems for many thousands of dollars and experience the sheer joy of maintaining a crap processing system.  They are a fiercely independent lot out here!

Since there is no public sewage system, there are three basic alternatives:

• septic tank with leach field
• mini processing tank with spray system
• collection tank which must be emptied periodically

The New Mexico Environmental Protection Agency is in charge of enforcing rules and regulations regarding septic systems.

Septic Tank with Leach Field

For the most popular option, the leach field system, you must have approximately 1/2 acre of land to disperse your sewage for a typical 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home. The sewage is first collected in a 1250 gallon concrete septic tank where the solids are trapped. The homeowner must periodically add a bacterial agent of some sort to the system which will break down the solids. A box of this agent called Rid-X (yup, same name as the lice killer) can be purchased from the Raton K-Mart for about $7.00. The instructions on the box recommend a new box be added each month.

A series of baffles in the septic tank prevent the solids from flowing out to the leach field. The leach field can be either a perforated pipe running through a buried bed of gravel or a series of "infiltrators". Infiltrators are semi-circular plastic arches installed in the ground with the open side down. The liquid runs into the infiltrators and soaks into the ground. The number of infiltrators required depends on the number of bedrooms and bathrooms in the house and the ability of the ground to soak up water. This ability is determined with a "leach test" - two 5 foot deep holes are dug in the ground about 50 feet apart and filled with water. The amount of time for the water to dissipate determines the leach rate. A slower dissipation rate will require more infiltrators.

Water from the bathroom sinks, bathtub, shower, and washing machines can be dispersed right on the ground so long as it does not result in standing water. Dispersing the water in this manner instead of through the septic system helps to avoid saturation of the leach field.

The leach field method has its drawbacks, the most obvious being the amount of land required. The leach field must be 100 feet from any existing well, whether the well is on your property or on neighboring land. The septic tank must be 5 feet inside the property line. If the tank is within 50 feet of a well, it must be "leak tested" by filling it with water and looking for leaks. The tanks often leak - three tanks were tried at one installation and all leaked. The last had to be hand caulked from inside to solve the problem - and that tank had been assembled and tested at the manufacturer's facility before installation.

The price of a 1250 gallon septic tank as of December 2003 is about $800.00. For a very simple system where the tank and leach field can be laid out near the house, you can expect to pay $3,000 to $5,000. Not so simple systems such as those that require more infiltrators, longer pipe runs, or digging through rock can cost $10,000 or more. Get a written quote from your contractor before starting work - $6,000 systems can become $10,000 systems in a hurry.

Installing a septic system requires a licensed contractor, of which none seem to exist. As the homeowner, however, you can install one "yourself". You can then get "help" from somebody who knows what the Hell they are doing but is unlicensed. Ask around town and you will quickly find out who can "help" you.

The rules and regulations are constantly changing. To get things started, contact the EPA office in Raton at 505-445-3621.

Mini Processing Tank with Spray System

For landowners with too much stuff and not enough land, there is an alternative. These are small tanks which process the sewage with chemicals and stirring action - the resulting waste water can be used for irrigation.

The major drawbacks to this system are the necessity to add chemicals and the mechanical moving parts which can break down. Of course, none of the leach field installers are particularly enamored with this system. You'll have to decide for yourself. One example of these devices is the Multi-Flo, a brochure for which can be obtained by calling 1-800-HELP NOW.

Contact the EPA office in Raton at 505-445-3621 for information and advice.

Collection Tank Which Must be Emptied Periodically

This would have to be the absolute last choice. Having a collection tank emptied is not cheap, and who knows what the fellows who empty it do with the resulting treasure. Such fellows are not all that common and even less reliable. This method might cost you $200 per month or more.

Grandfather Clause

There is a "grandfather clause", be it official or unofficial, that allows an existing septic system to be used until it requires repair. So you can use an existing system until it clogs up and you need to dig it up or repair it, at which time you are supposed to install a government approved system. It behooves one to do any digging in the middle of the night.

Update:  the grandfather clause may have passed away!  >>Click here before buying a house or property!

In any case, policy enforcement seems to be sadly lacking. While you are installing your permitted, approved, $10,000 system, your neighbor may be putting in his own cheaper version whilst skipping a lot of hassle by filling out nary a form. Chances are that your neighbor is going to be quite happy with his system and several thousand dollars richer.  Until he tries to sell his house!

Disclaimer

I recommend that you follow ALL rules and regulations regarding sewage disposal. Besides, digging at night is a leading cause of shoe-poo syndrome.

As with the community sewage disposal system, Folsom also voted against creating a municipal water system as well. Oddly enough, the EPA does not seem to get involved when a water well is drilled in the Folsom area. It has been reported that water wells in the Raton area are regulated as strictly as are sewage systems. It is unknown if the Folsom area is overlooked due to a lack of interest or a lack of coverage by regulations.

*Update: the water table in the area is now regulated -- permits should be obtained before drilling any wells.

Most of the area in Folsom proper has a water pocket at a depth of 23 to 25 feet. A lot of the older wells tap into this pocket. Unfortunately, many people claim that this water is contaminated by all of the sewage leach fields because of the shallow depth. Others are just as adamant that their shallow wells are uncontaminated. Water test results across the community have been inconsistent, so absolute proof has yet to be provided as of this time.

A second layer of water can be reached at a depth of approximately 100 feet in most areas of the community. It is generally agreed that this water is pure. Most well drillers in the area charge about $12 per foot with a 100 foot minimum, so it makes sense to drill down to the deep water.  It's the extras that get you - especially if your well requires steel casing to prevent collapse.  In 2003, an 80 foot well with steel casing and a well pit with a pump and pressure tank cost around $8,000.

In addition to the well and well pit, a pump and pressure tank are required. For 25 foot wells, a surface pump can be used. For anything deeper, a submersible pump must be used. This type of pump hangs at the bottom of the pipe leading down into the well. The pump is actually submerged in the well water. Make sure that your driller "ties off" your pump. This involves tying one end of a rope or cable to the pump and the other end to something solid in the well pit. Sometimes the pump can fall off of the pipe or be blown off by a lightening strike. When this happens, it is nearly impossible to retrieve the pump if it has not been "tied off" and a new one will have to be installed at a cost of $600 or more.

The pressure tank is usually located in the well pit. It is a metal tank with an air filled rubber bladder in one end and a reservoir for water on the other end. The pump will fill the reservoir and the water will compress the bladder until a specific pressure is reached at which time the pump will turn off. When a tap is turned on in the house, the pressure from the bladder will force the water down the pipe. The pump will not turn on again until the pressure in the tank decreases to a specific pressure - the turn on pressure is lower than the turn off pressure. By using the pressure tank to supply force for the water the pump does not have to turn on every time water is drawn, extending the life of the pump. This also reduces the delay between the time a tap is opened and the appearance of water pressure. If water is drawn for a longer time, such as for a shower, the pump may turn on and stay on for the duration.

Piping must be layed between the well pit and the house for the main water feed. This should be buried at least 3 feet underground to prevent freezing. A popular type of piping now used is called "PEX". It is a special flexible polycarbonate hose which is more resistant to bursting due to freezing since it can expand more easily than metal piping. It is usually cheaper to have a house plumbed with PEX because it is easily cut to length, coiled for easy transport, and bends around corners. The fittings are crimped on the ends with a special tool, reducing or even eliminating the need for soldering.

PEX is available at the ACE Hardware in Raton and they will loan you the crimping tool. If you wish to buy one, the tool costs between $400 and $500.

When drilling a well into the deeper water table, the well driller is supposed to provide a cement "seal" around the pipe between the upper and lower water tables. This is to prevent the upper water table from draining down into the lower and thereby contaminating it as well. Unfortunately, each driller uses a different method and there is some concern that a well will be or already has been drilled which has or will cause cross contamination between the two water tables. Ask your well driller about his method of sealing to be sure that he understands that this is an issue of which he should be cognizant.  Of course, many locals will frown on you questioning anyone about their methods.  That's just a risk you take.

The city of Folsom provides 5 dumpsters for use by city residents. These are not for use by county residents and they are locked.  The city also provides a roll-off dumpster for larger items.  In 2010, the cost was $100/year to use both and $50/year for just the roll-off.  County residents can pay to use the roll-off -- just another neighborly service provided by your village gubment!

The dumpsters are maintained and emptied by Tri-State Waste from Texline at a cost of $50 per month per dumpster. If you are a county resident or a Folsom resident who wants their own dumpster, Tri-State Waste can provide you with one.

Tri-State Waste can be contacted at 806-362-4828. Their address is

Tri-State Waste
Highway 296 East
Box 421
Texline, TX 79087

A lot of properties in Folsom have an abandoned building which is beyond repair or have the remains of such a building. Disposing of the debris seems to be a mystery to most residents, as is evident from the copious amount decorating the township.

Raton's dump does NOT want your trash or debris. The fellow at the city office told me that quite clearly. Although I got different prices from different people, he quoted a price of $40 per ton for those who are not residents for Raton. They will take your tires for $1 each.  >>click here for Tire & Battery Disposal info*

* this has surely changed by now and may not even be available -- double-check before you drive!

The Clayton landfill is a bit more understanding, and will take your refuse at $5.50 per cubic yard. The volume of your waste is estimated by a worker at the landfill. What they will and will not take is not clearly explained, even over the telephone. Household waste, tree branches, grass clippings, wood, glass, nails, and similar construction material are okay, but they do not want tires, batteries, cars, or car body parts.

* this has surely changed by now and may not even be available -- double-check before you drive!

The procedure is to drive out to the dump and look for a tractor moving garbage. The tractor driver will tell you where to dump, usually right in front of his tractor while he watches. He will estimate the volume and record it along with your name, which he will later report to the office. You should call the office and give them your billing address in case the tractor driver fails to do so or records it improperly. You can make things a bit easier by having your name and address written on a piece of paper so you can just hand it to the driver. You will later receive a bill in the mail.

If the wind is blowing, the dump will not be open and the gate will be closed. If it is blowing much at all, I recommend that you choose another day if you have to unload by hand. Even a slight wind will result in choking sand and dust, making the unloading process quite unpleasant. If you arrive around lunch time and the gate is closed with a sign saying "Closed due to Wind", come back later. Apparently that is the only sign they have, so it is used for lunch breaks, etc.

For more information and for directions to the dump, call Clayton City Office at 505-374-8331. The city office is located at 1 Chestnut St.

If you have a lot of construction debris, it may be more economical to purchase the use of a "roll-off" dumpster. A "roll-off" dumpster is one of those dump truck bed sized rectangular containers often seen near construction sites. The disposal company drops one off at your site and picks it back up when you are done with it.

Tri-State Waste will provide you with a "roll-off" container for $400 per dump. You get 30 days to fill the container between dumping - if you take longer than 30 days, there is a $5 per day surcharge.

* this has surely changed by now and may not even be available -- double-check before you drive!

Click here for the address and phone number for Tri-State Waste

You can dump metal junk off at the dump at the east edge of Raton.  The stuff can be dumped outside the gate after hours.

Check with the Folsom clerk regarding the latest rules regarding tire disposal in the roll-off.  Batteries are never supposed to be disposed of in a dumpster or roll-off.

Most towns the size of Raton can receive batteries for a small fee.  Contact the Raton or Clayton clerk for the latest policies.

Electrical service to the area is provided by Springer Electric Cooperative or . All users of the service must join the cooperative. Some cooperatives pay the members a small amount back - the members are more or less the owners of the company.

As of December 2003, I could not find the cost per KWH listed anywhere on my bill. Apparently, I have rate "1", which refers to residential service. Using my calculator (or you can go to their website), I found the cost to be 8.54 cents per KWH. I'm not sure how much ink they are saving by not printing the rate on the bill, but I hope it's worth it.

For more information, go to http://www.springercoop.com or call them at 505-483-2421.

There are several options for propane service. The closest is probably Arthur Propane in Des Moines. They will provide a propane tank free of charge so long as you use a minimum amount of propane each month. Installation is extra - they will set the tank, run about 50 feet of line underground, and make the connections for about $400. As of December 2010, the rate for propane was ???? per gallon if you paid with a check upon delivery. It's 5 cents per gallon more if you don't pay immediately.

You can contact Arthur Propane at 505-278-2500.
Their mailing address is:

Arthur Propane
Box 97
Des Moines, NM 88418

There are other propane services which operate out of nearby towns.  One of these is Pendleton Oil & Gas Co. of Raton.  >>click here to visit their website

How much are you going to spend on electricity and gas? It depends on your house, the time of the year, and the weather. Your costs can be quite minimal for April through November, especially if you don't use the air conditioner - perhaps as low as $40 per month for electricity and the same for gas. Unfortunately, the area has been experiencing hotter than normal summers with temperatures approaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you live in one of the old rock houses in the area, your winter costs can be astronomical. Contrary to popular myth, rock is NOT a good insulator. Neither are logs in a log cabin for that matter. Since the construction of these houses makes the addition of insulation virtually impossible, energy costs can be quite high. In December, $400 for gas and $150 for electricity in one month is not unheard of. New houses with proper insulation will have significantly lower energy costs.

Landline phones, dial-up Internet, and DSL are provided by Baca Valley Telephone.  This is a locally owned business and they have very good service.  >>click here to visit their website

Baca Valley can also provide you with cell phone service.  Alternatively, service can be contracted for in Raton.

Cellular Wireless Internet can be obtained in Raton.  Baca Valley will provide satellite Internet service if you live too far away from a DSL connection point.

Verizon definitely works in the Folsom area, and Sprint should as well.

The school for kids in the area is in Des Moines. The school was recently remodeled with a South West motif and is very nice. The average size for each grade is 10 students. That's the entire grade, not just one class. Thus the student teacher ratio is about 1 to 10 or better. There are plenty of computers and equipment, and all grades Kindergarten through twelfth are in the same building.

The best thing about the Des Moines school is that the teachers are not overwhelmed by having too many students. Whereas in the larger cities up to 20% of the children may be on Ritalin at the advice of the school, I'm not sure Des Moines even knows about Ritalin. A very large percentage of the students go on to college.

The mascot for Des Moines is the "Demons". The lady Demons have won the state championship in volleyball for their division for the last three years and the basketball championship for the last two - they are working on the third for that as well.  The boys have an equally impressive record. Football, baseball and soccer are not currently played at Des Moines.

For more information, call the school at 505-278-2611 or visit their website at http://www.desmoinesschools.net

If you wish for more sport or educational opportunities, you can enroll your children in the Raton or Clayton school system.  It is about a forty-fifty minute drive either way, which is not a problem if you already commute to work in one of those towns.  If not, you can usually meet up with the school bus which comes in the Folsom direction and save yourself fifteen or twenty miles.

Both Clayton and Raton schools do field football, basketball, and baseball teams.

The restaurant situation changes faster than a pit bull's disposition.  You're just gonna have to ask around on this one.  Better yet, try 'em all!  It's the darndest thing - one person will just love restaurant xyz and the next person will claim they get food poisoning every time they go there.

There are four movie theaters in the area:

• Movie Picture Showhouse, Trinidad, 1 hour drive, 4 screens
• El Raton, Raton, 40 minute drive, 1 screen, historic venue*
• Fox Theatre, Trinidad, 1 hour drive, 1 screen, historic venue*
• Luna Theatre, Clayton, 50 minute drive, 1 screen, historic venue*

* historic venue means old, quaint and interesting.  extra points if it's spelled "theatre" instead of "theater"

The El Raton installed a top-o-the-line digital 3D projector in 2010.  At the time, it was probably the only one between Albuquerque and Denver.  It's so fancy that you don't even get to keep the eye glasses!

There are bars and dance spots in Raton.  Some are a little on the rough side.  Expect to be the subject of drama, love triangles, and gossip.

Keep your eyes peeled for random events scheduled in the area featuring local bands, rodeo cowboys, or school kids performing Macbeth.  Basketball and volleyball games are always the cat's meow.

Git yourself a satellite TV dish and some microwave popcorn.

Drive.  Stop.  Smell.  Touch.  It's like an adventure movie.