By JoDell Saint James
A writing workshop brought me to Truth or Consequences the weekend of September 29 – October 1, 2023, a writing workshop and my own search for the next steps in my life. At 62, maybe it was time to find a warmer place to live than Minnesota in the winter?
The town changed its name from Hot Springs in March of 1950. It happened after a radio show called Truth or Consequences held a contest in honor of its 10th anniversary. The show promised to air from the first town to rename itself “Truth or Consequences.” Hot Springs renamed itself to Truth or Consequences, and the radio show broadcasted from the town the next night. The population in 1950 was 4,700 according to the census report. In 2020, the population of the town was measured at just over 6,000.
Mild winters with the average low temperature 28 degrees Fahrenheit along with an average of three inches of snow per year, make Truth or Consequences a perfect site for “snowbirds.” A current resident of the town that I spoke to said that the population seems to almost double in the winter. “Lot’s a people from Minnesota come down here in the winter.”
“My husband and I moved here from Las Vegas after we bought a bunch of land for horses. Too many people were moving to Las Vegas. It took 40 minutes just to get across town. We lived just outside of Truth or Consequences. I retired from the hospital. When my husband died of a heart attack, I sold the property and moved into a house in town. Truth or Consequences isn’t for everyone but I like it here. I have my friends and anything I want. Some people might want something more but if you need a Macy’s you can get to one from here.”
When I asked if she’d ever planned on moving away, she said, “I have everything in my life here to live so I don’t want to live anywhere else.” “And you know, Truth or Consequences is as good a place as any to die.”
Photo: A rare autumn thunderstorm. Truth or Consequences averages 11 inches of rain per year.
JoDell Saint James is a special education teacher in Minnesota. She is currently working on a memoir about her teaching experiences and all the part time gigs she works to make ends meet on a teaching salary.
