White Rock, NM

6 Apartments for Rent

Home of the "White Rock Master Plan!" Not in fact, the ingenious plan for state and national domination, but in fact a rather nice idea for supporting and rebuilding the local economy.

The community of White Rock is a census-designated place is Los Alamos County, New Mexico. Officially, this town is a neighborhood within the township of Los Alamos, but within the community itself there are nearly 6,000 residents. White Rock is often referred to as a "bedroom community," meaning that the vast majority of its inhabitants are there because of their jobs at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. In truth, this is one of the most scientifically-minded communities in the entire United States! The current town of White Rock is actually the second on the site, having been created in 1963 while the first was all but abandoned ten years earlier.

Moving to White Rock, New Mexico

There are two major reasons to move into White Rock: either you're a scientist, or someone in your family is a scientist! Of course, maybe you just want to rub noses with the scientific community, and sell cupcakes in the shape of beakers and exotic botanicals. Either way, there are a few things to take care of before you walk through the door of your new rental property.

Find an Apartment in White Rock

As a relatively new community, White Rock is full of well-maintained homes from the 1960s and 1970s, as well as plenty of modern apartment buildings, houses and townhouses from the 1990s and more recent years. You'll be able to find a condo for rent, a one bedroom apartment or even a house rental to suit your ideal style and space needs, as there are normally a decent number of listings in Los Alamos. Fewer vacant rentals exist in White Rock itself, however if you contact local agents and give yourself a flexible time frame in which to find an apartment, the process won't be terribly difficult. Try to give yourself at least six months to find and move into a home in White Rock, otherwise you'll likely end up in Los Alamos. If the National Laboratory has hired you, ask for help with relocation! The homes here are beautiful, and the scenery just as lovely.

Setting up Utilities

Yeah, this is a town full of smart, scientific people, but believe it or not, you'll still have to give the utility companies a head's up before you move in -- water, power, cable and internet aren't turned on by mind control just yet. Since White Rock isn't an official town in and of itself, you'll have to talk to the Los Alamos County officials about water, recycling, garbage disposal and electricity. For television and internet, you've got a few choices, including Comcast, Los Alamos Network Fiber Optic Internet, and AT&T.

Work and Transportation in White Rock

Obviously, White Rock is a land of lab rats -- or lab geeks -- or both, really. If you aren't a student, an intern, a scientist or an administrator of some kind, you'll need to look towards Los Alamos for more diverse job opportunities. Fortunately, there are regular buses throughout Los Alamos County that run from 6am to 7pm every Monday to Friday, except for holidays. White Rock itself has a Walk Score of 52, which isn't fantastic, so it's good to know there are buses to help you out along the way.

Alternatively, as a part of the White Rock Master Plan, you might consider opening your own business or offering consultant services to existing small businesses in the area.

Neighborhoods in White Rock

As we've already stated, White Rock is technically a neighborhood all its own, formally attached to the town of Los Alamos in the county of Los Alamos. Yep. This community does have a natural divide, however, between the north and the south. No, it doesn't involve rich plantation owners and Yankees; it involves the residential section and the business section of town.

North White Rock: This is the more built-up part of town, where you'll find the Post Office, Rover and Pinon Park, Pinon and Chamisa Elementary Schools, and the White Rock Shopping Center. The National Laboratory is a short distance to the west from this part of town.

South White Rock: In the south, you'll find most of the available housing, be it a condo for rent or several all bills paid apartments. This neighborhood is characterized by long, curving cul-de-sacs and the Pajarito Riding Club. A few wayward local businesses are to be found among these residential streets, but for the most part you'll need to visit the northern part of town to do business and make necessary purchases during the week.

Living in White Rock

This small community is pretty big on the outdoors, so even if you're a little wary of the wildlife, you should definitely have a go at one of the nature trails or camping at Ortiz Mountain! There are three main nature trails around the town: the White Rock Canyon Rim Trail; the Red Dot Trail and the Blue Dot Trail.

The White Rock Canyon Rim Trail is for people who like a little hazard mixed in with their adventure -- namely, rock climbers. As for the Red Dot Trail, also called Pajarito Springs Trail, is a short and rocky hike to the Rio Grande, during which hikers can see many Native American rock drawings. This trail is considered strenuous, and probably shouldn't be the first one you tackle after moving into town. The Blue Dot Trail is a similar hike over rocky ground and around several cliffs.

If you're big on dining out, you're going to need to travel into Los Alamos to find a real selection, however there are a couple of restaurants within the White Rock borders than can keep your hunger at bay. The Bandelier Grill offers some decent Tex-Mex cuisine, while the Time Out Pizzeria offers -- yeah, you guessed it -- pizza. No town is complete without at least one pizza place! These eateries and the Smith's grocery store are all located in the north side of town.