Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
On a whim my wife applied for a position in Albuquerque and they are flying her out for an interview later this month. She is a physician here in Texas. I thought I'd tag along with the kids and see the place.
We're a family with 3 young girls ages 4, 7, and 11. My wife is a family physician who works in a public clinic here in Waco with a predominantly black and Hispanic medicaid population. I teach science at a local HS. We are not native Texans, we moved to Texas 7 years ago for my wife's residency and for a variety of career reasons never left. I'm originally from Oregon and my wife is originally from Santiago Chile so she is obviously Hispanic and bilingual.
We're looking to get out of Waco and perhaps completely out of Texas. The Baptist strain of conservatism here really isn't our thing and we are more into outdoor recreation (running, biking, backpacking, skiing) than Central Texas has to offer.
My wife is super-employable. As a bilingual female family physician who does OB/GYN there are clinics everywhere who are interested in hiring her. I'm finding that it may be more difficult to find teaching jobs depending on where we go but that HS science is better than most (I teach physics and chemistry but am certified to teach all sciences). So Albuquerque has popped up on our radar as a possible place to relocate that will provide a higher quality of outdoor lifestyle than Central Texas but will still give me a chance of continuing in teaching which wouldn't be the case in sexier places like say Boulder.
Which brings me to my two questions.
1. If I'm going to drop into Albuquerque with my 3 girls, what are the must-see things to do with kids in 1.5 days while my wife does interviews?
2. What would be the best residential neighborhoods to drive through to get a flavor of what life would be like for us in Albuquerque? Basically where do the upper middle class families with kids tend to settle when they are looking for the best public schools and amenities like parks, pools, bike paths, and convenient shopping. One daughter is a select club soccer player and the other swims competitively in our local swim club so those are considerations. With such a short amount of time I'm basically just looking to drive around and get a feel for the flavor of the place but need to know which direction to point the car.
I'll probably catch a lot of flak for this, but I'd say draw a line across the city using
Mongomery / Montano (same road, name changes at I-25) and only look NORTH
of there to get an idea of areas that you'd most likely be interested in.
That's cutting out a couple areas, but at your presumed income levels and with
your stated activities, that'll allow you to get a pretty good feel for the areas you're
most likely to end up in. If you had longer, it would be a lot better.
Thanks. If it helps, I think the place she is interviewing at is in the UNM area which looks very central but I'm not positive. They may have satellite clinic locations so I don't know exactly where she'd be working and she may have a choice of several locations. I'm not sure she even knows at this point in the process.
As for our income level. We'd likely be shopping for homes in the $400-$500 grand range assuming we both secured employment. Perhaps a bit less if I'm going to play house husband for an indefinite spell while looking for work. We're past the urban nightlife stages of our lives. We did all that when we were younger living in the hip neighborhoods of Portland, Seattle, and Washington DC. Now it's more about parks, schools, and suburban amenities to be honest.
That's about what I had assumed. There are areas in Northwest or the North Valley
west of I-25 such as Los Ranchos or Paradise Hills along the western mesa that
you should take a look at, but, even though I'm a dedicated Westsider, you're more
likely to meet your needs in Northeast.
I won't speak to the housing/schooling issue since it's so complex. But you will be here in late June which in my experience is often our hottest time of year, before monsoons start to cool things down. So you may get the chance to experience the worst of our heat.
As far as things to do with the girls, there are plenty of things to choose from, including riding the Sandia Peak Tram and doing a nature walk at the top of the mountain (also to get a little relief from the heat). If it's not too hot, and you get an early start, there is the Botanic Garden in Old Town which has some kid-friendly areas and displays (like the "Bugarium" and Butterfly Pavilion), and the indoor, air-conditioned Aquarium next to it. Our zoo is pretty nice but gets very crowded on weekends. A weekday morning would be perfect there. The Explora Museum (also in Old Town) would be fun.
Hats and sunscreen will be key since our UV rays are off the charts this time of year.
Mike is probably right but you don't want to miss out on other great areas.
I'll give you a starting point. UNM!
Go east towards the mountains on Central, this is the UNM area leading into Nob Hill, check out the cute little shops, eat or get a snack at Flying Star or Satellite. Go east a little more to Carlisle then turn right (south) head down Carlisle until the road splits, bear left and you are on Ridgecrest a very popular area, nice sized houses in a very established area, have a look around there and see if you like then check out the parks dotted around.
When you are done head back up Carlisle to central, make a right (east) and head back towards the mountains, go all the way to the end (Tramway) see the Smiths, Albertsons and small movie theater on your right, go through this light and then turn right on Four Hills rd.
Go down the dip and up the other side into what is considered one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Albuquerque, (Four Hills Village) started in the 60's all homes are over 1800SF and several much bigger. Keep going straight (don't need a GPS if you follow my directions) you'll see some very nice houses and the road curves 90' to the right go up around the edge of the city limits and past entrances to walking trails follow the road around and make a right on Soplo, go down Soplo look at the nice houses and then when you see La Cabra make a right follow this road down and it turns into Wagontrain. You can see a vast open space of land and that is Sandia Labs, you will probably see the runway and lights too, follow this round all the way around and it will take you back to Four Hills Road.
From Four Hills Road make a right back on Central then quick left on Tramway, go under I-40 and follow Tramway up until Copper, turn right and go up the hill to the end, there is a parking area there where you can explore the foothills a little.
After you've stretched your legs go back down Copper and turn right on Turner, this is a very nice area too (Foothills South) older and charming, any of the streets on the left take you down to a nice park, straight ahead takes you to Lomas, make a right there and you will see the houses become newer, try and ignore the big grey house on the hill if you can. There is another nice little park here, make a left at the stop sign and make your way into (Foothills North) properties on the whole are newer here and a little more expensive keep weaving your way up through these neighbourhoods until you get to Menaul, turn left and then turn right on Tramway follow this up to Candelaria then make a right (if you want to see more of these nice neighbourhoods). Be sure to check out Glenwood Hills just off of Montgomery and Tramway, some of these properties have spectacular views.
From there follow Mikes advice
Bold text is the area's names when looking on the MLS
I am with Mike. For your needs, start in the far north part of the city.
Definitely check out the Tram if you are into the outdoors. This will also give you time to explore none other than the far northeast part of town.
With your home prices neighborhoods that could fit your needs are High Desert, Tanoan, Primrose, Sandia Heights, Ventura Estates, etc.
Like someone mentioned, if you are into the sciences, taking your children to Explora! Museum would be great. Its in Old Town which will also give you a chance to see historic old town.
The UNM area is nice, but honestly is much more geared for younger people. I know people talk about families there all the time, and there are certainly family friendly areas near by, but in such a short time period, you want to aim at the Far Northeast Heights.
However, it is worth getting lunch at the Famed Frontier Restaurant right across from the University on Central and Cornell.
As for the heat, remember, we're coming from Texas. It's been in the high-90s here since the end of May and I expect our humidity beats whatever heat you have. My kids are outdoors this week doing soccer camp and zoo camp in Waco in near 100-degree temps so I doubt your heat will heat will merit comment. We keep them dunked in sunscreen here.
Sounds like there is a lot to see. I might try to add another day to the trip. Depends on my wife's schedule. If we really like it then I'll encourage her to do a much more systematic and comprehensive job search in the area before signing a contract with the first clinic that offers her a job. This is really the start of a long-term process I suspect since we already both have good jobs and a relatively decent life. So we're not going to make the leap unless everything falls into place and it feels right.
Just out of curiosity, what is the predominant suburban development pattern in Albuquerque? Here in Texas virtually all the new upscale suburban areas around Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, and Austin are master-planned communities where builders go in and develop a whole community at once with strict design standards for houses and designed green spaces, community pools, bike and walking paths, playgrounds, etc. Which means fussy neighbors and HOA fees. You can't turn a corner in suburbs like Frisco, Plano, Round Rock, Katy, Sugar Land, etc. without running into another master-planned community. Does Albuquerque have the same thing? Or are the suburbs just ordinary extensions of the city itself?
People on this board aren't into the arts as much as I am, apparently, but my first recommendation for family fun in air conditioned comfort would be the Museum of Art. It has a history museum combined in the same building that gives kids a good overview of the local scene. The museum is in the same general area as the other major attractions already mentioned here - downtown areas. Nice sculpture garden too with installations that kids will like. (Kids of all ages, I should say).
Thanks, jaxart. I've taken the kids to our local art museums in Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio and while the older ones can appreciate it for a little while, it's a tough haul with the 4 year old. Is your museum particularly renowned for any exhibit? In a couple years we'll be doing art museums with more regularity. They tend to do better in science and kids museums that are designed for them to run around and manipulate stuff.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
