The truth about Albuquerque (jobs, home, crime)

[mortimer]

Please don't follow up 1,000-line posts by quoting every friggin' line in the next post just to add a one-line response. It's bad form.

[Trkstp Tina]

I agree that this is not a great city for singles. Even though I am married and have a child so I rarely get out, I have not picked up on any kind of major single scene here. As a transplant, I haven't found it that easy to make friends, although people are friendly. My husband thinks it would be easier to make friends here if we were single or didn't have kids, so we'd have more freedom to get out and do things--but I'm not so sure. Most people here seem to hang out with their families. One thing that I think is kind of interesting about ABQ is that there are a lot of transplants here--but a lot of them seem to have family here too. It seems that the parents retire out here and the kids follow, or vice versa, meaning the kids move here, then the parents follow when they retire.

I think some of the posts I've seen on here about crime, traffic and the homeless are kind of exaggerrated. I feel pretty safe here in the Northeast Heights. For some reason, people out here seem almost paranoid about crime. ABQ is a very easy city to get around--the roads are busy and the freeways get some jams at rush hour, but otherwise traffic doesn't seem to be a big issue.

[catrinac]

Originally Posted by abqDude

Homless people are all over Albuquerque anywhere on Central and Downtown.
Not many places to go to,
No culture here, Madstone, the independent movie theatre closed its doors a couple of years ago. Downtown on Saturday night has a very few clubs and all the same people (usually very young tatooed and periced) just club-hop around as the police stand by ready to break up the expected and common fights.
Crime rate is very high, two of my friend-girls got mugged, 4 got their cars broken into, one 4 times. All this and I am talking central and north of it (this is supposed to be the good area as apposed to south central).
A lot of drunk drivers looking for trouble I had a beer bottle thrown at me from a driving car while I was crossing the street of Central on Yale at 1pm.

more on this thread:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/new-m...uerque-nm.html
icpc, countrytrash, aunmguy on that thread, and the others have more points.

True it is cheaper to live here than elsewhere but there is a reason for that. You even dont get what you paid for, you get less. Please visit here first and spend some time before moving. Even Santafe gets old after a while, its just a plaza with some gift shops around it and snow. Big deal.

I hope this is useful.

Jason.

Yes, everything you are saying is correct, I know this from having lived in Albuquerque for 4 years. I think you have to be honest about what you want from life because for sure, New Mexico is not gonna do it for a lot of people. There were times when I lived there that I felt bored, and yes, the shops in Santa Fe do get old after a while. I never made a good wage and yes, my car was vandalized, and more than once.

I do disagree oh so strongly though about the culture thing. Albuquerque is a working class town without a lot of entertainment venues and to some people it may not seem to be a terribly intellectual town, maybe even too new agey. But dude, it is cultured, very muchly so, with the art scene and fabulous architecture, and I do think there are some very high quality people here. If you are not getting that than it is possible that you don't get the northern New Mexico thing. People move here and compare it to New York or L.A. and then act like there is something lacking about the place when there isn't. Yes there is more crime so you has to be careful about the neighborhood you live in, and sure, jobs are scarce, but it is always possible to find something to do here, and if you don't like it you can always leave.

I left 3 years ago because I got burned out and I regret it worse than anything. I now live in Salt Lake City, UT, a place that is supposedly a little more happening with more jobs, supposedly more culture, a more urban type downtown with, gasp!, a light rail even. I hate it there more than I can even describe, mostly because of the Mormons and horrible winter weather, and wish I had stuck it out here and tried to make it work. I know the truth about this place and can handle it. Go over to the Salt Lake board and people will tell ya Utah is ok 'cause you can always take a day trip to Park City where there are no Mormons. Yeah right. People encourage out of staters and non Mormons to move there and say it is so friendly when it is not. Albuquerque is almost a paradise in comparison. Or like the most perfect place with flaws in the whole country. Certainly the most perfect weather.

[Trkstp Tina]

I have to add that, if my comments above seem a little negative, I must say, ABQ is generally a nice place to live, and everyone I've met here seems to enjoy it, although a lot of transplants say it's a bit of a culture shock and takes a year or so to adjust.

[Tim Rankin]

Originally Posted by catrinac

I left 3 years ago because I got burned out and I regret it worse than anything. I now live in Salt Lake City, UT.../... Albuquerque is almost a paradise in comparison. Or like the most perfect place with flaws in the whole country. Certainly the most perfect weather.

This summarizes why I would really hesitate to leave Albuq.

Although I miss where I came from, I find that the longer I'm here, the more I like this town.

Albuquerque is the anti-city.

[EnjoyEP]

Originally Posted by Trkstp Tina

I agree that this is not a great city for singles. Even though I am married and have a child so I rarely get out, I have not picked up on any kind of major single scene here. As a transplant, I haven't found it that easy to make friends, although people are friendly. My husband thinks it would be easier to make friends here if we were single or didn't have kids, so we'd have more freedom to get out and do things--but I'm not so sure. Most people here seem to hang out with their families. One thing that I think is kind of interesting about ABQ is that there are a lot of transplants here--but a lot of them seem to have family here too. It seems that the parents retire out here and the kids follow, or vice versa, meaning the kids move here, then the parents follow when they retire.

I think some of the posts I've seen on here about crime, traffic and the homeless are kind of exaggerrated. I feel pretty safe here in the Northeast Heights. For some reason, people out here seem almost paranoid about crime. ABQ is a very easy city to get around--the roads are busy and the freeways get some jams at rush hour, but otherwise traffic doesn't seem to be a big issue.

Hey Tina, I don't think this post was negative whatsoever. In fact, I have posted for the past couple of years some of the biggest love-fest posts, most positive posts about Albuquerque you'll find here...I love Albuquerque...and I think your post is almost startling in how dead-on accurate it is. I think I agree 100% with everything that you said.

In fact, I think your part here about making friends is the biggest reason why my wife and I made, what now we very much regret, our erroneous decision to relocate away from Albuquerque and return to Wisconsin this past July. It wasn't easy to make good, solid friends in ABQ, and your anecdotes about even the transplants is so accurate. We too often felt if we didn't have kids, or were single, we could've made friends easier, but I am not certain this is the case...we made a lot of good acquaintences, that might be just kind of the culture of the Q if your family isn't in the area.

I also agree fully that people were ultra-paranoid in ABQ about crime in a different way than I am accustomed to coming from a bigger city with crime problems, and that while crime is an issue for sure in some parts of the town, overall there were many (most) areas of the city where it was pretty darn completely safe (like the NE Heights where I also lived).

Anyway, great post and I agree fully.

[EnjoyEP]

Originally Posted by Tim Rankin

This summarizes why I would really hesitate to leave Albuq.

Although I miss where I came from, I find that the longer I'm here, the more I like this town.

Albuquerque is the anti-city.

Seconded here too. catrinac's post, you could substitute "Salt Lake City" with "Milwaukee" and have my feelings exactly.

[MMAllen]

Hmmm, sounds like you had a bad day!

You will find crime and rude people and boring places and stupid places everywhere on the planet.

I lived in Albuquerque for 17 years and commuted there another 8 and still spend time there every year. While over here in beautiful Scotland I often think of Albuquerque and miss it. If you like driving, it is so easy to drive and so many areas to see. If you start at the top of Central Avenue and drive it all the way to the bottom, you will see the whole range of what Albuquerque IS. Put on a good drivind CD and take that tour sometime.

Albuquerque is a unique mixed bag and has character coming out of its pores! It can't be compared to anywhere else. The reasons I chose Albuquerque were not the reasons I would choose anywhere else on the planet but, then, I'm a writer and like "interesting experiences".

I found some of the most friendly, multi-layered, upbeat people on the planet in Albuquerque. There is a maverick mentality, a toughness, lots of creativity.

In all my years there - some of which I spent as a person in her 20s hoofing it everywhere w/out a car - into middle age and career and all that normal stuff - I never had a bad experience. I'm not saying bad experiences are not THERE to be had but if you have your wits about you and gravitate to areas that it's intelligent to be in and have more on your mind than hanging out in bars...you will have the experience you want.

I love Albuquerque, good bad and ugly. I just grin thinking of it. Anyone who is off to a new adventure in that place, I say GO FOR IT and don't miss a moment!

[casden]

Originally Posted by Trkstp Tina

I have to add that, if my comments above seem a little negative, I must say, ABQ is generally a nice place to live, and everyone I've met here seems to enjoy it, although a lot of transplants say it's a bit of a culture shock and takes a year or so to adjust.

I heard that it typically takes between one and two years for a person who has moved to a new and unfamiliar city to actually feel comfortable, or like they've established some quality friendships/relationships.

I can vouch from experience (having moved to several different cities) that that is indeed the case. It took me 2 years to feel like I had genuine friendships in San Francisco even though I always loved that city. It took about the same in Chicago - even though the city has so much to do, and the people seemed really friendly.

[outtaheresoon]

Originally Posted by Handsome

The problem with Albuquerque is is parochial nature; staus quo. There almost is
an old boy club or Lucky Sperm Club mentality that permeates the city, which
leads many people to call it the land of the Big Fish in a Small Pond.

Yes, this is very true! I had a friend who called his cop daddy when he got busted with a DUI. Daddy came and picked him up. He could have any job he wants in this town. All he does, though, is sit home at mommy and daddy's smoking the wacky weed all day! He's 28 years old!