Albuquerque or Tucson 10 year outlook (Las Cruces, Rio Rancho: construction, schools, casinos)

[Xpat]

Obviously I did not expound enough on the similarities. All three of these cities have a decent number of good restaurants, are close to lots of outdoor activities, have a good sized university (and all that brings), and have a (more or less) active population. Flagstaff holds its own well using these criteria but the high housing prices and availability of decent jobs is make it less appealing than TUS or ABQ.


I agree that Tucson has its share of run down areas but perhaps the ones in ABQ are just fresher in my mind.

[ViperFixxer81]

Also Albuquerque has a lot more things to do, ZOO, CLIFFS, ISOTOPES, T-BIRDS, SCORPIONS......Real Mountains in our back yard, camping, fishing, skiing....just to name a few.
Wait Tucson is just 2 hours from Phoenix...what was I thinking!

Yeah and let's see Tucson has, The Sidewinders, 3 MLB Spring training teams although I think a few are moving, the reid Park ZOO, Desert Museum (That's 2 Zoo's) surrounded by 3 "Real" Mountain Ranges, Pima Air Museum, Biosphere 2, AMARC Boneyard, tons of Golf and resorts and it's not surrounded by pink desert like ABQ, and there are Bosque's there around La Mariposa.

[6 FOOT 3]

I deleated my own post. as i changed my mind about posting here....6/3

[ABQSunseeker]

I'd say that Tucson and Albuquerque are roughly comparable, and the choice might come down to the weather. If you want to escape some cold and snow then choose Tucson, if you want to escape the fierce heat of summer then choose Albuquerque.

And as you admit, Tucson has large run down areas as well, no smaller than ABQ. And it can feel poorer than Phoenix.

To my way of thinking, and I've lived in AZ and NM, Albuquerque has more local flavor and culture. Tucson is somewhat bland and lives in the shadow of the colossus of Phoenix to the North. Albuquerque is the big city draw in NM.

Flagstaff, being a very small city, is a totally different animal, not very comparable to either Tucson or Albuquerque. If you like small city living, cold snowy winters, and you can secure a job, then maybe it comes into play.

[observe]

Originally Posted by ViperFixxer81

Also Albuquerque has a lot more things to do, ZOO, CLIFFS, ISOTOPES, T-BIRDS, SCORPIONS......Real Mountains in our back yard, camping, fishing, skiing....just to name a few.
Wait Tucson is just 2 hours from Phoenix...what was I thinking!

Yeah and let's see Tucson has, The Sidewinders, 3 MLB Spring training teams although I think a few are moving, the reid Park ZOO, Desert Museum (That's 2 Zoo's) surrounded by 3 "Real" Mountain Ranges, Pima Air Museum, Biosphere 2, AMARC Boneyard, tons of Golf and resorts and it's not surrounded by pink desert like ABQ, and there are Bosque's there around La Mariposa.

You also forgot to mention the Sidewinders are moving to Reno! I was talking about REAL ZOO's, those two ZOO's don't quite measure up. Several golf & some resorts around ABQ also....real mountains that actually have evergreens on them, PINK desert? Obviosly you havent been to ABQ!
Also there is a bosque in ABQ that actually has a river running through it.
Oh there is also the Wildcats arena football.....but you still have Phoenix just 2 hours away!

[mortimer]

ViperFixxer81 says???:

I'm kinda slow and need help with these:

> Yeah and let's see Tucson has, ...
-------------------------------------------
> surrounded by 3 "Real" Mountain Ranges, ...

What's not "Real" about the Sandias, Manzanos, Jemez, and Sangre de Cristos?

> ... not surrounded by pink desert like ABQ, ...

They're both surrounded by beautiful desert that have charm and beauty in different life zones.

They're both surrounded by wonderful "Sky Islands" that come complete with Aspen forests and many life zones.

I don't see a difference between Tucson's and Albuquerque's setting (other than a temperature delta).

> and there are Bosque's there around La Mariposa.

Yeah? And?

Have you EVER been to Albuquerque? This post doesn't show any indication of actual knowledge of the Albuquerque area.

Most of Albuquerque's natural bosque still survives. Both Tucson and Phoenix used to have extensive bosque areas.

Tucson has much let them dry up and Phoenix has completely eliminated their bosque.

[Todd TCE]

Interesting questions. Living in Phoenix I'd have to give the not to ABQ over Tucson for a place I'd want to have a rental that I may use from time to time myself. With the rather huge differences in climate I'd much rather the cool time in NM than the hot time in AZ.

On the bigger picture I think you'd see more long term gains in property values (I'm talking 20+ yrs) in the state of NM now than you will in AZ. You didn't say if that has any impact on your purchase but I think you'll see far more growth and redevelopment in Albuquerque over that time span than Tucson. Why? More balanced climate and property values to bring in larger and more prosperous growth. Pure speculation perhaps but I'm putting my money that way.

[Devin Bent]

Originally Posted by Todd TCE

On the bigger picture I think you'd see more long term gains in property values (I'm talking 20+ yrs) in the state of NM now than you will in AZ. You didn't say if that has any impact on your purchase but I think you'll see far more growth and redevelopment in Albuquerque over that time span than Tucson. Why? More balanced climate and property values to bring in larger and more prosperous growth. Pure speculation perhaps but I'm putting my money that way.

I'd agreed although I can't claim any exhaustive study. Arizona has been a boom state for many years, while NM is yet to go through its boom. So if you have two cities, roughly similar, then the one in NM -- IMO -- is the choice in terms of long term return.

[abqsunport]

Right now it appears that New Mexico is the next "it" place. Arizona and Colorado hads its moment in the sun, Austin is currently having its moment in the sun...and it looks like that should continue. Albuquerque is on the verge of great economic growth (and undoutbly population growth which will hopefully be a controlled growth). I would say you can't go wrong with either city, but Albuquerque probably has the brightest future at the moment.

[Karaokeboy]

Albuquerque or Tucson in 10 years. The first thing you should ask is if it'll be affordable living either place in a decade. The way oil prices are going up (oil has gone from $20 to $130 a barrel in seven years) it may be too expensive to live in either place. In ten years I doubt if there will be many people still in either city.