moving to Albuquerque UNM job - 1yr rental (Vaughn: apartments, rentals)

[colleenlynn]

Hello- My husband and our 2 yr old son and two small dogs (that are 7pds each) are moving to Albuquerque in four weeks and we are looking for a safe neighborhood where we can rent for a year (an apartment or house) that is close to UNM and hopefully close to parks. Ideally we would like to speand $900 a month on rent. We currently live in Chicago and appreciate being able to walk to a store or ride a bike to work, is this possible in Albuquerque? Plus my husband and I are artists and appreciate unique beauty and a great locatioin might make up for driving from place to place. Any suggestions? Thanks so much.

[Zoidberg]

The least culture shock from Chicago would be had with the following locations:

*Nob Hill
*South of UNM
*Downtown
*Old Town

These neighborhoods form a continuum on Central Ave from Carlisle Blvd on the east to Rio Grande Blvd on the west. Excellent bus service. Lots of culture. A fair bit of crime in areas, but a lot of night life too.

$900/mo should give you a pretty good range of choices, including downtown lofts, and even apartments across the street from UNM. I would not recommend living anywhere else in Albuquerque without a car.

[nm_photojournalist]

Zoldberg offers some good advice. Being from Chicago, you probably don't know "where" Nob Hill is however. It is the shopping/restaurants/arts area along Central Ave. (Old Route 66), in the immediate blocks east of UNM. Old Town is on the far west side of downtown...probably at least 6-7 miles from UNM. Albuquerque is a big biking city...both street-type, and Mountain biking in the neighboring Sandia Mountains. City buses are equipped with bike-mounts on their fronts, so you can combine a ride, and pedal to almost anywhere in a short time. All the major streets, and semi-major streets have "bike-lanes" if sidewalks are not available.
Your $900 should do you very well here. The only thing about the UNM area I can think of that is below par, is the daily necessities. Very few Supermarkets, gas stations, drug stores, etc. in the immediate vicinity.
If you want the newer areas of Albuquerque with "good neighboods," stay north of Menaul, and East of Wyoming boulevards. We have I-25, and I-40 crossing near downtown, but our major north-south, and east-west streets are mostly six-lanes, and plotted in mile-squares, so you can get almost anywhere in 20-25 minutes.
If you're looking for a well-established realtor, you might try the Vaughn Company...a local realtor for years. I have no ties to it whatsoever, but have used them twice before with good results, and have heard similar from others. One last thing. "GO CUBBIES!" You aren't "North Siders" are you? That's OK, there are plenty of White Sox fans here too. And...especially the Bears! After all, Brian Ourlacher (sp?) is from UNM! Good luck with your move!

[mortimer]

Zoidberg advised:

> Central Ave from Carlisle Blvd on the east to Rio Grande Blvd
> on the west.

I would actually extend that to San Mateo. There are a lot
of rentals in the one-mile between Carlisle and San Mateo.

I lived near Washington just N of Central and walked to UNM
regularly - very rarely taking the bus.

colleenlynn preferred:

> ... close to UNM and hopefully close to parks ...

Albuquerque has a pretty good density of parks so no matter
where you live, there are a few pretty close.

It would be well worth it to get a room at an extended-stay
hotel for a week and check out the neighborhoods suggested
by Zoidberg to see what suits your style.

Personally, the best place I ever lived was on Cornell a block
away from the Frontier and UNM. Getting to class with a ten
minute walk could not be beat. Being able to walk to Knob
Hill was also great with all the dining opportunities and the
Co-op grocery store. Healthful, regular, dining at the Frontier
(Front-and-Rear) was joyful.

[colleenlynn]

"GO CUBBIES" and "GO BEARS"- yes we are north siders even my two year old is learning the ways of a Cub fan. My husband was born and raised in Chicago and is teaching at UNM this fall. Now would you not rent below Central Ave? On my map Old Town is west of Rio Grande Blvd and I heard Old Town is nice... how far west is good. Thanks so much- I appreciate all your advice---

[Chaparral]

Actually, Old Town "proper" is situated east of Rio Grande (and north of Central/Lomas).

The area can be something of a mixed bag, but you may be able to find some nice little rental properties off of Mountain Road. The general area around Old Town that you would probably want to check out would be north of Lomas (to just past Mountain), east of Rio Grande, and west of 12th.

You may also check out areas off of Rio Grande and north of Indian School Road, which will have some decent rentals as well. But that will put you that much further from UNM, and the bike ride from Old Town is a bit on the long side already.

Chap

[dmderosa2k]

Like they said, if you want a nice place to stay you will not find it near UNM for the most part. Some are decent but the crime and partying is kind of bad around UNM. $900 will get you a lot in an apartment but not in a house.

[CuriousGirl]

As a UNM employee, I know a number of folks who bike from north & east of the intersection of Carlisle & Constitution. Too far to walk, though. There are houses and apartments in the area, but not likely you will find a house to rent for $900. Also, area is served by two bus routes to UNM - route 5 & 12. It's still a good central location, though.

[mortimer]

CuriousGirl postulated:

> ... I know a number of folks who bike from north & east of the
> intersection of Carlisle & Constitution. Too far to walk, though.

I saw this and couldn't resist:

You baby. <Snort!>

It is less than a mile. It takes about 20 minutes to walk that
plus whatever you walk on the campus.

I used to live past San Mateo S of Lomas and did it in about
35 minutes. There are nice tree-lined streets the whole way.

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