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Greetings new neighbors! Following your help and advice, we think we found a house in this neighborhood. Eldorado High, Hoover Middle, Matheson Elementary. Everything looks good from where we sit, is there anything we should know about the area or the schools? Which foothills neighborhood is this considered? Tell us anything that comes to mind! You have all been so extraordinarily helpful and generous with your time, you are super!
Desde mi punto de vista (from my point of view) I have no strong sense one way or the other, this is in the middle of the very large area known as "Northeast Heights." I don't know anything about the schools. The "foothills" area generally means the area along Tramway Blvd and east. I have known people (without school-age kids) who have lived around the area you're describing and were satisfied with it. You won't have to go far for shopping or restaurants, and you will be within easy striking distance of hiking in the foothills as well as Uptown shopping and the activities centered around UNM/Nob Hill.
Since we don't know if you have other choices we can't advise on how this compares, and I can't remember if a commute to a job was part of the equation but I think overall I would give the area a mostly positive rating FWIW. There can be areas around there that have "seen better days" and this can change from year to year and block to block, so it's hard to give a definitive thumbs up or down.
Thank you for your response. My husband is flying down tuesday to check it out in person. WE have done all of our house hunting on the internet thus far, and this is the first thing we are willing to spend the money to go see. I can't go, but I trust him to make good decisions, and he will be armed with a video camera! We don't have any idea what kind of commute we are looking at b/c neither of us has a job yet. My husband is attending UNM for grad school, I am going to begin looking for something in my field when I get settled. I also may apply to UNM for a doctorate in my field, but not for a year or two. So, I see us driving that way, but who knows, I could get a job in RR!
We are coming from a mountain resort town in the Eastern US. We have family members that live in planned communities. They have absolutely lovely homes, but we have never liked the ambiance of those kind of communities. I grew up in the "Old NE" section of St. Petersburg, FL (for those of you that may be familiar with that area) and that is the kind of area we will be happiest in. My best friend lives in Napierville, IL, and when I visit her I feel like I am suffocating. (It reminds me of Aggrestic, from the show Weeds, lol) My daughter lives in Logan Square, Chicago, and I love love love, her neighborhood, even though she has been robbed and we had to put bars on the windows, lol.
We have come close to taking homes in RR, and even one in Placitas, but I am relieved now that those didn't work out, b/c from everything I have read, NE heights is going to be the best fit for our lifestyle and budget. If I could afford the square footage we need for our very large family, I think I'd prefer Nob Hill, but I can't see spending 1/3 of my income on housing. We are active people who like to be on the go and do things, and if I were paying for a 6 bedroom house in Nob Hill, I'd never be able to afford to leave it! Can get even more sq feet in RR for the same or less, but in the end, I remembered how much I despise Napierville, a perfectly quaint and lovely suburb, and knew I'd regret committing to RR right away w/o trying Abq first. When I first began posting here last month, I had no idea there was a controversy about RR and the whole question of "character" and the big box stores, etc. I mean no disrespect to those of you who appreciate different things in an area than I do.
My husband will be my eyes on the ground, but I have gleaned so much from these forums, I just wanted to hear anything positive or negative about our proposed neighborhood. I've got school aged kids. One is a brainiac who will need a gifted and talented program, one is an athlete who needs a strong highschool baseball program, and the rest are pretty normal, average kiddos.
My youngest is scared of moving b/c he doesn't speak any Spanish. I ordered him Rosetta Stone for the 4 day drive to his new home. The rest of us are excited about our new adventure!
I like Logan Sq. too, some great old Victorians there! I've been to St. Pete also but too long ago to remember anything.
I'm not sure if you're renting or buying, I hope it is renting for maximum flexibility in case you don't like it. But your husband will be best qualified to answer many of your questions.
Your son doesn't need to know Spanish, but it doesn't hurt, either.
Every part of town (and RR) has a "reputation" according to the people who don't live there. I think any city is like this. I wouldn't think too much about it. Much of the housing in Albuquerque is, well, "frumpy" is a term my realtor used. But a home is what you make it.
Anyway... how exciting for you! Best of luck to you all.
Yes, we are renting. I wouldn't buy anything until a) we are sure we want to stay out west b) we have a better feel for the area c) we have sold at least one of the homes we already own. There is a limit to how much people without jobs can borrow
My daughter's apt is the ground floor of one of those old victorians. I'd live there in a heart beat!
I know my son doesn't learn to know Spanish, I have told him this repeatedly (while I have tried to get him into a total immersion program, lol) but another 6 y/o in his class told him he does, and of course that kid knows better than I!
Last edited by AdamsWest; 04-04-2011 at 07:51 AM..
Don't forget that some landlords here do not post online and as I am sure that your husband will be driving around to check the area out remind him to keep an eye out for private 'for rent' signs.
If you want to keep to a certain school district then maps or zone borders are available, or, if he has a web-enabled mobile device then he can use this site :
Greetings new neighbors! Following your help and advice, we think we found a house in this neighborhood. Eldorado High, Hoover Middle, Matheson Elementary. Everything looks good from where we sit, is there anything we should know about the area or the schools? Which foothills neighborhood is this considered? Tell us anything that comes to mind! You have all been so extraordinarily helpful and generous with your time, you are super!
All those schools are considered good schools, I believe. Certainly Eldorado, which is considered as among the top two or three high schools in Albuquerque. It also has one of the best high school baseball teams, I believe.
That location sounds to be in the vicinity of Glenwood Hills. Glenwood Hills is considered to be a very nice foothills neighborhood. If you like what you see in the video and your husband likes it in person I think you'd be just fine renting a house in that area.
The only thing is, many houses in the foothills are in the mold of those in more suburban areas. You won't find any old Victorian houses in Albuquerque's foothills. Most of that area of town (east of Tramway) was developed from the 1970s on up to the last decade. Many homes in the foothills do have a certain kind of unique architecture ranging from modern mountain lodge-type architecture (mostly on the homes from the 70s) to a play on the Pueblo style architecture native to New Mexico (mostly the newer homes from the 90s to today). Overall, I'd say the architecture is very diverse.
One of the things I like about the foothills is that many of the homes sit on lots that are mostly undisturbed from their natural state. Therefore, the main thing that sets it apart from most other suburban-type areas is its wonderful natural setting. There are many trails into the mountains that begin right at some of these nighborhoods. There are also many trails, parks, and picnic areas in the neighborhoods themselves. If you like outdoors activities then the foothills are possibly the best part of the city to live. Also, if you like wonderful views!
Last edited by ABQalex; 04-04-2011 at 11:07 AM..
Reason: added some more thoughts.
That location sounds to be in the vicinity of Glenwood Hills. Glenwood Hills is considered to be a very nice foothills neighborhood.
I thought Glenwood Hills was East of Tramway between Manitoba and Candelaria (approximately). Honestly I would not consider a home near Wyoming and Menaul to be in the foothills (NE Heights, yes). I always considered East of Tramway the foothills. You might even be able to stretch the boundary to Eubank (two blocks west of Tramway).
I thought Glenwood Hills was East of Tramway between Manitoba and Candelaria (approximately). Honestly I would not consider a home near Wyoming and Menaul to be in the foothills (NE Heights, yes). I always considered East of Tramway the foothills. You might even be able to stretch the boundary to Eubank (two blocks west of Tramway).
In my Rand McNally street atlas of Albuquerque, Punta de Vista (Place and Drive) is just to the northeast of the intersection of Tramway and Menaul. Glenwood Hills Park is just north of this area, stretching from Candelaria to Comanche. So I think Punta de Vista is certainly in the vicinity of Glenwood Hills if not within the actual defined boundaries of that neighborhood. It's actually closer to Piedra Lisa Park, but I'm not familiar with that as a neighborhood name. Just to the south is the Monte Largo Drive area. I think I've heard that (Monte Largo) used as a neighborhood name before, so perhaps Punta de Vista is in that neighborhood.
And, yes, I too think of the foothills area as being everything east of Tramway, I even said so in my initial post.
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Can get even more sq feet in RR for the same or less, but in the end, I remembered how much I despise Napierville, a perfectly quaint and lovely suburb, and knew I'd regret committing to RR right away w/o trying Abq first. When I first began posting here last month, I had no idea there was a controversy about RR and the whole question of "character" and the big box stores, etc. I mean no disrespect to those of you who appreciate different things in an area than I do.
I think any city is like this. I wouldn't think too much about it. Much of the housing in Albuquerque is, well, "frumpy" is a term my realtor used. But a home is what you make it. 
Best of luck to you all.
