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Pros:
1) The Sandias. The Gila. Numerous other outdoor recreation options within short driving distance.
2) People are friendly... we've been checking out churches and meetup groups and people seem to be generally very warm.
3) Three hundred days of sunshine! Very little snow! No humidity! (We moved from just east of Lake Michigan, so I may be overexcited about the weather in NM)
4) Green chile: need I say more?
5) Reasonably affordable for its size.
6) History. Culture. Art.
7) My husband's employer is awesome. (I'm not working at the moment, so I can't personally comment on the job market.) One good employer does not a great city make, but it's certainly points in the right direction
8) Food (also see #4). I'm a vegetarian, and it's so nice to have options. Maybe not Portland, California or even Chicago options, but enough variety to keep me happy.
Cons:
1) Crime. There's no getting around the fact that ABQ has a higher-than-average crime rate. Now, let me preface a personal anecdote by stating for the record that I've never been a person who walks around scared; I believe in being aware and alert, but not paranoid. Having said that, Albuquerque is the first place I've felt concerned about my safety. Maybe it's because, within weeks of moving here, I was robbed of my car in broad daylight, at gunpoint, in my apartment complex parking lot (in a "good" part of town) in the middle of the afternoon. That alone was not enough to make me feel unsafe. These things happen, there are crazy people everywhere; at first I didn't want to judge the Q by what I saw as a random incident. What makes me feel unsafe is that the police did little to catch the perp. The vehicle in question was practically on empty when stolen and I provided the 911 dispatcher with my license plate number, but the responding officer's comment was along the lines of, "Well, guess he won't get too far then." Perp used my debit card at a gas station minutes from the scene, and then used it again (twice) later that afternoon. As soon as I heard from my bank, I provided all this information to the cops so they could check security cameras, etc., but the officer on the case won't even return my phone calls. To be fair, there was one officer who briefly went looking for the perp later in the afternoon when I realized my cell phone was in the car and trackable, but that was the extent of it. May I stress that this is not just a case of a stolen vehicle... this is aggravated assault. *Whew* ok, cop rant over. I will also mention that our gas was siphoned the other night. Never had that happen or even known anyone to whom that's happened anywhere I've lived.
2) Sprawl. It's a problem here. It sucks. Haven't been here long enough to get a feel for local politics, but I really hope there is a movement to address this. I think the Q has a lot of potential, and so much history, but I'm afraid it will turn into another Phoenix or LA, and if so, I just won't stay here long term.
3) Related to Con #1 (and this is true in many, many US cities)... just heard that the police force and firefighters are taking a pay cut. *Shakes head* Screwing public servants will only serve to ruin morale and in turn, make the city less safe.
2) Sprawl. It's a problem here. It sucks. Haven't been here long enough to get a feel for local politics, but I really hope there is a movement to address this. I think the Q has a lot of potential, and so much history, but I'm afraid it will turn into another Phoenix or LA, and if so, I just won't stay here long term.
It can't. We are land locked by Native American Tribes on 3 sides and a big giant mountain to the east.
It is not geography that will prevent Albuquerque's (metro area) growth since having a half million people on the other side of the mountain or another million in Sandoval county (Rio Rancho) would be just as bad as growth in the valley where the pueblo lands are, but...
Worst: Albuquerque Public Schools, if the school district had administrators that actually cared about students, we would still be in Albuquerque (or at least if the Eldorado High administrators had. If you have kids, check out the class sizes, test scores and New Mexico education rating compared to other states.
Best- Beauty, lots to do, being outside the city and in the desert, sunrises and sunsets
One reason I recently moved to NM from the east coast (after receiving many job offers from around the country) is the liberal gun laws in NM. I like how NM has vastly reformed concealed carry laws, as compared to states like NY where they are only awarded to the rich and famous, or politically connected. In NM, you can legally own anything from assault rifles to machine guns to silencers, subject to the regular FBI paperwork. You can also carry a loaded gun in your car without a license, since in NM, your car is an extension of your home. Its also a great state for hunting, which I plan to do more of.
I also like the traffic in ABQ. My old commute was about 40-60 minutes to go maybe 5 miles. Oh yeah, and that included a lot of standing in the snow and rain waiting for the bus.
Cost of living is also a huge improvement over the east coast. Housing here isn't exactly cheap, especially in NE ABQ, but its a world of improvement over the coasts.
Also, I like the food in ABQ. Growing up in CA, I really missed good mexican food. NM probably has the spicest food in the country. I mean, I know my peppers, and yet the food here can be just as spicy as I would wish for.
Also, people in NM are fairly friendly. Maybe not South Carolina friendly, but compared to the big cities, its a huge difference. (And for the record, I've never been to South Carolina.)
Proximity to the outdoors is also great around here. You can drive your Jeep from inside ABQ to some nice offroad trails within a few tens of minutes. Proximity to skiing is also crazy. Being able to take the tram up to Sandia Peak and go skiing within 20 minutes is crazy!
One thing I have been adjusting to is the grid layout and the commercial zoning. On my drive to work, I pass the following establishments: tattoo parlor, check cashing, liqour store, pawn shop, payday loan, brake repair, gas station, burger joint, strip club (XXX Midget advertised on neon sign), thrift store, tattoo parlor, liquor store, ...(repeat).
3) Related to Con #1 (and this is true in many, many US cities)... just heard that the police force and firefighters are taking a pay cut. *Shakes head* Screwing public servants will only serve to ruin morale and in turn, make the city less safe.
Actually, I list this is a pro. In the east coast, cops have God-like powers owing to their entrenched union and legal ability to strike. They can literally run around the city, beating up scabs with impunity. Similar power among public servants is present in California and other north east states.
Hi.
What's good about ABQ? The worst of ABQ have been stated thus far. How about the best? I want a change in scenery. Is this a good place for someone from Texas who's in their late 40's to move to?
Actually I live in Rio Rancho... But we do have a property in Albuquerque (and Florida also).
We like the climate, people, food and available activities, Balloon Fiesta etc...
Been here this time 13 years. First visited in 1968...
There are a lot of good comments about Albuquerque, just start looking through the threads. I have attempted to organized some of them. Some of our long time users some like to answer the same questions over several times.
Well, here I am... still stuck in Detroit. Funding still not there to move, but at least we're having a mild winter - actually saw the SUN a couple times too!
I'm wondering... the person from DC and unhappy... maybe things seem a little causual COMPARED to DC - DC might tend to be just a BIT hectic, right?!
Personally, I'm looking FORWARD to casual and relaxed - heck, if you lose the high pressure, you also lose the NEED for lots of health care facilities
I'm still coming ASAP. The places I've been looking at online have been around for a long time, so I'm hoping that the wildfires just don't go there.
The dark side of 'casual and relaxed' is when in turns into 'my time is more important that yours'. Other than that, it is pretty good out here, though.
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Still stuck in Detroit...
