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i'm a transplant. i come from mayberry. never a locked door, and always enough food for one more. i knew my neighbors, and lived in a city comparable in size to belen.
my house has been burgled six times since i moved here. my truck has been burgled twice. someone took my truck battery and a jar of preserves from the bed. i've nearly been run off the road twice by teams of cars. those cars were bristling with guns. as a response, considering the police really don't do anything here, i bought a gun. then i bought several more. i took concealed carry classes for a permit. i got dogs to guard the house. every door is double locked. every window has bars. (sound like prison yet?)
crackheads and alcoholics approach me regularly, asking for change for 'a ride.' they pop out everywhere, from the NE heights to the south valley. empty hard alcohol 'minis', giant cans of beer, and syringes litter the sides of most highways, parks, schools, and churches.
people brag about how much they can drink before driving, and how many times the judge dropped the charges. many people think meth is healthy. a pregnant 14 year old girl in belen asked when her egg would hatch.
expansion in albuquerque is to the breaking point. soon, there will be no water. albuquerque doesn't recycle water for consumption, as my podunk rural town did. it simply dumps what's left into the rio grande, far from the underground reservoir that supplied it.
my little cousins are learning things i learned three grades before.
the colleges here are a joke, trust me, i have an A average. my hometown high school taught more, with a fraction of the budget, than any bozo here.
i've moved several times in new mexico. not once has a neighbor said 'hi.' except for the crackhead who lived upstairs. druggies are always friendly!
one time i actually knocked on a neighbors door, i was greeted with a shuffled cutain and locking sound. that happened in a 'rural' town, too!
i know i'm no scholar, but neither is anyone in new mexico. in reality, mostly transplants fill scholarly positions at unm, sandia lab, etc. so many people are rock stupid. so many people have herpes and warts. so many people have babies. so many people are angry. so many people are lazy.
crakmeister - Certainly anyone who writes something as inaccurate as what you did is not a scholar. If you have been a victim of crime, I apologize for that. I've lived here my whole life and not once has anything like that happened to me. I'm not saying it doesn't but what you wrote is an incredible exaggeration. If things are so bad for you here, there are plenty of places for you to move. I wish you good luck and hope you find your way back to Mayberry sooner rather than later.
Wow. Rarely have we seen a post in here that was filled with so many inaccuracies and exaggerations. I'm almost speechless. But at the risk of taking the bait on someone's fishing trip, I'll go ahead and respond.
Let me echo finmqa1's comments in that I am truly sorry that you have had such a bad experience in NM (assuming at least some of what you stated actually occurred). I've lived here for most of my life and my experience couldn't be more different from what you described.
Couple of questions, out of curiousity: Where is this Mayberry you hail from actually located? And in what part of the city are your house and crack addled neighbors located?
Some public schools in the state are good - a few. Many are average.
The really bad school systems, like Espanola, the state has had to step in and take over. Political corruption is out of control. I agree with some of the posters on this site that Johnson, as govenor, tried to buck the system. The current guv, Bill Richardson, has better "bag men" and is smart enough to not get caught in the spotlights so to speak. All (and I mean ALL) of guv Johnson's reform attempts are quietly being undone and we are back to politics that would make Chi town or New Orleans proud. Rural schools and police are neglected because they don't bring in the votes, so poverty level is consistant. The poverty level of the native americans is almost totally offset in per capita stats by the generous per capita at the labs. look it up, but the city with the most millionairs in the entire US is Los Alamos, NM. I believe about 20% of the population qualify in this catagory. Unfortunately, when you add and divide stats to come up with something as esoteric as "per capita" income, one millionair offsets tens of native american families in an average stat, perhaps median is more meaningful?
I luv NM, but we usually fail a basic test of sanity, that is we execute the same actions over and over again (our voting patterns) with the expectation that the results (read: poverty, schools, etc. will improve) will somehow come out differently this time.
I am glad to hear that the ABQ I thought I knew is still the same. I was beginning to wonder when I read the post by crakmeister. I lived in Moriarty, Bernalillo and Rio Rancho and never had the kind of things crakmeister had. I feel sorry for crakmeister having all the trouble mentioned. The only thing I recall was my neighbor's mailbox was smashed by some hoodlum teens and had a windshield creamed with something, maybe a baseball bat, but it was crashed real good. That is all I recall. I would hear on the news about say a rape in another part of the city or something. Most seemed like down in the south valley or in central ABQ. Crime happens though in all larger cities like ABQ. Maybe the location crakmeister is in, is a bad one? I don't know, but I hope the ABQ I think I know is not as bad as it sounds. Sure there is crime and I don't think anyone would disagree with that, but when you have as many people as ABQ has, it will have crime. I do think more needs to be done to stop gang activity, whether by infiltration, or more openess for teens to talk to the police or whatever. I know a lot of nice teens too, in ABQ, who work hard and have career goals. They volunteer their time to help others. They reject gang activity. They don't get mentioned. I mention them now. I am glad we are discussing crime in ABQ. That leads to solutions, but lets not forget all the good ABQ has in it too.
So it seems there hasnt been posts here in awhile -
I am also looking at NM as a place to move to. I am looking at areas around SF/ABQ area and in searching real estate found attractive affordable spaces in Tijeras. Any thoughts on this area?
My wife and I are looking for something close to but not in ABQ or in SF area but SF seems on the pricey side.
We are coming from Houston so really any city in NM wont be too big
But we are looking for something quieter and close to cultural amenities.
We have been to NM many times and do have an impression of it and have thought it over!
New Mexico is affordable, with art, beauty, culture, gangs, and bad education..
Quote:
Originally Posted by mamableu
In too short of a time I need to make a decision that will affect my entire family. Where we are going to move. My husband has his heart set on New Mexico, and that's fine by me...but WHERE? We know we want to be close enough to hospitals,(we have two very small children) shopping, and other life necesities, but far enough out because my husband can't handle city life. We're just starting out in life, can't afford much...but need to get out of NJ... any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated...Thank you (yous)so much.
New Mexico is an excellent choice, so is Northern California and Oregon.
Yes their are gangs, which are run by local families and mexicans. New
Mexico has terrible education, they score very low..But if you are an artist , you will do well in Santa Fe, and Taos.
Your family, will do well in private schools, and ask about safe areas, and neighborhoods.
I was born in New Mexico, but is has grown alot, alot of tourism, and now gangs...but gangs are also, in California DC, NY, ..any small town is beautiful, especially Northern New Mexico, lots of mountains, and cool weather.
Alot of celebrities are moving to New Mexico, for the beauty and culture.
New Mexico does provide information on crime, and economy...try the chamber of commerce.
crakmeister - good luck on your relocation but I'll bet you will be just as unhappy there as where you are now.
I expect to retire to NM in about 4 years. I am not worried about crime. I am looking at the middle Rio Grande valley. I have seen houses listed in a site that are less costly than my current condo. Looks good to me.
Wow! I didn't even know the internet existed when this thread was made. I think I'll bring it with me the next time 'Antiques Road Show' comes to town!
ABQConvict
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