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As to cold here, winters are very tolerable but not free of some cold weather. I've had a reversal of feelings here.. As someone who loved the sun and heat and a former New Yorker who hated the cold, I'm finding summers somewhat hotter than I like to tolerate and winters not bad at all. Cold spells don't last long and it is mostly sunny and dry. Nights are very chilly though.
I'll take a shot at the overall impression of ABQ question: relaxed, tolerant, and comfortable, a small-town feel with big-city conveniences, great climate surrounded by natural beauty.
The winter temps of ABQ sound blissfull compared to Wisconsin. For me, the big selling point is SUN in the winter. The lack of sunlight in the midwest is much worse for me than the cold. One February here it was gray 26 out of the 28 days. I think we were all ready to stick our heads in the oven!! As a possible transplant, I like that ABQ still has all four seasons but that winter isn't anywhere near as brutal as the midwest.
My overall impression is, I agree with you. I think ABQ is really cool and on the verge of really becoming something special. I imagine it is similar to what Portland or Austin was like 20 years ago. A lot of people probably dont want the word to get out, but it will happen, slowly but surely.
Quote:
Originally Posted by confusedasusual
I honestly think that ABQ is on the verge of becoming the next "cool" destination to live.
That is something I like to hear. As a current Californian my top two places to relocate are Austin and Portland. However, my current field of work has limited openings in those areas and ABQ is a bit more realistic.
One of the things I often tell people about Albuquerque is that it is the closest thing to living in a foreign country in the states. Its strong cultural and historical identity are evident in the architecture, food, and lifestyle. Most American cities tend to become more generic as time passes, but Albuquerque still maintains a separate and distinct cultural identity. You have to love that culture to live here. One fellow I spoke with said that most people who live in Albuquerque are here because they want to be here. That is so true. If you love the culture ( as I do), you will stay. If you don't, you will find a myriad of excuses to leave. Just make sure that the culture is to your liking. This is not your generic urban center.
I both love and hate Albuquerque. There is so much potential here, and so much that is hopeless. They do not call this the land of entrapment for nothing - you want to leave, but you find that you just can't!
First, let me start with the good side of Albuquerque: It has a great population of engineers, scientists, artists, writers, free thinkers, conservatives, enviromentalists, nature enthusiasts, and overall friendly people. There are several high-quality restaurants and breweries, the hospitals are fantastic (UNM has a world-class program for cancer treatment, and, apparently, we have Dr. Zoidberg!) garage and estate sales are terrific for antiquing (we have a lot of collectors here), and we have a charming old town / Downtown area.
I live in the Sawmill community between old town and Downtown which is starting to become a hot spot for home buying. I love this area to live, but each home and each neighborhood is so different from one another that one part of sawmill is jazzy, while the other is skeezy, and all you have to do is walk past a few homes to feel the difference. This is at the end of museum row.
For your income, I recommend either the heights, like around Comanche and Juan Tabo, the North Valley, around where I live, or around the country club where it is a little more quiet and consistant.
There are great access to nature walks in these areas, and also restaurants and businesses.
Nob Hill is nice, too.
You couldn't ask for better weather. We have all four seasons. The winters are indeed cold, but not freezing, the summers are hot, but not sweltering like in Phoenix or Las Vegas. Our valley is one of the six rift valleys of the world, and next to a relatively tall mountain, we have what we call the "Albuquerque Box", which makes this city ideal for Ballooning - this is why we hold an International Balloon Fiesta here, held by the Balloon Museum, I would recomend this museum to anyone. We also have the International Museum of Nuclear History and Science here - another great, off-beat museum.
The bad side of Albuquerque: The criminal element. Breaking Bad was filmed here for a reason!
It's not as terrible as you think. I was only mugged once in my life, and that could have happened anywhere. We have a fabulous police force, I support them all the way. They have a bad reputation, but I do not think that their record merits it.
There is nothing police will do about a noisy neighbor, Nothing! - but it is not their fault.
Do not live on the west side of the river, it is too loud, (Everyone owns a large, barking dog and feels free to play car stereos, and even home stereos), the homes are too spread out, and all the businesses are clustered together, you will need a car. There are some biking trails on the west side, but they are generally boring compared to the bosque or foothill trails.
There are some fabulous public schools, mainly in the heights, and some stellar private schools, but I would not recomend raising kids here unless you actually live in the areas I have already mentioned.
Overall, I think Albuquerque is improving and coming into its own.
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