Moving to Albuquerque from Louisiana (Santa Fe, Rio Rancho: to rent, crime rate, buying a home)

[Lady Elaine]

Hi everyone,

We are relocating from the only third world country in the USA...Louisiana...

I grew up in Denver, and cannot wait to get back out west....the nastiness, crime and utter chaos in this state has made us very happy to be getting out of here and moving to a more civilized city...even with the crime rate and other negaties about ALB that I have read, it cannot compare to here...

I look forward to moving settling in a city that has a dry climate, and a mountain range of sorts....get me outta the swamps!

[finmqa1]

Lady Elaine - Glad to see you are excited about coming to ABQ!!! You couldn't have picked a better time for your move. ABQ Metro is enjoying incredible growth and I believe we are becoming a better city for it. There are many new and exciting places to shop, watch a show, enjoy sports, and eat. As a Denver native you will certainly appreciate the gorgeous Sandia Mountains. As for the weather, I'm not sure you can find better weather anywhere in the U.S. I know Louisiana is known for its unique and incredible cuisine, not to worry ABQ and NM are known for its own unique and incredibly good food too. And if you are looking for fine dining, there are some great restaurants here in ABQ and many, many more up in Santa Fe. With Santa Fe only an hour away you can visit a Top 5 Conde Nast Traveler vacation destination every weekend if you'd like.

Once again, Welcome, and I hope you enjoy everything ABQ and NM has to offer!!!!!!

[Chaparral]

I truly hope your move goes smoothly. I've been through a couple of long distance moves over the years and I know it can be an unpleasant experience.

If you have any questions, or have a need for suggestions, please feel free to post these. There are several knowledgeable forum members here that are glad to offer whatever help we can!

Chap

[Lady Elaine]

Thank you both for your replies and kindness....we will be renting a home until we can find the best location to purchase....we are looking at Rio Rancho and the NE part of ABQ to move to....and also are having a 18 year-old man child a dog and 2 cats tagging along. We moved here from Denver about a year and a half ago...right before the hurricanes...glorious time to be here! NOT

[EnjoyEP]

Welcome, Lady Elaine!

Let me chime in here and tell you that I think you will truly enjoy the greater Albuquerque metro area, and I think once you get settled, as finmqa1 and Chaparral stated, you will be very pleased you made the move.

The NE part of Albuquerque and Rio Rancho are both great areas to consider - you will do fine either way! (If you are renting at first, let me kindly nudge you to consider perhaps NE ABQ, as it just has so much to offer. I live in NE Albuquerque and love it. However, if buying a home, sometimes Rio Rancho is far more reasonable and affordable, and certainly, while I am biased towards NE Albuquerque, Rio Rancho is very nice too and I wouldn't hesitate to live there).

I moved here just 3 years ago myself from across the country (moved from the Midwest, not the Southeast like you), so I am a relative "newbie" too. But if you come with an open mind to the distinctly unique New Mexican flavor and culture, you will love it.

The weather is tremendous. You'll get more cold weather here in the winter than you did in LA, but it isn't the unbearable, gray cold of the north...(you'll also get many wonderfully mild days). Spring and fall here are just perfect weather (with the exception of some spring winds, but those are overrated in my opinion). And summers are toasty for sure, but as you say, much, much more dry than the suana that is LA and the southeast in general.

The scenery and views are tremendous.

My only warning - this is a desert. Even compared to Denver, it is much more dry. I personally love that and the corresponding scenery, but it is "less green" than even Denver, and certainly much more so than Louisiana, so just be aware of it. However, because our weather is much more mild than Denver's, we can grow some beautiful plants and desert landscaping trees that you could not do in colder areas.

I should note, the city I have spent the most time in my life in the west besides Albuquerque is Denver. And I really enjoy Denver a great deal (in fact, in some regards, spending time in Denver is what spurred my interest in moving west). However, I can say that I would pick Albuquerque over Denver as a living area any day of the week. While Albuquerque can't yet offer some fo the "big city" ammenities that Denver can such as major league sports and endless retail, Albuquerque offers just enough "big city" stuff that you'll rarely be for want. Also, we don't have the conjestion, over-crowding, etc., that Denver has. Our weather is more mild and much better than Denver's (and Denver's isn't too shabby in itself). We don't have the extremely higher cost of living that Denver has. And...if you ever miss Denver...we are only a 6-hour drive from it!

I really think you'll love it here. Welcome to Albuquerque, New Mexico - truly a jewel of the desert southwest!

[snomom2000]

Originally Posted by Lady Elaine

Thank you both for your replies and kindness....we will be renting a home until we can find the best location to purchase....we are looking at Rio Rancho and the NE part of ABQ to move to....and also are having a 18 year-old man child a dog and 2 cats tagging along. We moved here from Denver about a year and a half ago...right before the hurricanes...glorious time to be here! NOT

When will you be in Albuquerque? My husband accepted a temporary relocation to Utah for 18 months so we are looking to rent our house. You can send me a private message if you are interested.
Cheryl