Albuquerque's 10 subtle advantages for professionals and entrepreneurs (crime, how much)

[Abraxas]

From my perspective as a professional who lives both in Silicon Valley and Albuquerque, Albuquerque is remarkably underappreciated. If you are a skilled professional from a high cost urban job center and are looking for a lower-cost location with a more hospitable lifestyle, whether to raise a family, start or expand business, or retire, you may be quite surprised by what you can find in Albuquerque.

1) Politically moderate
If you are politically moderate, progressive, or just turned off by left-right vitriol, Arizona, Texas, Utah, Florida, Idaho and other popular mild-climate affordable states can feel quite unsettling with their perplexing culture/religion wars and angry, rigid ideological sorting. By contrast, moderate New Mexico, like Colorado, feels immediately hospitable to an educated, cosmopolitan, worldly professional who believes the problems we face as a nation are highly complex and require compromise and a practical, nonideological, "whatever works" Silicon Valley-type mindset.

2) Excellent air quality
Albuquerque consistently ranks at the top of the American Lung Association ratings of air quality. If you are used to clean air cities like San Francisco, Portland, or Seattle, be sure to check the air quality if you are considering popular affordable cities like Denver, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Dallas, Houston, Austin, Boise - air quality is surprisingly poor in those places.

3) Stunning natural beauty and nearby outdoor adventure opportunities
Albuquerque's beauty is subtle but, once you develop the sensitivity to see it, is every bit as powerful and moving as more obviously beautiful locations like Northern California and the Pacific Northwest. The key to acquiring the taste for Albuquerque's beauty is to take excursions into the hiking trails surrounding the city - even if you are not a hiker - especially in the nearby Sandia and Jemez mountains and along the Rio Grande. Creeks, waterfalls, greenery, fall foliage, wildflowers, and stunning vistas are all around, with some such hiking trails a mere 10 minute drive from downtown. Once you have experienced the stunning wilderness they contain, the mountains and mesas that are readily visible from most places in Albuquerque suddenly seem incredibly beautiful, especially at sunrise/sunset.

4) Foodie-friendly natural food stores and trendy restaurants
Albuquerque has multiple Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and several excellent large-scale independent natural food stores. If you have a lighter coastal palate, don't worry if heavier traditional "New Mexico cuisine" does not immediately appeal - there are broad variety of excellent, creative, and affordable restaurants in Albuquerque, especially in the Nob Hill area.

5) Walkable older neighborhoods
Much of Albuquerque is unfortunate suburban sprawl, but the boundaries of the city are hemmed in by mountains and by Indian reservations, so the sprawl is thankfully contained. If you appreciate walkable, charming neighborhoods, the older areas in and around Nob Hill, UNM, Ridgecrest, Old Town, and Country Club will delight. Who knew there were so many craftsman homes in a Southwestern city? Check out Uptown also, where the city has recently created new walkable shopping areas like the lovely ABQ Uptown. All of those neighborhoods are walking or biking distance to downtown.

6) High creativity index
There is a strong appreciation for the arts in New Mexico that extends well beyond elites. I believe this is one of the many benefits of Native American cultural influence, which is incredibly prominent in Albuquerque (it is surrounded by a dozen reservations!) and emphasizes art and crafts, appreciation of nature, and communal interdependence. In contrast to the rest of the Southwest, Albuquerque is much more Indian country than cowboy country, and the relative lack of machismo and appreciation of nature and art makes Albuquerque is a truly safe space for creative types. I don't just mean artists, I mean nerds and gays - my husband and I are gay nerds who feel equally at home in Albuquerque as in Silicon Valley. This is a big deal for new economy growth potential – see business school professor Richard Florida's "Creativity Index" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_class), which includes welcomeness to LGBT folks as a key metric. Latin culture is also less macho here than in other places, and religious folks tend to be Catholics, who are typically humble, accepting, and kind. And if you have any latent artistic tendencies, you may find yourself inspired to paint and sculpt in your spare time now that you don't have to work so hard here. All of this creates a very hospitable environment for free thinkers and innovators.

7) Humble and friendly
People in Albuquerque are humble and friendly. I find it much easier to make friends in Albuquerque than in California even though I am a native Californian.

8) Safe
"Breaking Bad" and sensational local news aside, Albuquerque is quite safe from an urban perspective. There are higher-crime pockets of Albuquerque (such as parts of Southwest Albuquerque and the area around the Air Force Base), but unlike typical big cities, you never have to go to those places, much less live near them. Compare this to the constant fear experienced by professionals walking home from the BART station at night to their Oakland flats because safe neighborhoods in and around San Francisco are unaffordable to all but the most elite professionals and international investors.

9) Spiritual and atheist friendly
Both the very visible Native American presence and the vastness of the New Mexican landscape give Albuquerque a spiritual quality that resonates with those who have practiced meditation, studied Buddhism, etc. Also, the humility of the culture creates an excellent environment for developing your ability to overcome ego-driven compulsions and be more consciously present (Eckhart Tolle fans rejoice). Contrast that with trying to overcome your ego in a place like West LA. There are many options for advanced spiritual growth and community, including Zen centers and Unity churches. Of course traditionally religious people thrive in Albuquerque as well - what is unique is that there is no dominant religious viewpoint for which there is pressure to conform, and a relative sense of tolerance and mutual respect pervades, including for atheists. Again, I thank the Native American influence.

10) Family oriented with affordable homes with good schools
Albuquerque is family oriented in the true literal (not anti-gay) sense. You will hear a lot of complaints about Albuquerque schools, and this is certainly true for many if not most of the schools in the city, just as it is true in San Francisco and many other big cities. But then you will discover that you can buy a home in the attendance zone of the top high school in the city (La Cueva) for $200,000-$300,000, and you can buy a home in the very solid Sandia high school attendance zone in the mid $100,000s. I purchased my centrally-located adorable house in the Sandia high school attendance zone within walking distance to Trader Joe's, an IMAX multiplex, and the upscale outdoor ABQ Uptown shopping center for only $125,000 this year! Imagine how much time you could spend connecting with your kids with such a tiny mortgage?

Albuquerque has so much to offer to the downshifting urban professional or to the entrepreneur seeking a low-cost base who is capable of appreciating Albuquerque's extraordinary but not-immediately-obvious strengths.

I welcome longer-term residents of Albuquerque to weigh in on other underappreciated aspects of Albuquerque that might be attractive to relocating skilled professionals and entrepreneurs. Albuquerque deserves to thrive.

[funkymonkey]

Fantastic, I agree. I think you ought to submit this to the ABQ Journal or the Albuquerque Business First.

[rwjoyak]

Great post. As a upper management professional who can live anywhere and chose the ABQ area, I'll add a few more.

11) Low traffic congestion
Compared to the other areas the OP listed (Denver, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Dallas, Houston, Austin, Boise), the traffic here is a breeze. That directly translates into higher productivity if you have a job involving significant local travel. It also means less time lost in commuting and a positive contribution to general quality of living.

12) Good air travel connectivity
The ABQ Sunport is within 30 min of just about everywhere in the metro, which makes it more easily accessible than airports in larger metros or those with more traffic congestion. The great weather here means the sunport is almost never shut down due to weather events. The lower population traveling through the sunport makes getting through security clearance easier/quicker than in larger metro areas. All this translates into making your life easier if you have a job involving frequent air travel. While we don't have as many direct connections to other airports as a larger airport, quick connections to the Phoenix, Denver and Dallas airports give us all the access we need.

13) Low cost of living
ABQ's low cost of living obviously means your personal dollars go further. But it also has additional positive benefits from a business perspective. If you're able to work via internet and phone for an employer in another area, and your salary is based on what that employer pays in that area (my work situation), you get the double benefit of higher pay based on the other area COL versus lower living costs due to the ABQ COL. If you're starting or growing a business here, your payroll and other costs are lower than another company based in a higher COL area, giving you an edge in competing in the US or global marketplace.

14) Available workforce
There has been lots of negative press and CD comments about the poor educational system here and the lack of a large workforce of educated, well-motivated potential employees. As someone who always looks for the positive in things, I see this issue differently. I see a potential pool of educated and motivated graduates at both the high school and college level who might like to stay here but are leaving because of the lack of opportunities. The downturn in federal dollars for the labs also increases the likely availability of qualified candidates with advanced degrees. So if I were trying to start or grow a business, these are the people I would target for my workforce, with much less competition in hiring these folks than in the other areas the OP listed. From this perspective, ABQ is golden for starting and growing a new entrepreneurial business. You don't necessarily need a large workforce when starting or growing this kind of business, you just need to be able to find enough of the right kind of people for your needs. And with its current lack of workforce competition, ABQ offers an advantage in this regard.

[NMHacker]

Very nice. I agree with these as a Professional and Entrepreneur in Albuquerque.

[AikenHorses]

Thank you! What a great thread. We're an entrepreneurial couple seriously considering a move to ABQ, and we'd be bringing several job opportunities for existing residents with us.

[yukon]

Convenient location.

I freelance and am expanding my remote work, and realized if I stay in ABQ, I could easily work leads in AZ, CO and TX. Major cities in all 3 states are close enough to drive to if I wish, to meet with clients live periodically or just drum up new biz via networking events while in town. Flights are also reasonable if purchased in advance. I'd get the benefits of clean air and weather in ABQ and the work and opportunities of the larger cities.

[nmguy]

Abraxas, thank you for your honest, accurate description of Albuquerque. I moved to Abq from Palo Alto, spent 10 years there, and agree with you on all counts. For family reasons, I recently returned to CA. Your post is almost as impressive as my favorite Carlos Santana album: Abraxas. Ha.

[ABQConvict]

Except for the "canned-food" that might upset your stomach that those ignorant clods are proud of, Albuquerque is great! ;-)

OP, you say to keep your opinions about the traditional food to yourself, but then print it right in the Albuquerque forum. A minor faux-pas in an otherwise astute post.

[Abraxas]

Ha so true! I tried to edit that and a few other things the day after I posted it, but there doesn't seem to be a way to revise the original post unless you do it immediately. (Is there?) To redeem myself, I will take funkymonkey’s advice and try to submit it to the Journal or Business First – but a slightly less pretentious version.

Thanks to all for looking beyond my clumsiest lines and feeling the love behind the posting for Albuquerque and its people. You all have made it possible for me to live a life I was beginning to think was impossible before I discovered Albuquerque.

[Poncho_NM]

Originally Posted by Abraxas

Ha so true! I tried to edit that and a few other things the day after I posted it, but there doesn't seem to be a way to revise the original post unless you do it immediately. (Is there?) To redeem myself, I will take funkymonkey’s advice and try to submit it to the Journal or Business First – but a slightly less pretentious version.

Thanks to all for looking beyond my clumsiest lines and feeling the love behind the posting for Albuquerque and its people. You all have made it possible for me to live a life I was beginning to think was impossible before I discovered Albuquerque.

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