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I've never lived in Albuquerque,... any large city there are going to be good areas and bad areas. I did visit the bad areas some too, but never felt unsafe even then...
I live in San Antonio right now, and it's not so great either. ..I personally think there are going to be problems wherever you go, in one form or another. I don't want to live in a large city anywhere. Cities themselves seem to be the biggest problem. I want to live in a small town, but even then, I will be cautious because bad things do happen everywhere.
Cities are not the problem per se. The factors that make a city a safe place to live vs. a place to avoid are not limited to the size of the place itself. (There are plenty of small towns in NM that need to be avoided--Portales to name one. In contrast, there are many large US citites that are fantastic places to live, like Seattle for example).
Not feeling unsafe in a place doesn't mean that you weren't in danger. Albuquerque is a dangerous place to live, whether or not you are capable of perceivng this fact. Much of the danger can be attributed to the cultural values of the inhabitants living there rather than simply the amount of inhabitants.
Why is Seattle such a better place to live than New Orleans? Why is Denver better than San Antonio? All are big cities--but each place has quite different cultural values. Even small towns exhibit these differences. For example, many small towns in Texas are backwoods frightening places filled with close-minded we've-always-done-it-this-way types while many small towns in Wisconsin are warm and welcoming.
Size really doesn't mattter as much as other factors...this is true for many other things besides places to live!
My sister is a General Manager in the hotel business. For the last 7 years or so she was at a hotel in Bernalillo, NM, and the place was robbed twice by gangster punks while she was on duty...she's lucky not to have been killed. She was pretty feisty with them, and I admire her courage, but they still could have shot her. It was just "luck" that she wasn't.
No thanks to the cheap (but a multi-millionaire) hotel owner who wouldn't pay for security or allow emlpoyees with a valid NM CHL on the premises so they can defend THEMSELVES, even if corporate policy will not (but this is true almost EVERYWHERE no matter where you work...but it's still wrong).
Regardless, the rule for all the garden-variety hotels I know of is NO SECURITY...anyone can just hop right over the counter and be in the desk-clerk's face before they know what happened. And there are no security guards...owners/corporations are too cheap to hire them. Obviously, said owners/corporations couldn't care less about their employees' safety.
Now, she is working for a different hotel in Albuquerque at a better place...and she tells me that hotel DOES have a security guard, which is definitely an improvement. Still, she needs her own protection just in case.
In the end, we all are responsible for our own safety, not anyone else.
english_teacher,
"Not feeling unsafe in a place doesn't mean that you weren't in danger."
So very true, since most people are clueless about their own safety level anyway...and don't even know it!
I'm a big guy -- hard to miss -- but I can walk right up behind just about anyone and they have no idea I am that close...they don't see me or hear me. They are absolutely unaware of anything around them except to their immediate front. Sometimes I'll say "Excuse me" to get by them and they almost jump out of their skin (scared) because they had no idea someone was that close to them. It would be funny if it were not so pathetic...especially if they have kids they should be looking out for. Not long ago here, someone kidnapped a kid form a local WalMart and it was even on the store's video...where the "parent" was I have no idea, but she/he was probably just as clueless as most everyone else is.
Sorry...LOL.... but some of these posts are just off the wall to me!
Pretty big sweeping generalizations about towns in Texas vs. Wisconsin etc....
There are "scary" towns with backwards thinking people in EVERY state.
Generally people associate high crime with urban areas which of course is just a stereotype. But it is true that with more people occupying a smaller area, there is a potential for things happening just because of numbers but again as the previous poster said there are all kinds of factors that affect crime.
I think it is frankly ridiculous for people to live their lives in fear. What kind of life is that? I was on a plane when 9/11 happened, got stuck in Newfoundland, Canada for a week, living like a refugee and I got back on a plane in a week -- I'll be damned if I was going to let those blankety-blank terrorists keep me from living my life.
The key to feeling safe and being safe is to pay attention to your surroundings. Be aware, be smart and try to avoid unsafe situations if you can. But you can't walk around in fear your entire life, because that is no life at all.
There is nothing wrong with people wanting to live in smaller places if they prefer less people and slower pace of life etc, but to just be scared of cities altogether is really missing out on the good stuff cities have to offer. There are millions of people that live in cities all over the world that do so successfully and safely and lead full rich lives.
Crime happens everywhere and yep I probably wouldn't move to a super high crime area with shootings and gangs etc -- most people wouldn't if they have the choice. But these over the top characterizations of Albuquerque are just overblown IMO.
MelNM -- I lived in Austin and I know San Antonio fairly well too -- there are good and bad parts just like in EVERY town and city. I grew up in a podunk town in Texas 50 miles north of Houston and even there we had a bad part of town.
I take dance lessons on the edge of Nob Hill and I really pay attention when I'm there to see if people are loitering around or anyone is suspcious when I arrive and leave. And we also leave in groups so that no one is by themselves either. It's called paying attention to you surroundings and practicing safety when you can.
Sorry...LOL.... but some of these posts are just off the wall to me!
Pretty big sweeping generalizations about towns in Texas vs. Wisconsin etc....
There are "scary" towns with backwards thinking people in EVERY state.
Generally people associate high crime with urban areas which of course is just a stereotype. But it is true that with more people occupying a smaller area, there is a potential for things happening just because of numbers but again as the previous poster said there are all kinds of factors that affect crime.
I think it is frankly ridiculous for people to live their lives in fear. What kind of life is that? I was on a plane when 9/11 happened, got stuck in Newfoundland, Canada for a week, living like a refugee and I got back on a plane in a week -- I'll be damned if I was going to let those blankety-blank terrorists keep me from living my life.
The key to feeling safe and being safe is to pay attention to your surroundings. Be aware, be smart and try to avoid unsafe situations if you can. But you can't walk around in fear your entire life, because that is no life at all.
There is nothing wrong with people wanting to live in smaller places if they prefer less people and slower pace of life etc, but to just be scared of cities altogether is really missing out on the good stuff cities have to offer. There are millions of people that live in cities all over the world that do so successfully and safely and lead full rich lives.
Crime happens everywhere and yep I probably wouldn't move to a super high crime area with shootings and gangs etc -- most people wouldn't if they have the choice. But these over the top characterizations of Albuquerque are just overblown IMO.
I'm just going to say I agree with you and leave it at that.
No worries MelNM. Some of my response has been to the people earlier in this thread that seem overly fearful IMO.
I'm reminded of when I was president of a women in science committee and we had invited this guy that was part of a security company to just talk about general things and the guy tried this whole scare tactic routine and believe me he didn't expect a whole group of accomplished strong women to tell him to go stick his attitude! LOL I'll never forget the look on his face -- he thought he was going to scare everyone into buying all his products but several of us just got so disgusted with his approach, he got an earful. I think he learnd something very valuable that day too.
I mean it is one thing to be aware and practice safety and do what you can to have a safe and successful life, but it is another to have people trying to scare the crap out of you about crime and being safe etc.
I have a burglar alarm here but I hardly ever even turn the thing on! And this is the only place I've ever lived that I installed one. I really have it more for the alerts -- but I can press the alert buttons and get fire, police or an ambulance fairly quickly.
Disenchanted.....You should come spend the summer in Florida ...
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This is absolutely the funniest description of Florida yet! And how true it is! Tears were running down my face while reading your post & I just laughed & laughed. Thanks for that!
BTW, we are also selling our home to move to NM. Good luck selling your home.
In the end, we all are responsible for our own safety, not anyone else.
Very true! But how do you provide for your safety as a gas station clerk? Would your employer support you carrying a gun? Or spend the money to make improvements to the store to better ensure your safety? Some of those Allsups were wide open someone could just walk right up to the counter and shove a gun in the clerk's face. I could not work like that wondering if my next customer was going to be my last..
I've been in the middle of an armed robbery before and the manager of the resturant was shot twice. It is scary how brazen people can be - this was in the middle of a crowded mall with 100 witnesses. Thankfully noone was killed. But man! The robber had no fear whatsoever.
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Funny Florida
I could not work like that wondering if my next customer was going to be my last..
But man! The robber had no fear whatsoever.
