Will Albuquerque be my kind of place? (specifically, job market ops)

[finmqa1]

BTW, my wife is from the Bay Area and absolutely loves ABQ now. However, it did take her about a year to get used to the change. I work at Gap's Corporate Shared Service Center here in ABQ, and several of the folks including my wife moved here from the San Bruno offices. Many have gone back, but several have stayed. If you have an open mind, can live without some big city amenities, and love the outdoors, this is a terrific place. Otherwise Portland or Austin may be more for you.

[EnjoyEP]

Originally Posted by RosieMBanks

and I'm finding this MA is giving me quite a broad background in HR, Org Development, and so on, so I have many transferrable skills.

Oh my goodness, with this bit of info, I think you've hit the nail - you'll be fine with this in ABQ. There are many organizations that would love to have your skillset, I am sure. The pay probably won't be as high as you'd see in the Bay Area, but it will go a whole heckuva lot farther in ABQ.

[RosieMBanks]

Finmqa, I do have an open mind and don't mind living without some big-city amenities; most of what I need I can get from the Internet, anyway. As long as there is SOME culture and SOME things to do! As far as Portland and Austin are concerned - I think I'd like either one, as well, though I've heard so many horror stories about Portland's job market that I wouldn't move there w/o a job lined up. EnjoyEP, yay - glad to hear that my skills will be in demand in ABQ. I expect to earn less than in the Bay Area, but at the same time, if housing prices are more in line with salaries I'll be a happy camper. I know people here in the Bay Area who are double income, no kids, and together earn six figures - and STILL cannot afford a home here! Either they'd have to buy a one-bedroom condo, or in a really awful neighborhood, or they'd be house-poor. Nuts to that!

[finmqa1]

Rosie - I think you'll find plenty of culture here as long as your willing to get out there and look for it. That is one of the big mistakes many newcomers and visitors do alike. ABQ doesn't have one small area where everything is, you may have to dig a little. The good news, (excluding rush hour) you can go from one corner of the city to the other in 30 minutes or less excluding some of the burbs. If you're single I would suggest the NE side of town or the Nob Hill area. But here are some great things about our city:

Nob Hill - Great food, Great Shopping (mostly local stores), close to the University and Downtown. This is probably the trendiest, funkiest, and more lively parts of town in the city.

Old Town - Great Restaurants, fine southwestern shopping, historic, close to Downtown, museums, Botanical Gardens, Aquarium, and the Zoo. Near the North Valley, which is the greenbelt in ABQ with beautiful homes. When you pay a million here for a house it looks like a million, not a 1 bd, 1 bath condo.

I could go on and on, but you should try and make a trip or two before making a move like that. Just to see if it's something you could like.

Other cultural jewels:

National Hispanic Cultural Center
Pope Joy Hall
Exceptional Sporting Venues for College and Semi-pro teams
Natural History Museum
Albuquerque Museum (Art and Historical museum) - they have salsa under the stars in the summer
Explora Science Museum (child oriented)
Hot Air Balloon Museum
Annual Hot Air Balloon Festival - largest in the world
Great entertainment venues at the area casinos
Journal Pavilion
...............on and on.

Just remeber, these venues are smaller than what you get in the city, but beautiful none-the-less. And if you want, Santa Fe is only a 45 minute drive north with world class culture such as the Santa Fe Opera, and incredible cuisine as well. Only New York and LA have more art galleries than Santa Fe. For a city of less than 100K, it is incredibly cosmopolitan.

Hope this helps, and best of luck in your search.

[NewMexicobound]

I'm new to this site and find it wonderful! I'm living in rural Ohio now (when I say rural, I mean our village has less than 700 people!!) and am wanting to transfer with my company to the ABQ area. The branch thru work is in Los Lunas, but I've heard all sorts of bad stuff about that area. I will visit first, of course, to make my own determination, but would like information on things like what grows there in a garden? How high are utilities in the summer (a/c) and winter (gas/electric heat). Are woodburners common? Is wood even available? Thanks!!