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Thread summary:

Moving to Albuquerque: job market, affordable, traffic, cost of living, townhome, condo.

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Old 01-28-2008, 11:36 AM
 
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Hi everyone - I'm in grad school (MA in Organizational Psychology) right now and am seriously contemplating a move when I graduate. I live in the SF Bay Area right now and I don't need to tell you how crowded and unaffordable it is here!So in the interests of actually being able to afford a home of my own, I'm doing relocation research. Albuquerque came up as one of my likely spots. So I have a few questions, specifically centering around work:


How is the job market there? Is the local job market good for ed-ja-ma-cated people? I really don't want to move where there are people with graduate degrees scrambling for call-center jobs.
Barring a soft landing into a cushy telecommuting type job, I won't be bringing my job/money with me. I also need a job with benefits as I have a serious pre-existing medical condition - it does not affect my ability to work, but it DOES affect my ability to get insurance on my own. Therefore I'm unlikely to consider self-employment unless I find a husband who can put me on his insurance.

Age discrimination. I'm a "non-traditional" student - read older career-changer. I look young, I'm full of energy and have a great positive attitude, but I'm very obviously not in my 20's anymore.Affordability. Can a person buy a decent home on one salary? I do not need or want a McMansion, just your basic 3BR/2BA house, townhome or condo.


Traffic. Keep in mind I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, which means I know from traffic! I'm a good driver - I drive my own MOM crazy with how cautious I am. The traffic can't possibly be as bad as the Bay Area...can it?Weather. How hot do the summers get? Where I live (past the Caldecott Tunnel) the summers really do get hot, in the 90's, so I'm used to the heat; day after day of triple digits might be a bit much.

Food glorious food. Is there a Whole Foods and/or Trader Joes in ABQ? I love to cook. I also love to dine out. Are there enough good/diverse restaurants to keep a foodie happy?

I'm sure I will think of more questions. When it comes right down to it, thanks to Amazon, Sephora online, Etsy, Ebay, etc. etc. just about all I need can be delivered so I'm not terribly concerned about shopping, etc. I want a nice community I can call home and where there are plenty of job opportunities.

Last edited by RosieMBanks; 01-28-2008 at 11:55 AM..
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Old 01-28-2008, 12:44 PM
 
Location: Albuquerque
5,548 posts, read 16,030,354 times
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> How hot do the summers get?
> Is there a Whole Foods and/or Trader Joes in ABQ?

There is a good search function on city-data with lots of arguments about the weather. Specific information could have been obtained on weather.com.

As to whether there was a Whole Foods, etc. such information could have been gleaned searching the Yellow Pages.

It's much better to spend some time reading/browsing the hundreds of posts in the forum so that you have some idea about what you want before posting yet another 'tell me everything' post.

That way, you can have something specific to ask.
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Old 01-28-2008, 01:04 PM
 
Location: Metro Milwaukee, WI
3,198 posts, read 12,673,989 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RosieMBanks View Post
Affordability. Can a person buy a decent home on one salary? I do not need or want a McMansion, just your basic 3BR/2BA house, townhome or condo.
Albuquerque has extremely reasonable housing prices, some of the better in the nation (in a still-desirable city).

I had a professional from San Fransisco tell me that her $2-million home in SF cost her $200K in Albuquerque...she wasn't kidding.

You can get a very nice 3BR/2BA house in a nice, safe area of Albuquerque in the range of $160 - $260K, cheaper prices on the West Side (more housing stock available, farther from the mountains) and a bit pricier on the NorthEast side (closer to the mountains, less room for new construction thus less housing stock).

Property taxes are also very low. You'll be amazed what you can afford for the price compared to the Bay Area.

Quote:
Originally Posted by RosieMBanks View Post
Traffic. Keep in mind I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, which means I know from traffic! I'm a good driver - I drive my own MOM crazy with how cautious I am. The traffic can't possibly be as bad as the Bay Area...can it?
My perception of Albuquerque traffic compared to bigger cities that I am used to (more Midwest cities but included in that am used to Chicago's traffic which is obviously massive).

Albuquerque's rush hour is fairly manageable, and is only during work times. Backups can and do occur and the city's infrastructure road-wise wasn't made for a city growing as quickly as it is, so it is causing more backup issues, however, compared to the Bay Area, it is absolutely nothing. Zilch.

And, if it isn't a rush hour time, Albuquerque is a "20 minute town"...meaning you can get from almost any point of the city to any other point in 20 minutes or less...very rare for traffic jams in non-rush hour times.

Compared to the Bay Area, traffic will be heaven in ABQ.

I will say this though...one of my criticisms of Albuquerque (and I don't have many) is that the driving tends to be haphazzard and often incompetent. The drivers aren't bad in a rude way like I am used to in Milwaukee-Chicago area, but are more just bad drivers. I often see left hand turns in ABQ from right-hand lanes, etc. I learned to drive VERY defensively in ABQ (which isn't probably a bad skill to have).

Quote:
Originally Posted by RosieMBanks View Post
Weather. How hot do the summers get? Where I live (past the Caldecott Tunnel) the summers really do get hot, in the 90's, so I'm used to the heat; day after day of triple digits might be a bit much.
It sounds like you'd love ABQ summers. I find them to be hot compared to the Midwest, however, the highs are usually in the summer only in the high 90s...triple digits can and do happen in portions of the city (the lower altitudes and in the valleys especially) but they are fairly rare (usually only 5 or 10 times or less a summer) and even then are only in the very low-100s. The summers are also bone-dry (eg: low humidities) except for the monsoon seasons (July and August) when the rains come, but then, the monsoon rains keep the temps down anyway.

(BTW, the monsoons are just the typical pattern of a strong thunderstorm that occurs for an hour or two in the late afternoons / early evenings in July and August and vary in their regularity from year-to-year).

Springs and falls are near perfect...highs in the 60s, 70s, and 80s and lows in the 40s and 50s. Warm, sunny, dry days and cool, crisp evenings.

Winters will feel cold possibly to you for what you are used to. For many, like me, they are warm and temperate. Highs are between 35 and 60 degrees usually (with more temps gaging in the 45 to 55 range) and nights are cold with temps in the teens, 20s, and 30s. The average high / low for January is HIGH 48 and LOW 24. The average high / low for July is HIGH 92 and LOW 70.

You'll see snow most winters, but outside of the foothills, usually only about 5 to 10 inches total that melts away fairly quickly.

It is generally very sunny and very dry. An average of 8.5 inches of rainfall annually.

Quote:
Originally Posted by RosieMBanks View Post
Food glorious food. Is there a Whole Foods and/or Trader Joes in ABQ?
Yes to both. Rumors of a 2nd or 3rd Trader Joes seem to persist.

Quote:
Originally Posted by RosieMBanks View Post
I love to cook. I also love to dine out. Are there enough good/diverse restaurants to keep a foodie happy?
There are many fine restaurants. Obviously, you aren't going to have the quantity of those in the Bay Area (Albuquerque metro is only 850,000 people) however, there are fine Italian, Mediterranean, Thai, Chinese, Japanese places, etc. Of course, the New Mexican cuisine is king and awesome.

Plus, remember you are only 45 minutes away from Santa Fe and ~2 hours away from Taos, both which boast some world class cuisine.

Albuquerque is an awesome place...one of the great cities in the US! I would though encourage a trip there to check it out as it is polarizing...people either usually love it or hate it, as the desert setting is polarizing. It is great. Next to the Bay Area it is just different (for me, that is much better, but that might not be the case for everyone.)
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Old 01-28-2008, 01:25 PM
 
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Thank you for your answer, EnjoyEP. That helps a lot.I think my biggest question is about the job market there. I did a google search of the forums to inquire about areas w/high underemployment, and ABQ did not turn up (Portland did, which is why I scratched that city off my list). All else being equal, I want a place with a good job market.
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Old 01-28-2008, 01:33 PM
 
Location: Denver, CO
5,610 posts, read 23,232,540 times
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I don't want to hijack a thread with my problems, but I'm wondering the same thing... should I be looking at ABQ as a possibility? I'm from Denver and I've been living in Phoenix for the last couple years, so I've driven through ABQ a couple of times on the way between the two cities, but haven't really given much thought to actually living there. Phoenix is just plain way too hot for me. Denver is too cold, although I can handle the cold just fine since I'm young and tough. Phoenix is a HUGE city, but has no real substance to it; given its size its a severely underpowered city. I also love New Mexican food! Maybe Albuquerque is just right? Thing is, tons of New Mexicans have relocated to both CO and AZ, and I'm always hearing about how Albuquerque is very "poor" town, a lot of poverty, gangs, and crime. Is that true?

Would Albuquerque be a good place to start a career in accounting?

Last edited by vegaspilgrim; 01-28-2008 at 01:34 PM.. Reason: extra question
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Old 01-28-2008, 01:36 PM
 
Location: Metro Milwaukee, WI
3,198 posts, read 12,673,989 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RosieMBanks View Post
Thank you for your answer, EnjoyEP. That helps a lot.I think my biggest question is about the job market there. I did a google search of the forums to inquire about areas w/high underemployment, and ABQ did not turn up (Portland did, which is why I scratched that city off my list). All else being equal, I want a place with a good job market.
Well, pay scales will be on average quite a bit lower in Albuquerque - IN GENERAL - than they are in areas like the Bay Area. However, bear in mind that the cost of living in Albuquerque is also much lower, so your salary goes so much farther.

I think the job market is kind of a so-so thing in ABQ, really depending upon the field you are looking for a job in. I am of the opinion that if you have a Master's Degree especially (I only have my BA), if you are in an applicable field and have a decent resume, you can find a good job anywhere - Portland, Albuquerque, or Des Moines.

Without knowing exactly what you are planning to do with your Organizational Psychology background it is harder for me to answer your question.

However, remember that Albuquerque is a rapidly growing city/metro, so with that, commerce and business is in a constant motion of growth and influx (into the area)...thus, that is exciting news for young or new professionals.

Businesses are being drawn readily into the ABQ area due to the relatively low taxes, the good weather / quality of life issues, the low occurences of natural disasters, the relatively low real estate costs, etc.

However, some industries obviously are more "hot" in the area than others...namely, the film industry / high-tech and science jobs, etc.

I think it is a good place to be for a professional (being one myself and having very recently lived/worked in the city). However, I think a prudent move would just be to target jobs in your intended profession, do some job searching for them over the 'net, and see what your responses are / salary ranges are, etc.

I am always a little hesitant to give an area a plus or a minus based on the overall "job market" unless it is just so woeful. Most US big cities have jobs available for lucrative professionals...some in higher quantities than others. But it is important for professionals to realize that they just need to hit on one job...the job for themselves...and it doesn't beyond that really matter if there are 10,000-like available jobs or 10.

I hope that helps - good luck!!
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Old 01-28-2008, 01:52 PM
 
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Again, yes, that did help. Thanks. I believe "not woeful" is the answer I am looking for. Having done a google-search of the site, I have come across posts lamenting the woeful state of a particular job market, either with no jobs available (most of Michigan) or such an oversupply of educated, talented people that there is a tremendous scramble for what is available, and employers get picky and arrogant, etc. OTOH there seem to be places where it is a lot easier to find a job, there is not that sense of desperation, and so on. Certainly having a Master's will help (one reason I'm in an MA program)! I have a friend who has a Master's in English (what so many people consider a "useless" degree) and it really did open doors for her. Employers seem to think that if you stick with a program, are able to research, write a thesis, etc. those are valuable job skills. As for where I'm going with my degree, my practicum right now is in diversity training, specifically aging issues (how to help companies retain their older, experienced workers, transition them to retirement, etc.). Of course that may change, 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. Again, thanks for your help.
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Old 01-28-2008, 02:14 PM
 
Location: Albuquerque, NM
710 posts, read 2,954,086 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim View Post
I don't want to hijack a thread with my problems, but I'm wondering the same thing... should I be looking at ABQ as a possibility? I'm from Denver and I've been living in Phoenix for the last couple years, so I've driven through ABQ a couple of times on the way between the two cities, but haven't really given much thought to actually living there. Phoenix is just plain way too hot for me. Denver is too cold, although I can handle the cold just fine since I'm young and tough. Phoenix is a HUGE city, but has no real substance to it; given its size its a severely underpowered city. I also love New Mexican food! Maybe Albuquerque is just right? Thing is, tons of New Mexicans have relocated to both CO and AZ, and I'm always hearing about how Albuquerque is very "poor" town, a lot of poverty, gangs, and crime. Is that true?

Would Albuquerque be a good place to start a career in accounting?

There are pleanty of accounting jobs available in ABQ. Gap has part of their Corporate Finance Division here. Fidelity Investments is opening a center with some controller positions, pleanty of opportunities with both Local and National Public Accounting firms. In regards to your questions on the poverty in ABQ, this is widely misconceived by outsiders. NM in general is one of the poorest states due to at the rural nature of the state. Salaries in ABQ are not much lower than Phoenix (higher than Tucson) yet the cost of living is so much less. ABQ still has pockets of poverty in the SE and SW portions of the city, but the median income continues to rise and outpace the national average. And finally, ABQ does have the perfect weather compared to both Denver and Phoenix (being more similar to Denver's, just less precipitation).
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Old 01-28-2008, 02:27 PM
 
Location: Albuquerque, NM
710 posts, read 2,954,086 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RosieMBanks View Post
Again, yes, that did help. Thanks. I believe "not woeful" is the answer I am looking for. Having done a google-search of the site, I have come across posts lamenting the woeful state of a particular job market, either with no jobs available (most of Michigan) or such an oversupply of educated, talented people that there is a tremendous scramble for what is available, and employers get picky and arrogant, etc. OTOH there seem to be places where it is a lot easier to find a job, there is not that sense of desperation, and so on. Certainly having a Master's will help (one reason I'm in an MA program)! I have a friend who has a Master's in English (what so many people consider a "useless" degree) and it really did open doors for her. Employers seem to think that if you stick with a program, are able to research, write a thesis, etc. those are valuable job skills. As for where I'm going with my degree, my practicum right now is in diversity training, specifically aging issues (how to help companies retain their older, experienced workers, transition them to retirement, etc.). Of course that may change, 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. Again, thanks for your help.
Fidelity Investments is relocating/consolidating their HR function in ABQ bringing 1,250 jobs to ABQ by mid-2009. The center will be located at Mesa del Sol which is a 12,900 acre (largest in nation) master planned community. The company responsible is Forest City who also redeveloped the Stapelton Airport in Denver, which was a highly successful development.
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Old 01-28-2008, 02:41 PM
 
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And I graduate in March 2009...yow! Good timing! Thanks, Finmqa1, I will do some research on Fidelity. Ideally, before I move (to wherever it is I will be going), I will have a job lined up, since I am not a homeowner and have no equity to cash out, and I have no husband or SO for a second income cushion.
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