Young Couple moving to Albuquerque for a Year (Rio Rancho, North Valley: middle-class, apartment complexes)

[rbtester]

My wife and I are moving to Albuquerque in June for a year's time. We would like to get peoples opinions on good areas to live (We are going to rent). We are in our late 20s and have two dogs one large and one small. We really liked the Pueblo style houses when we visited last month. Other items we would be interested in are mountain views, community oriented neighborhood with a mixture of ages, and good restaurants in the area. Thank you to all that reply.

[CWG]

For mountain views you can either move to high north east hights or several areas on the north west side of town. If you like the pueblo style houses inspect the roofs very carefully because if they are old or not done right they have a tendecy to leak. There are also some very nice apartments with mountain views that are also close to large parks. Have fun looking.

[crna06]

I would suggest either Far NE heights or North West as well. Paradise Hills has some nice newer adobe style houses as is near great shopping etc. My first choice would be Far NE Heights/ABQ Acres/Sandia Heights.

[EnjoyEP]

Since you are going to be renting (rather than buying), that significantly affects my response to you.

Here would be my suggestions:

TOP AREA and ZIP CODE TO CONSIDER:

-----I would especially advise towards zip code 87111 (area in ABQ's Northeast Heights)...although I would probably stay WEST of Juan Tabo Blvd.* (more on that reasoning in a bit).

My wife and I rented an apartment as brand new residents to the city in 2003 for six months before purchasing a home, and we rented square in this zip code near the intersections of Academy Blvd. and Eubank Blvd. NE.

To this day, this is probably my favorite area of ABQ among many favorites. Very close to the mountains. Easy to navigate, main roads. Beautiful landscaping. Close to restaurants, grocery stores, fast food, etc. Very safe and family oriented, but not too too upscale either.

Just a wonderful area of Albuquerque for living, some great views and parks, and some very nice rentals / apartments in this area.

TOP FIVE ZIP CODES TO CONSIDER OVERALL:

-----87111, 87113...

They are in the Northeast side of the city - the most desirable portion of the city in general terms and it has the most affluent areas. The Northeast is the closest to the Sandia Mountains and has the best mix of retail, stores, restaurants, best infrastructure, etc., because it is the oldest area (although there are still many areas that are being developed the farther north you go).

To me, the Northeast Heights is the best area of the city - in general terms, maybe next to the North Valley - to live in, and these are the best two zip codes to live in.

*Why do I say live WEST of Juan Tabo? Well, some of the nicest, neatest houses and views are east of Juan Tabo, and living east of Juan Tabo is generally very desirable.

However, Juan Tabo and east of it is about a mile to the foothills of the Sandia Mountains.

And, if you are like me, one perk of moving to ABQ partially is for the awesome year-round weather. While areas east of Juan Tabo are still nicer and certainly more mild than most northern areas of the US, the altitude goes sharply up in these areas (within a mile or so of the foothills of the Sandia Mountains) and thus temps can be considerably cooler.

For instance, I lived about 2 miles west of Juan Tabo, and it could often by 53 degrees at my house. You head 2 miles east...a little past Juan Tabo...and it might be 48 degrees.

In that same example, by my house, I would get an average (in that area) of snow 8-9 inches per year. East of Juan Tabo, they can get more like 12 to 15 inches. Still not huge or significant, but if I am going to live for the warmth, I am going to want to stick to the 95% of the city of ABQ that is the warm side!

Hopefully that makes sense. Altitude in most of ABQ is in the 5000 feet range, however, once you get well over 5500 feet (east of Juan Tabo), temps are affected.

However, again, you can find just tremendously nice rentals and apartments in the Juan Tabo and Tramway areas too with amazingly gorgeous views, so if "mountain stuff" and views are more important to you than warmer weather, these areas would be hard to beat too, and again, are in this 87111 zip.

-----87107 is a great one...the North Valley. The North Valley is probably the most expensive large section of ABQ to buy a home in, but it is probably my favorite one. It gets warmer in the days and cooler in the evenings (due to the valley geography), but it is just so scenic. Plus it is a centralized location, close access to everything.

This is a very desirable place to live. And, if you are not used to living in a desert city, this is where you'd still see the most "green"...although being a desert city, certainly you won't find nearly as much as you do in the summer in the Midwest, Pac NW, Southeast, etc. (except for the cacti and yuccas!).

I would live in the North Valley first and foremost if I could, but it is just too pricey for me. But I am a buyer more. For rentals, you may be able to find some nice properties / deals, and this area would be hard to beat.

It runs near the beautiful Rio Grande river, and is a great area for outdoor recreation, dogs, etc.

-----I would also highly advise you consider portions of zips 87109 and 87110. These are zips in ABQ's Northeast Heights and include some of my favorite, nicest areas in ABQ.

The problem here is that there are also portions of 87109 and 87110 that you wouldn't want to live in as much as other areas. Not that they are especially dangerous or crime ridden, but they are mediocre areas that you'd probably be better off somewhere else.

I lived in my home for the majority of my "ABQ life" in the 87109 zip code and really enjoyed the area tremendously. If you can find places near Osuna Rd. (by Arroyo del Oso golf course) and Wyoming or Pennsylvania or Louisiana, this is a great zip. True-blue Albuquerque, a nice, safe area, and not overpriced.

However, if you get too close to Montgomery Blvd. or west, you'd probably want to look elsewhere.

87110 is near ABQ Uptown shopping center, and the ABQ Uptown area in general. Again, super nice, and the warmest area in general in ABQ weather-wise. This is in a great, central location too, to ABQ. I would live here in a second, but again, some areas are really nice and some, while by no means terrible, are more mediocre than you'd want compared to other areas.

OTHER GOOD BETS TO CONSIDER:

-----87114 and 87120 are good, "safe" zip codes ("safe" not meaning for crime, as there are plenty of safe crime zip codes in the city, but by safe I mean that in most any of these areas where you'd end up, they are very decent areas); these are on the West-to-Northwest Side of the city, a fairly desirable area of the city, more middle-class than the Northeast Side (which is an overall upper-to-middle class area).

This is also the side of the city that is much newer...infrastructure and roads and commercial development have slowly caught up to the population growth but still isn't as good quite yet as it is on the east side of the river. GROWTH Is the name of the game here.

This is a very popular spot for families because it is fairly safe, family oriented, etc., but also still relatively affordable.

I would guess that if I end up back in ABQ, there is a great chance I would end up living in one of these codes.

-----87124 - Rio Rancho.
Very close suburb to the West Side of ABQ...essentially the same demographics and makeup as the 87114 and 87120 zips listed. If you were interested through searching in 87120 and 87114, probably expand your thoughts also to 87124, because despite being in Rio Rancho, not ABQ, it is essentially the same thing (and a very nice area). If you have kids and they attend public schools, Rio Rancho public schools are supposed to be far better in general than ABQ ones - in generalities.

-----87048 - Corrales.
Another very close suburb to the West Side / North Valley of ABQ. A more rural, quaint, "hip" suburb, much smaller and more exclusive. A really kind of neat area. Longer commutes from here and a more expensive area of the metro, but really a neat area for outdoor stuff, views, recreation, dogs, etc.

-----87108 - Nob Hill / UNM area.
There are some really neat, funky, unique houses in this area. Older homes with lots of character. An area geared a bit more to vibrant nightlife, the college scene, liberal politics, etc. Very walkable area. More "urban" here than many of the aforementioned. Closer to some sketchier, more crime areas, but overall still a quite safe area.

Hopefully this helped! Many very nice areas of ABQ to chose from...probably just stay away from much of the Southeast and the Southwest (even though there are nice pockets in each) and you'll be well off. Good luck to you!!

[abqsunport]

EnjoyEP, you left out probably one of the most crucial zip codes: 87122. This is the Far North East Heights. This is the most expensive zip code in Albuquerque, so depending on your situation might or might not be a great place to look. This is the zip I would recommend.

[Tim Rankin]

I think this couple may really want to consider the UNM area...

I don't believe they have children, so schools aren't an issue.

There are some really cute neighborhoods down there, that have pueblo style homes, a community feel, and great proximity to restaurants along Central. Maybe somewhere north of Central, between Girard and San Mateo?

True, the area doesn't have the mountain views of the NE Heights. But keep in mind they're in their twenties and may want somewhat of a lively scene...

[yukon]

Not sure why EnjoyEP left out zip 87112, but it's my zip (Menaul/Tramway) and so far seems to be a good area. There are quite a few private rentals and several apartment complexes in this zip. The prices seem to be about the same across the board, with the variance coming in the condition of the rental and/or apartment complex. There are folks out walking and jogging in the mornings & evenings. There's a nice bike/walking trail that runs along the east side of Tramway. Also plenty of grocery stores, a couple of movie theaters, library, post office(s), etc. in the area and it's easy to get to anywhere in the city, with alternate routes to the Interstate.

Then again, maybe EEP just lumped my zip in with 87111 and 87113 since 87112 shares boundaries with those zips....

Are you wanting more info on private rentals or apartment complexes?

[rbtester]

Thank you to everyone that replied. It sound like the area around UNM would be pretty good for us, especially since my wife will be working there. I will be working from home so it would be nice to have areas close by to go during the day and work on my laptop. We really would like the mountain views but when we visited Albuquerque last month it seems that you can get to a place with a view pretty quickly. We are really excited about coming. We have lived in Houston for all of our lives and are really excited about living in a dry climate.

[EnjoyEP]

Thanks for the corrections, Sunport and Yukon, I didn't intentionally leave off 87122 and 87112...they are both, as you guys stated, also excellent choices and good zips to live in. There are just so many in ABQ! Indeed, either of these would be great too.

TR - Agreed on the UNM area as being a great possibility for them. There are some really nice areas in this general area and indeed for liveliness, nightlife, etc., a prime spot in ABQ.

[honu1]

Sounds like you have great advice on neighborhoods so I thought I'd chime in about restaurants. These are purely my opinion, so no one please send me nasty messages...

Places I frequented:
The Savoy (on Montgomery - NE side of town)
Slate Street Cafe (downtown)
Turtle Mountain Brewing Co (Rio Rancho- good brew & bar food)
Il Vicino (pizza)
Flying star (good coffee & dessert)
Indigo Crow (in Corrales)
Samurai Sushi

the ones I found just okay:
Scalo
Trombinos
Quarters BBQ
Scarpas
Owl Cafe
Geckos

Ones I wish I had skipped:
Church Street Cafe
Sadies
Chama River Brewing Company
Los Cuates
Billys longbar
Dions

I'm forgetting the name of the Indian restaurant I liked, but it was a campy, family owned place. I think it was on Montgomery. Also Jennifer James is a well known chef out there. I really enjoyed the food at her restaurant Graze, but it closed. Check out whatever her latest venture is.

Have Fun.