Did I move to mos isley? (Albuquerque, Santa Fe: travel, job, house)

[iriegirl]

mortimer,
actually, we don't want to do the tourist thing, we are thinking of moving there, and I am an artist and wondering about the galleries.
I have read in some Art mags that it is a good city for art, and yet, others have said it is too spread out and not artist friendly. Not sure, but we're gonna check it out, and Santa Fe,and down south in Las Cruces too, (dh wants somewhere warm.)

btw, can you live in the 'old town' section that you mentioned? or another neighborhood that would be w/in walking distance to shops,etc...?
thanks,
iriegirl.

[jack7y]

btw, can you live in the 'old town' section that you mentioned? or another neighborhood that would be w/in walking distance to shops,etc...?

Yes, what neighborhoods are the most walkable that you could live in?

[mortimer]

iriegirl protests a bit:

> actually, we don't want to do the tourist thing, we are thinking of moving there, ...

I've lived here for quite a while and still love doing that kind of tourist thing.

Just this morning I took a nice drive on Central across the river, down Atrisco and Isleta. There are monsterous cottonwoods along a canal that could easily be 500 years old (minimum 300).
Cottonwoods along Isleta Blvd on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

> ... some [say] a good city for art, and yet, others have said ... not ...

I would say that if you really like the area, that's art-friendly. Note that the main part of Albuquerque is only equal to the size of a couple of decent-sized suburbs in many other larger metro areas.

I STILL recommend doing the 'touristy' thing to find out what you really like.

> down south in Las Cruces too, (dh wants somewhere warm.)

Do it there too. Las Cruces is awesome with a lot of old neighborhoods also.

Search the many many threads in this forum on Las Cruces vs. Albuquerque weather. Las Cruces has the least extremes of any of these small/large cities: Phoenix/Tucson/Las Cruces/Albuquerque/Santa Fe.

> btw, can you live in the 'old town' section that you mentioned?

Yes.

> or another neighborhood that would be w/in walking distance ...

Yes.

I've never looked at actual 'old' housing stock there, but I imagine that it might be either expensive or kinda ratty. There is plenty that is very close, but you should give your definition of "walking distance" since *my* definition is a little looser than most.

There are $500k home within a mile along with $100k fixer-uppers in the same radius.

[Native Sun]

Crime- no better or worse than other cities of 600K. (People really are the same creatures everywhere).
Roaches?? I have never lived in a house in ABQ that had them and only 1 apt that did. Course I never lived in the student ghetto, lol.

[aggiewalk]

Originally Posted by abqbrownsfan

I moved here two weeks ago for work. From the first day here I've been hearing so much about crime that I'm half expecting to be mauled by roving bandits at any moment. That or come out to find thieves crawling on my car. People here talk about crime like people back home talked about snow. I haven't seen any just yet. Is it only a matter of time? Can you guys give me the real scoop on this? thanks. Oh, and are cockroaches really an unavoidable reality of life here?

Serious Crime in Albuquerque is pretty non-existent for all intents and purposes. ABQ is a large TOWN that has started to believe in it's own hype. Yes there are murders but if you aren't involved in drugs you really have nothing to worry about. The crime is very secluded within the borders and even Downtown is safe..

Seriously the worse thing you have to worry about is someone breaking into or stealing your car. Property damage is the majority of the crime experienced by anyone living in ABQ. Live in Rio Rancho/Corrales/Placitas and you can even leave your doors unlocked at night

But I would highly recommend the move if you want something different. Be forewarned that ABQ is not comparable to other metro areas it's size, Denver/Tucson/Cleveland... There is a lack of big city amenities or attractions...

Albuqueque is trying and it might be there in ten years but until then I hope you can gain value in a place by its AMAZING scenery and sunsets.

[iriegirl]

Hi mortimer,
I guess when I think of the 'touristy'things, I think of my area, and the tourists are usually the New Yorkers that come to the shore, and they can be obnoxious. not all of them, but some. And I do realize that they contribute to our economy, but we still resent them, they've actually made this area unliveable for locals because we are now mostly priced out of living here.

Thank you for all the good info...I will def use it when we come there. I suppose my definition of walking distance would be a couple of miles...we walk about 4 miles daily here, but Only when we can get outside , which is rarely.

I would say that if you really like the area, that's art-friendly. Note that the main part of Albuquerque is only equal to the size of a couple of decent-sized suburbs in many other larger metro areas

I don't really think this is true though, I really like my area but it's not at all art-friendly. We don't have hardly any art shows or galleries, no art walks, you're not allowed to sell art from your home or studio, or have a home-based business, and most schools have even fazed out art programs.

& thanks to everyone for contributing to this good thread. :-)

[ABQSunseeker]

Iriegirl, life is full of unintended consequences. No one sets out to make an area "unliveable for locals" Put yourself in the place of a New Yorker who has substantial but not unlimited means and who loves the seashore. Should he mortgage his life and buy in the Hamptons? Or choose a more reasonable alternative?

Did the artists who originally flocked to Santa Fe decades ago because they found it authentic and artistically receptive ruin it for future Santa Feans who are now priced out of the local real estate markets? Santa Fe largely packages, markets, sells art now. Museum and gallery owners are wildly successful and many artists have moved on and out. Priced out of the market.

[mortimer]

iriegirl, on friendliness:

> ... definition of walking distance would be a couple of miles ...

That makes the Old Town - Nob Hill walk doable with the bus.

> ... you're not allowed to sell art from your home or studio, ...

Oh, you mean art-retail friendly. I thought you meant conducive to doing.

It appears to me that anyone can open up a storefront anywhere along Central and there are some places where you could live in the back. It's too old to zone everything out of such an arrangement.

You're still going to have to do some legwork and talking to locals, but that should be fun and interesting.

[iriegirl]

ABQSunseeker,
I can see your point, I didn't forsee it coming. It used to be a small shore town, and its a full-blown suburb of nyc now. Many people I know are moving out of NJ because they cannot afford to live here any more, or they don't like the crowds. And, Property taxes are like paying another mortgage payment.
I don't know anything about Santa Fe. The same thing happened there? as far as pricing out locals from living there? I have read it is very commercialized.

mortimer, Yes, I meant selling art friendly.
I know it's conducive to doing art, due to so many artists living in NM.
and,
Since you are so knowledgeable about the area, a question,please:
Is the distance from say,Madrid, to Abuquerque , commutable? My dh has seen some potential jobs there, and I guess its too far to commute from Santa Fe.
thanks!
iriegirl :-D

[ziaAirmac]

Iriegirl, I wouldn't recommend the commute from Madrid. Let me qualify: I grew up in Santa Fe, went to 'State' in Las Cruces and live in 'Burque (doesn't rhyme with turkey, sounds like: boorkeh). I'm also an artist.

The commute from Madrid requires a trip on Hwy 14. If you're looking at a map, just about any highway in New Mexico other than the Interstates are mostly 2 laners. Heading north on 14 to pick up I-25 puts you closer to Santa Fe than Albuquerque (I'm not assuming which you'd commute to). Heading south requires you drive through the 'East Mountain' communities and the 'canyon' carved through the Sandias for I-40. The drive through the East Mountains can get dicy during winter storms (intermittent, but a factor none the less.). Same goes for the canyon. The canyon also tends to slow up with construction.

Looking at the three cities I'd rank them as:

3. Las Cruces: Economy is booming down there but the southern end is all about the University and what art there is tends to be washed out by all of the Mexican imports.

2. Santa Fe: Economy is smaller than Albuquerque, art scene is strong, but a good portion is devoted to hispanic/indian arts and if you're not one of those, you can feel like an outsider as an artist. To allow you the 'walkability ' factor in Santa Fe would require living near the plaza, traditionally one of the most expensive areas in town to live in. Excellent outdoor opportunities nearby.

3. Albuquerque: Economy is diverse and large, art scene can be spread out, but there are some clusters (Nob Hill is good). Nob hill could have the walkability you're looking for if you stay within a few blocks of Central, but I wouldn't commit to the south side of Central sight unseen. It can be a little spotty. Being central in the state and connected to each border with an interstate, Albuquerque is the perfect home to be a 'tourist in your own state'.

As an artist, I've looked back on certain times and places as 'friendly'. When I really look at what it took to have that, it was a connection with just a few places or people. I'd step away from a search for a third party nebulous feeling of area friendliness and move towards seeing if some of those connections can be fostered from where you are. Try to get your hands on an Alibi alibi . april 3 - 9, 2008 (Albuquerque), or Reporter Santa Fe Reporter | This Week (Santa Fe). They give a great overview of art, activities and businesses around the area.

Finally, a word about Albuquerque crime. Forgetting the 'Nightly News' my personal circle experiences of crime in Albuquerque have been car break-ins or vandalism. The car break-ins all shared one common theme: music CD's in plain view. CD's can be cashed in at many places around town and are the equivalent of leaving a roll of lotto dollar scratchers on your dash. Some may only bring a couple bucks, but some are worth a lot more. Two steps to ward off a break in: keep your car tidy, with no visible CD's/Electronics (I actually pull my chargers and put the leads in my console because even if you hide what's charging, a few charging leads means "electronics in here"). Second, go to a used baby store and get a car seat. No kidding. Thieves see that and figure a good portion of what you might have is hard to move baby stuff. It's like the Auto Club, it doesn't stop them, but it makes the car with a rack full of cd's a better target.

The vandalism has been light and random. A talk with an APD VETERAN Sergeant told me that APD is a bit understaffed and can no longer do random patrols, a big factor in deterring that kind of crime. The city is on a huge campaign to increase the force, with recruiting trips to states as far away as Michigan.

'nuff said.