Any ex-Texans here in ABQ? (Albuquerque, Clovis: house, buy, public schools)

[desert sun]

I see alot of Texas plates here,with the cheaper cost of living and the good economy in Texas, why do so many of yall move to ABQ.Texas has always been a place I would like to live, mainly the Dallas,Lubbock or Amarillo areas.If anyone is from the Amarillo or Lubbock area and now lives in ABQ. can you please compare the difference between cost of living in both places, thanks and anyone feel free to answer.

[yukon]

Used to live in Houston & Dallas. Cleaner air and less traffic in ABQ.

[Towanda]

I lived in San Antonio for nine years. Wonderful city and great people, but way too hot and humid for my tastes. I missed the change of seasons.

[honu1]

I've been in TX for a while, moved to ABQ for a year for a contract at a hospital then back to TX. I miss ABQ every day since I've been back in TX. I live in the DFW area. I'd move back to ABQ in a heartbeat if both my dh AND I could both find jobs we'd be happy with there. Why we would choose ABQ over TX:

-an hours drive or less to excellent skiing/snowboarding
-15 minutes to hiking trails
-being able to bike practically everywhere
-green chile
-clear blue sky
-no air pollution warnings in summer
-low humidity
-few mosquitos
-watching the sunrise over the sandias every day
-watching the sunset behind the volcanos every day
-sipping coffee and watching the hot air balloons in the am
-farolitos/luminarias during the holidays
-lots of cultural events/festivals/arts events/farmers markets around the year
-pueblo architecture
-being within a few hours drive of Chaco Canyon, Bandelier, Gila Dwellings, White Sands, Valles Caldera, Ghost Ranch, Taos, Red River, Rio Grande Gorge, the Bisti Badlands...just to list a few

[rbtester]

I am about to move to ABQ from Houston this week. I am excited about the outdoors and 4 seasons. The only thing I am worried about is adjusting to a smaller city. I love Texas but I have lived hear my whole life and had an opportunity to make a change so I went for it.

[yukon]

honu1, have you tried sending out resumes to businesses in your field? There's an amazing shortage of qualified people in many fields here, and some employers ARE willing to pay for the skills they need. I had a job in hand 2 months before I moved here, and my job field isn't anything spectacular.

rbtester, I used to live in Houston. Unless you're a big NFL fan, I don't think you'll find ABQ lacking in much. ABQ is very spread out, so at times it does feel like a big city Plenty of restaurants and variety to pick from, top name entertainment at the casino's and Pavillion, and while the Isotopes may not be MLB per say, I bet you'll find their games as much fun as Astro games. Two things you WON'T miss out here in ABQ will be the humidity and the smog. We have very little of either.

[honu1]

yukon, thanks! As for my dh, he currently provides mental health services in public schools and unfortunately, APS pays really lousy compared to what he makes here in north TX. However, he is considering launching a private practice and if he decides he really wants to do this, we would consider getting back out there to set up shop. When I was in ABQ I was working for the VA Medical center. I loved the federal job and I'd like to stay within that arena. I have usajobs dot com send me daily listings of job availability but, nada right now. I won't give up though! I've accepted a one year appointment at another VA for the moment, hoping that ABQ will have an opening before too long. If not, at least the money is good where we are and the cost of living is cheap...and DFW international has daily flights to ABQ so I can get out there and get my fix

[lemon&lime]

I moved from Texas to Albuquerque in 2000, mostly for the cultural perks and weather. My family lives in central Texas and it just got old, the conservative, non artistic culture (with the exception of Austin which always left me cold), the humidity, boot scootin' and steak house way of life. I left due to sheer boredom. Albuquerque is so much more colorful, artistic and spiritual than most of Texas. There is no way I would ever live in Dallas, Abilene, or Lubbock. Texas is great for a lot of people and people who live there like to go on and on about how great the state is but I found more of what I was looking for in Albuquerque.

[raysgal]

I'm moving to ABQ from College Station, TX in 2 weeks and cannot wait to escape some of the humidity here in TX. I know that it will still get hot in NM in the summer, but what I hate most about Texas weather is that it does not even get cool at night. When I walk out of my house at 11 PM, I shouldn't have to sweat!

[High_Plains_Retired]

Originally Posted by desert sun

I see alot of Texas plates here,with the cheaper cost of living and the good economy in Texas, why do so many of yall move to ABQ.Texas has always been a place I would like to live, mainly the Dallas,Lubbock or Amarillo areas.If anyone is from the Amarillo or Lubbock area and now lives in ABQ. can you please compare the difference between cost of living in both places, thanks and anyone feel free to answer.

I have had a home on the west side of Albuquerque since 1995 but we also have a small Texas home in a small town between Clovis and Lubbock. I like Albuquerque very much simply because it is in a State that I have loved in its entirety since coming to it in 1968 from deep eastern Texas.

Except for property taxes which are very much higher in the particular west Texas rural county where we have the house, I would say the living costs in this particular Texas county are about the same as Albuquerque. My wife and I are always comparing gasoline prices between the two areas and Albuquerque is always less expensive but not by much. The thing that varies considerably in all the counties around Lubbock and in and around Albuquerque is home prices. As my wife and I wanting to retire to a rural home, we have been recently comparing staying around Albuquerque or returning to an area closer to Lubbock than our Texas home is now. Around Albuquerque, especially in the east Mountains where we have looked, $250,000 may buy you an 1800 squarefoot doublewide on five acres where around Lubbock it can buy you a 3000+ square foot brick country home on ten acres with white pipe fencing and horse barns. The other big difference, however, is that the New Mexico doublewide may cost you $700 a year in property taxes where the brick home in Texas, if you are not careful where you move, may cost you $8,000 a year.

In summary, if you plan to move to west Texas, pay close attention to the property taxes in the county you have an interest in. There are huge differences between the various counties.