ABQ or Phoenix? (Albuquerque: transplants, job market, living)

[ABQBound84]

I am considering both Phoenix and ABQ and cannot make up my mind. Are their any transplants from Phoenix to ABQ that can answer some questions for me? Are you pleased or displeased with your move to ABQ? Does ABQ feel much smaller and boring compared to Phoenix or is it a fun city for its size? Would you rather have the cold winters in ABQ or the hot summers in Phoenix? Any answers would be greatly appreciated?

[finmqa1]

It largely depends on what is important to you. If you need all the great chain restaurants, shopping, and big city amenities spread upon miles and miles and miles of Valley Land, then I'd choose Phoenix. Phoenix also seems to look a little more upscale overall.

However, if you want beautiful mountain and valley views or seeing the West Mesa with Mount Taylor in the distance then I'd say ABQ (PHX does have mountains but the valley is totally flat so the views aren't the same). If you want to see natural greenery just take a quick cruise or a short Tramway ride away to the East Side of the Sandia's. If you want tons of great local cuisine, and quaint little shops and galleries, then ABQ is your place. ABQ is a city that while not perfect is completely okay with that. We love to be ourselves whether relaxed, professional, or whatever. We don't try to look or act the same. We appreciate each culture that is here, and cherish the diversity we've always had. ABQ while still having many of your name brand national retailers still takes great pride in its individuality. I've been to Phoenix and Sacramento and would say those two cities have a great deal in common, from their Anytown USA look, to the rapid growth and what not. The only real difference between the two would be that Phoenix is warmer, and Sac-town is more humid.

Albuquerque, and New Mexico for that matter are like nothing else you'll ever see. But I must warn you that it is a love hate relationship. Visit awhile and make sure this is a place you can love, if not Phoenix is great too!

[ABQSunseeker]

Having lived in Phoenix (Scottsdale) and NYC, and now retired in Albuquerque, I can tell you what kinds of things I like and dislike about each place, but ultimately what will make your decision is what works for you. When you give a blank slate like that, people project anything on to it. I'm not sure what you will take away from it all.

Both Phoenix have desert climates. Both are sunny and dry. Albuquerque is high desert and it does occasionally get cold snaps and snow. I miss the milder climate of Phoenix in the winter, but, on the other hand, Albuquerque is a treat in the summer. You can actually be out of doors from early spring until late fall (and many days in winter) and in the summer there will often be refreshing breezes to urge you out even on the hotter days.

Albuquerque has far less traffic than Phoenix. I've seen Phoenix grow into a colossus, with traffic clogged interstates. (But never as bad as NYC, DC, Atlanta, LA). It is never that bad here.

The air in Phoenix is terrible and a real health problem. Brown cloud, smog.
According to the American Lung Association, Albuquerque has the 5th best air quality in the U.S.

Housing is still reasonable here and did not soar as in AZ. You get far more for your dollar here.

ABQ has a great smaller airport but you have to frequently connect to more places than you would in PHoenix.

Perhaps there are more things to do in Phoenix (like going to professional sporting events, shopping, dining out with more variety, etc. etc). but it all depends on WHAT YOU like to do. There are plenty of things here to do to keep you busy. This is no small place and is not as provincial as it might seem. And with Santa FE close by the two cities often a good dose of culture.

Finally it comes down to the intangibles. It will reach out to you or not despite whatever ledger of pluses and minuses you make. There is something more colorful, more flavorful, more historic, more interesting in ABQ and NM than in Phoenix. That may draw you in but you need to experience it to see for yourself.

[EnjoyEP]

Originally Posted by ABQBound84

Would you rather have the cold winters in ABQ or the hot summers in Phoenix?

"Cold winters"? Maybe compared to Phoenix or Vegas or LA, but wow, compared to the great majority of the US, Albuquerque's winters are ANYTHING but cold!

To a Midwesterner such as myself, I would term them at *worst* temperate or mild.

Roughly, the general average high temp average in winter in ABQ is a sunny 50 degrees. This is for the *heart* of winter (DEC through FEB)...with mid-December-through-late January hedging a degree or two lower and early December / much of February averaging some degrees warmer.

Couple 50-ish average degree highs with a strong warm sunshine and very little snow (average annually of 7 to 11 inches - all of which *generally* melts fairly quickly [say, within hours or a day]), and I wouldn't term that as a *cold* winter.

Now, surely nights in the winter in ABQ do get chilly. Temps in the 20s and teens for overnight lows are fairly common for a bit. And yes, there will be days in ABQ where the highs are only in the mid-to-upper 30s (a very small handful if any) or low-40s (more common), so indeed, it *is* possible to have some short, quick "cold" stretches, but relatively speaking, I would dub ABQ's winters as anything but "cold" winters.

Remember, golf is a year round sport in ABQ, and many / most residents do not own a snow shovel. It'll be cool enough for sure to have to break out a winter coat maybe a handful of times on an average winter, but there will also be days well into the high 50s / low 60s where one could be in the sun in a short-sleeved shirt. Also, ABQ's winters are so short compared to much of the US. Generally they don't really get any prolonged chill behind them until mid-December and are usually wrapping up quite nicely by late February. That isn't to say you can't still get a sprinkling of cooler days in March or April - like Atlanta or Memphis you surely can - but for "winter" days, things readily are quickly done.

Now, compare that with six months of constant, strong, and ever-present heat in Phoenix in the summers (starts to regularly hit the 90s+ which is quite hot in April and doesn't really let up until October with long, long stretches of 100+ and even 110+ temps), I have to say that comparing ABQ's "winters" to PHX's "summers" is a bit like comparing ice cream to curdled milk.

Don't get me wrong...Phoenix's winters *are* nicer than ABQ's for sure, but ABQ's winters are so very pleasant overall too for a region that actually still does get an actual winter.

Perhaps a more close comparison would be PHX's summers versus Denver's winters.

Anyway, hand's down ABQ's (sort of)-winters.

[Todd TCE]

I've lived here in PHX since 1990. I've seen much of the wild growth first hand and frankly I have benefited from some of it. Now if 30% of the people who live here would just move away my air would be cleaner, my lines to to things shorter and certainly my drive to the shop would be much quicker. After all we do have a great freeway package. When it's not a parking lot.

After 18yrs now I think I could move away and not totally miss the nicer elements; great restaurants to choose from, malls, pro sports, the race tracks. But it all comes down to what you like. Do I hate it here? Not at all. Could it be better? I suppose but what would I have to give up??

[yukon]

I grew up in Phoenix, I have family in Phoenix, and I LOVE Phoenix, heat and all. When I decided to move back to the Southwest from Florida, I debated moving to Phoenix, Denver or ABQ. A visit to Denver convinced me it was not the city for me (although it's a great city), so the choice boiled down to Phoenix, a city I absolutely love, or ABQ, a city I knew very little about and had only visited a few times.

So why did ABQ win? Initially, because of cleaner air, a more stable job market and employer mix, and I liked the idea of 4 seasons for a change. Logical reasons. Cost of living, for me, would be about the same in both cities, so that really wasn't a factor. Now that I'm here, I love this place. The weather is nifty, the biking and walking trails are great, the people are friendly and the food is awesome. Shopping isn't so hot, but then, that's easily taken care of via a Southwest flight to - where else? - Phoenix. Moving here and being so close to Phoenix is like having my cake and eating it too

[desert sun]

To me the choice would be ABQ, it just feels so much better than Phoenix,I had tickets to a concert in Phoenix in May and I just didnt want to go to Phoenix at all so I just decided to take a loss on the tickets.I really dislike Phoenix, its a crowded mess of strip malls and sprawl and keepin up with the Jones', the last time I was there I couldnt wait to get back home.