Questions about Albuquerque (South Valley: real estate, apartment complex, condos)

[lisalisaanne]

My husband and I planning on moving out of Chicago in May/June, Albuquerque is on our list of possibilities which is currently based on a few different criteria. I have looked over a lot of threads and had some of my questions answered (such as..nob hill/near unm are good areas for young people?), but still have a few questions before I come visit for myself in December. Any input would be much appreciated.

- we have a car but prefer to bicycle/bus it as much as possible, is this realistic in abq?

- i will be graduating soon with my masters in education, i would like to teach at the middle school level ideally in a high needs district, how is the need for teachers in the area?

- having lived in philadelphia and chicago we are used to a somewhat urban feeling environment, but are looking forward to trying out a smaller city... does albuquerque have a city-like feel, or is it strip mall central? does it depend on the part of the city?

- we are both vegan/vegetarian, how's the farmers market/natural market/veg friendly restaurant scene?

- we are into rocknroll/punkrock/metal bars and shows, things like that.. is there a decent scene in the area?

- we have two smaller dogs and 3 cats. how common are pet friendly apartments? what about dog friendly parks or areas? we really like older classic apartments and dont mind a little bit of ghetto.

thank you in advance for reading and helping!!

[Zoidberg]

Possible to bike? Sure. Bear in mind certain parts of town are far better than others for biking as a method of commute. UNM is excellent, NE heights are fair, west side is not good. You'll probably need a car, though not every day if you like biking.

Always need more teachers, particularly at mid school level. Plenty of high needs schools in town.

Albuquerque's feel does indeed vary based on part of town. You'll find a good mix of topologies here.

You want Nob Hill. Other parts of town are not as veg friendly.

If you come from Chicago, Albuquerque will be far inferior in terms of music scene. There is a scene here, but you may find it very lacking. Luckily we no longer get passed by as often for touring metal bands, thanks to the smattering of indian casino venues and Journal Pavilion amphitheatre.

Many landlords will tolerate pets. Albuquerque also has dog parks. Dog beaches? Umm.. Well, anyway, lots of hikers bring their dogs. Dog friendly place, I'd suppose.

Looks like you know where you need to visit. Visit first, maybe hang out in a mid school classroom for a few days, and see if it grows on you.

[ABQConvict]

Originally Posted by lisalisaanne

we have a car but prefer to bicycle/bus it as much as possible, is this realistic in abq?

I have been car free since 2004. I live and work in the University Heights/Nob Hill area. While not a cycling utopia, there is an extensive system of MUPs, bike lanes and bike routes. I think Albuquerque is better than most American cities for cycling and there are some more improvements on the way including bike boulevards. There is also a big roadie scene and a lot of mountain biking which makes for a lot of good bike shops, at least five in my neighborhood alone. The bus system is barely adequate though you may find some useful routes (especially the RapidRide route) as long as you don't want to use the bus outside of its limited hours. Don't expect to take the bus home after 8pm or even earlier on most routes.

Originally Posted by lisalisaanne

having lived in philadelphia and chicago we are used to a somewhat urban feeling environment, but are looking forward to trying out a smaller city... does albuquerque have a city-like feel, or is it strip mall central? does it depend on the part of the city?

Not very urban except for a few blocks around downtown. Albuquerque is often described as "spread out" and it does have a low density but there is little open space within the city boundaries. I would describe it as mostly inner-suburban (small lot sizes, strip malls outlining the big blocks with housing inside the blocks).

However, Downtown has high building density which is mainly commercial though there are some residential (high-ish rise) condos, but is a bit lacking in services and tends to die out in the evenings except on the weekends when the bar scene there is active. Nob Hill has the restaurants, bars and independant theaters (both live and cinema) UNM has the big performing arts stuff like touring Broadway productions, etc. If you you want to avoid the hardcore strip mall phenomenon and have some urban feel (and the convenience that goes with it, i.e. high concentration of restaurants, entertainment, culture) avoid the NE Heights and the westside. Instead, look at the areas near Central from Downtown up through Nob Hill which is, roughly speaking, the area from around 10th street east to Carlisle or Washington and Lead/Coal north to Indian School. Some areas in these boundaries are sketchy and some are quite posh.

Originally Posted by lisalisaanne

we are both vegan/vegetarian, how's the farmers market/natural market/veg friendly restaurant scene?

Like Zoidberg said. Nob Hill has a couple of farmers markets (though there are others around town) as well as a food co-op. Univ. Heights has the Albuquerque Produce Exchange and there is a CSA called Los Poblanos which offers a subscription service to local organic produce which can be picked up or delivered to your house. There are many Indian and Vietnamese restaurants which have a lot of vege offerings and there is a vegan ayurvedic restaurant in University Heights. Exclusively Vege/Veg is around, but natural and local are more emphasized in the food-conscious scene than strictly anti-meat.

Originally Posted by lisalisaanne

we have two smaller dogs and 3 cats. how common are pet friendly apartments? what about dog friendly parks or areas? we really like older classic apartments and dont mind a little bit of ghetto.

Oh, you definitely want to check out the Downtown to Nob Hill corridor. You are more likely to find old houses than apartments since most apartment in Albuquerque date from the 70's to the present. It sounds like you might like Huning Highlands (EDo, which stands for East of Downtown) which is between Downtown and University Heights and has condos and Victorian/Queen Anne houses often subdivided into apartments, there is a new apartment complex in 'The Bricklight District' in University Heights which also has a lot of inexpensive and very well located older housing stock, and Nob Hill which has several new medium density apartments and older housing (very nice and more expensive than Huning Highlands (EDo) or University Heights. Oh, and you will find that Albuquerque is quite pet friendly. The older and more established the neighborhood, the more likely thay are to allow pets.

ABQConvict

[Tim Rankin]

Originally Posted by lisalisaanne

- we are both vegan/vegetarian, how's the farmers market/natural market/veg friendly restaurant scene?

While we were there, my wife would head over to an organic coop(?) called Poblano Organics - I think it's the one ABQConvict mentioned. There's a set price, and every two weeks you pick up an open, cardboard box of veggies - you get whatever they were able to get hold of. It was usually a pretty good selection, and we'd end up finishing the box just in time for the next batch.

[goldfox]

Originally Posted by Zoidberg

NE heights are fair, west side is not good.

lolwut? West Side is great, except for the South Valley. WHY would Mayor Marty fix the south valley? Other than that, North West is great.


Anyways, Far NE Heights is good. Anything North of I-40 are where the good neighborhoods are at on the west side. On the east side, anywhere north of Montgomery is good. But, for smart real estate, the west side has newer homes at real good prices. East side has more older neighborhoods, which means the houses are from 1980 and up, small, and more expensive. Other than that, Welcome to Albuquerque.

[rybert]

West side is a wasteland.

Your bikes will be rendered useless.

It's suburbia hell.

[berncohomes]

[quote=lisalisaanne;5083073]
- we have a car but prefer to bicycle/bus it as much as possible, is this realistic in abq?

It is if you live in Nob Hill, Ridgecrest, UNM area you can bike to work in other areas but Albuquerque does not have the safest drivers.


- having lived in philadelphia and chicago we are used to a somewhat urban feeling environment, but are looking forward to trying out a smaller city... does albuquerque have a city-like feel, or is it strip mall central? does it depend on the part of the city?

I used to live in South Jersey, 10 minutes from Philly over the Walt. It does not even compare to there, I missed the east coast really bad when I first moved here but after a year or two the place grew on me and now I love it here.

- we are into rocknroll/punkrock/metal bars and shows, things like that.. is there a decent scene in the area?

It's not Philly, there is a huge metal following in NM though.