Albuquerque (Rio Rancho, South Valley, North Valley: crime, hotel, house)

[cuban]

We're from miami and are moving to albuquerque in in mid july. I know every place has crime, i been told to stay away from the south, move to or about the NE.. Everyone I've talked to, say's its beautiful... But reading here a few post, I get the impression that maybe the national guard should be called.
My ??? which type of rifle would be best. LOL
Could also be that some people are just negative... or are trying to keep people from moving there.... Either way a change is coming so get ready...

[Crackerjack]

I'd rather live in Albuquerque then Miami anyday! Albuquerque has crime like all cities do but compared to Miami, ABQ is a paradise. Look to live in the Tijeras-Cedar Crest area, Edgewood-Moriarty area if you like land and horses, or the area around the tram (it is a tram that goes up the mountain which is quite beautiful) if you want to be in the city. Someone who lives in Los Lunas posted it was nice to live there as well but I don't know that area so I can't say personally. As well I have a friend who lived in the Paradise Hills area and liked it and another who likes living near Los Ranchos De Albuquerque. Rio Rancho is good too. Good Luck in your move. I am sure you will not miss the hurricanes!

[cuban]

Originally Posted by Crackerjack

I'd rather live in Albuquerque then Miami anyday! Albuquerque has crime like all cities do but compared to Miami, ABQ is a paradise. Look to live in the Tijeras-Cedar Crest area, Edgewood-Moriarty area if you like land and horses, or the area around the tram (it is a tram that goes up the mountain which is quite beautiful) if you want to be in the city. Someone who lives in Los Lunas posted it was nice to live there as well but I don't know that area so I can't say personally. As well I have a friend who lived in the Paradise Hills area and liked it and another who likes living near Los Ranchos De Albuquerque. Rio Rancho is good too. Good Luck in your move. I am sure you will not miss the hurricanes!

Thanks for your info will check out those areas

[nmnative505]

Good luck on your move to Abq, I think you're really going to like it even though it will be a change from Miami! It has some really great places to live, I used to live near Tramway, in the far NE part of the city and it was really nice. Plenty of places to eat and shop, I hardly ever left that part of the city, and I hardly ever had to venture far to find something. Paradise Hills is nice and new but kind of far from the actual city, but they also have everything you need on the west side, it just depends on where you work or go to school. As for crime, well you'll find that in every neighborhood so just stick to you gut when deciding on a place! Good luck!

[Joshua Allan]

Originally Posted by nmnative505

Paradise Hills is nice and new but kind of far from the actual city, but they also have everything you need on the west side, it just depends on where you work or go to school.

Thats the best place to live in my opinion. It has plenty of things to do. You have the Cottonwood Mall about 5-10 minutes away. Thats the main place in west Albuqerque. They have grocery stores near by & plenty of new & older developments in Paradise Hills. They also have great schools in that area. I hope you find a great house in Albuquerque!

Joshua

[Chaparral]

Originally Posted by nmnative505

Paradise Hills is nice and new but kind of far from the actual city, but they also have everything you need on the west side, it just depends on where you work or go to school.

Just wanted to reply to this as a resident of Paradise Hills:
PH is actually not far from the city, as it is a neighborhood located within ABQ. Perhaps nmnative505 was referring to Downtown? Anyway, I will agree that in PH you are close to just about anything you might need. The West Side has been growing by leaps and bounds, both residentially and commerically.

Chap

[EnjoyEP]

Cuban -

You will be fine here. I moved here 3 years ago from the Midwest and have not once ever seen a shred of crime. Crime here is no worse than crime in any other sizable city...it typically is overwhelmingly found in "pockets" of the city (again, just like most other big cities).

Certainly, you'll experience more cold here than you do in Miami. Late nights through about 10am in spring, winter, and fall can be nippy-to-cold (but it is kind of a very pleasant nippy or cold due to the dryness, if that makes any sense). Hotter than Miami in the summer (although very dry), falls and springs during the daytimes are extremely pleasant, and winters will be colder than you are used to (although many 50s and even some 60s still in the winter - it is still much more mild than much of the U.S. in the winter).

Much sunshine though makes even the colder days feel warmer, pleasantly very dry air, beautiful mountains and mesas, etc.

I don't know if I agree with all of the above-posted suggestions for places to live (although that is always just a matter of personal opinion and mine isn't going to be the same as everyone else's). The Tijeras-Cedar Crest area and Edgewood-Moriarty area are NOT in Albuquerque - they are very small towns located between 15 and 40 minutes away from Albuquerque in the "East Mountains" of ABQ. While they are undoubtedly rural and very scenic and filled with nature, they are much cooler than Albuquerque is, and unless you like snow and cooler weather, I would personally suggest living more in Albuquerque (or anywhere on the west side of the mountains) is a much better year-round climate.

(Sorry to drone on so much about the weather, but coming from Miami, you may want more of the temperate winter that Albuquerque provides than what the East Mountain, high elevation towns would provide; those towns have climates more like Denver...with cooler summers than Denver).

You WILL love the smell of pinon burning in the air from October through March during evenings and nights.

The Tramway and Los Ranchos de Albuquerque areas sure are nice, but they are by far the two most expensive areas in the city. Get ready for at minimum a $400K or $500K house, and most closer to a million or 1.5.

I would suggest you look in any of these areas (if you don't have between $500K and $1.5 mil to spend on a home) - all are extremely nice, safe, and offer their own special advantages (and are close to shopping, restaurants, ammenities, etc.):

-Anywhere in NE Albuquerque
-Almost anywhere in the North Valley of Albuquerque
-Almost anywhere around Old Town
-Uptown area
-Any of the newer areas around Downtown
-There are some incredibly nice neighborhoods (although pricey) around the UNM / Nob Hill area
-Rio Rancho
-Anywhere in Northwest (NW) Albuquerque)
-A NEWLY BUILT sub-area in SW Albuquerque or SE Albuquerque or Bernalillo

Areas to avoid:
-South Valley
-Old areas in SW Albuquerque
-Old areas in SE Albuquerque
-Greater UNM area extending into east downtown (if you haven't checked out the neighborhood in advance)

It is an incredibly nice city, and while Miami's weather is great, overall, I would say that Albuquerque is a far, far better city to live. 4 seasons but all are pretty temperate (almost no snow ever) with tons of sunshine. Reasonably affordable housing and taxes. Incredible culture and natural beauty. Fun events like the Balloon Fiesta. Good shopping (getting better). Some of the best food in the U.S.

You'll like it here...welcome!

[observer]

Enjoy EP'S post sounds very accurate.

I too live in Miami and visited Albuquerque last year in the summer. I drove around and visited many of the areas in and around Albuquerque. I personally like the Northwest part of Albuquerque, specifically Rio Rancho and the neighborhoods around it. I went south to Los Lunas which is definitely growing and is only about 20-30 minutes south of the airport area. I even went further south to Belen and Tierra Grande estates which are semi-rural and rural areas. Yet, it is only about 45 minutes to an hour from the airport.

Traffic in Albuquerque is no where near the traffic in Miami. The hotel I stayed at was near the airport and about 5 minutes from the University which I believe is on Central Ave. Well, at 9:00 AM on a Monday morning I drove up I-25 north heading to Rio Rancho and I was pleasantly surprised at the lack of congestion on the highway. Sure there was some traffic, but it was moving traffic not bumper to bumper and nothing compared to 836, I-95, or 826 in Miami. It did get a little congested when I got off I believe is called
"Paseo del Norte" exit, and it remained that way until I got to Coors Blvd. But all in all traffic is not that bad hear. Overall, I feel the people in Albuquerque and the surrounding areas are much more friendlier than the people in Miami. As far as "bad neighborhoods" , sure there are bad areas. But if you have driven through the bad areas in Miami you won't be stunned or shocked here in Albuquerque.

[stormweary]

Enjoy Ep:
I just saved your info on Alb. into a word file on N.M. info. Thanks, I, too, am in Fl. and am thinking of a move that way. Its a big decision so I am trying to gather as much info on places as I can. Hope to visit there soon.
thanks!