do you regret moving to albuquerque? (Bernalillo, Mescalero: fit in, renting, insurance)

[EnjoyEP]

I am just curious:

To the posters here who cited that they miss having "so many things to do" in bigger cities that they cannot find to in ABQ, I would be curious if you could give examples of things besides major league sports that they could do in big cities that they couldn't do in ABQ.

I am not saying I agree or disagree, but am just legitimately curious.

[gdt]

I am from Albuquerque and just moved to the miami area .I was their for three months and then got the hell out.Just a word of advise if you are from albuquerque and are considering moving to miami(area) DONT do it !!!

The people are the fakest wannabe-california-or hawaii people ive ever met!!! The beaches have no sand, its almost like a lake now, only a matter of time befor its in the ocean...
The weather in summer is like taking a hot shower to sweat out alcohol all the time. TOO MANY REDNECKS!!!!

Ive lived in chicago ,denver london the coast of france,Ive been to 40 countrys and 35 states.Ive never been to a mor jaked up place.

''Americas wang'' ''The waiting room(where old people go to die)'' surelly is not for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!

P.S. Im back in the southwest now and love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[rybert]

Will Smith seemed to like it there.

[lemon&lime]

as of yesterday. The feeling I have so far is that I regret leaving. I understand why I did though; it all makes sense to me now. I was one the grass is greener types who thought I'd be "better off" in a city with more amenities. I think the big problem was I never took full advantage of what is here. The town is not as rich or nice looking in a lot of ways as a big place like Salt Lake but that hardly matters with the great weather, offbeat shops, and overall relaxed atmosphere. I am so glad I came back and hope this time I'll have enough sense to stay.

[ziaAirmac]

Welcome back catrinac. Just curious...would you share where you went and give an idea of the good and bad as you saw it between the two cities? It would give us some interesting insights!

[lemon&lime]

Albuquerque and Salt Lake are very different cities though both places are valleys set up against mountain ranges. Salt Lake is much colder; fall starts as early as September with snow showers and dramatic temperatures swings-- one day it might be 80 degrees, like Indian summer, and the next day 45. It snows heavily in the winters, every few days, and there are inversions due to the pollution that cause the sky to turn grey and cloudy for days on end, which gives a feeling of being "trapped". The spring starts in April but only lasts about two months and then becomes 85-90 degree weather. The summers are hot, dry and deadly boring (in my opinion) with little to do besides shop at the Gateway or sit indoors in air conditioning. Salt Lake generally does not have an "art scene" like Santa Fe though though there are "artsy" types like what you would find in any metropolitan area.

Salt Lake proper is more liberal than the surrounding suburbs which are heavily Mormon. Salt Lake itself is slightly urban with many "different" types, students, Hispanics, non Mormons and general "kooks" hanging about. People say it is unsafe but I never felt threatened. The suburbs to the south are fairly developed, cookie cutter, bland, organized though very safe. The Mormons can be friendly but also very judgmental and generally keep to themselves in public and are hard to get to know unless you work with them. They are good people but have some very different beliefs. Utah has the highest rate of depression, some say due to the overcast weather but also because of the cult like religion and the hold it has over the area.

Albuquerque strikes me as being much poorer but has many pluses that make up for that. The weather is outstanding and is much better than most days in Salt Lake. There seems to be a freer, more "live and let live" attitude here. People don't seem as snooty and as concerned with dress or looks. The architecture in much of Albuquerque is better; the old areas look old, sure, but there is a still a "feeling" about the place that is charming. Albuquerque has a food coop which Salt Lake does not. Nob Hill is a little more funky and eclectic than Salt Lake's equivalent area, Sugar House, which has more of a mainstream feel with restaurants like Pei Wei rather than the Flying Star. In general Albuquerque has more independent hang outs than Salt Lake. I never really knew where to go if I wanted to just hang someplace when there so I went up to the Gateway a lot, which is like ABQ Uptown. The Mormons are more in to mainstream, "family" oriented type leisure activities, as opposed to hanging out with friends or alone.

Albuquerque is more new age and has a little more holistic health though Salt Lake does too, it just doesn't have much impact due to the overwhelming Mormon influence. I was fairly spiritual when I lived here in the early 2000s but became more materialistic in Salt Lake.

Park City is nearby and is a world class skiing resort, home of Sundance film festival, and place where stars gather and live, like Santa Fe. There isn't much to do there though except walk up the main street, ski, or shop at the outlets, so I never spent much time there. It does not have the historic, artsy or exalted feel of Santa Fe. It is one of the more non Mormon areas and probably the best place to go if you live in Salt Lake to get up out of the inversion.

Salt Lake has Trax, a light rail, which can get you from downtown to the suburbs without much wait. I've gotten a little tired of all the driving the last few days and wish Albuquerque had better public transportation.

Although Albuquerque has never felt full-on dangerous to me, it doesn't feel that safe either. I am not sure where I will live and do not expect to feel as comfortable as I did in my downtown Salt Lake apartment.

Both places are doing New Urbanism type projects which is inspiring. I will probably stay here and not return to Salt Lake due to the issues with weather and some of the cultural problems related to Mormonism.

[rybert]

x2 on ABQ mass transit!

[sesamekid]

Originally Posted by catrinac

Albuquerque and Salt Lake are very different cities though both places are valleys set up against mountain ranges. Salt Lake is much colder; fall starts as early as September with snow showers and dramatic temperatures swings-- one day it might be 80 degrees, like Indian summer, and the next day 45. It snows heavily in the winters, every few days, and there are inversions due to the pollution that cause the sky to turn grey and cloudy for days on end, which gives a feeling of being "trapped". The spring starts in April but only lasts about two months and then becomes 85-90 degree weather. The summers are hot, dry and deadly boring (in my opinion) with little to do besides shop at the Gateway or sit indoors in air conditioning. Salt Lake generally does not have an "art scene" like Santa Fe though though there are "artsy" types like what you would find in any metropolitan area.

Salt Lake proper is more liberal than the surrounding suburbs which are heavily Mormon. Salt Lake itself is slightly urban with many "different" types, students, Hispanics, non Mormons and general "kooks" hanging about. People say it is unsafe but I never felt threatened. The suburbs to the south are fairly developed, cookie cutter, bland, organized though very safe. The Mormons can be friendly but also very judgmental and generally keep to themselves in public and are hard to get to know unless you work with them. They are good people but have some very different beliefs. Utah has the highest rate of depression, some say due to the overcast weather but also because of the cult like religion and the hold it has over the area.

Albuquerque strikes me as being much poorer but has many pluses that make up for that. The weather is outstanding and is much better than most days in Salt Lake. There seems to be a freer, more "live and let live" attitude here. People don't seem as snooty and as concerned with dress or looks. The architecture in much of Albuquerque is better; the old areas look old, sure, but there is a still a "feeling" about the place that is charming. Albuquerque has a food coop which Salt Lake does not. Nob Hill is a little more funky and eclectic than Salt Lake's equivalent area, Sugar House, which has more of a mainstream feel with restaurants like Pei Wei rather than the Flying Star. In general Albuquerque has more independent hang outs than Salt Lake. I never really knew where to go if I wanted to just hang someplace when there so I went up to the Gateway a lot, which is like ABQ Uptown. The Mormons are more in to mainstream, "family" oriented type leisure activities, as opposed to hanging out with friends or alone.

Albuquerque is more new age and has a little more holistic health though Salt Lake does too, it just doesn't have much impact due to the overwhelming Mormon influence. I was fairly spiritual when I lived here in the early 2000s but became more materialistic in Salt Lake.

Park City is nearby and is a world class skiing resort, home of Sundance film festival, and place where stars gather and live, like Santa Fe. There isn't much to do there though except walk up the main street, ski, or shop at the outlets, so I never spent much time there. It does not have the historic, artsy or exalted feel of Santa Fe. It is one of the more non Mormon areas and probably the best place to go if you live in Salt Lake to get up out of the inversion.

Salt Lake has Trax, a light rail, which can get you from downtown to the suburbs without much wait. I've gotten a little tired of all the driving the last few days and wish Albuquerque had better public transportation.

Although Albuquerque has never felt full-on dangerous to me, it doesn't feel that safe either. I am not sure where I will live and do not expect to feel as comfortable as I did in my downtown Salt Lake apartment.

Both places are doing New Urbanism type projects which is inspiring. I will probably stay here and not return to Salt Lake due to the issues with weather and some of the cultural problems related to Mormonism.

thanks for the detailed breakdown Catrinac. i was recently in Salt Lake city and I thought it resembled ABQ - though only due to the topography.

Can you tell us more about your safey concerns with ABQ? I am considering a move there but have a young child so I am worried about all this stuff I read about high crime. How exactly does that breakdown? Are you more likely than not to get mugged or have your car stolen in ABQ? I'm not a wealthy person so I will not be living in the "safer" areas of ABQ. I want to buy a house in an affordable neighborhood. Does this mean my young son may be recruited into gang-life?

[truckzter]

I've been here since August 1st, and I am pleasantly surprised. I'm from a 30-40K California town, and I like having a bigger city. I don't have time to be as adventurous as I'd like to be, but I like the fact there is a wide variety of shopping and events.

Last weekend a few of my girlfriends and I went to 10,000 Waves in Santa Fe, and it was AMAZING. I'd recommend living here just for that.

But .. I do miss the California Central Coast:


Downtown Paso Robles


Paso Robles Vineyard


Morro Bay


Thursday night Farmer's Market in San Luis Obispo

[lemon&lime]

Someone else would be better at answering this question. I lived in the UNM area which would be considered dangerous. Downtown and I think the south valley would also be considered "less desirable" areas. The west side is really growing; you might like living there. I think the North Valley is pretty safe, as are the Northeast Heights. I wish I could tell you more about the safest, cheapest real estate; my guess would be possibly the West side or maybe Ridgecrest, though the prices for that area may have gone up. I don't think your child would be drawn in to gang life so long as he was kept busy and socially active.

I was never mugged in Albuquerque so I can't say if it is a real possibility or not. Car vandalism is a problem though in the areas I mentioned. My car thankfully is so beat up I don't think anyone would bother with it.

Originally Posted by sesamekid

thanks for the detailed breakdown Catrinac. i was recently in Salt Lake city and I thought it resembled ABQ - though only due to the topography.

Can you tell us more about your safey concerns with ABQ? I am considering a move there but have a young child so I am worried about all this stuff I read about high crime. How exactly does that breakdown? Are you more likely than not to get mugged or have your car stolen in ABQ? I'm not a wealthy person so I will not be living in the "safer" areas of ABQ. I want to buy a house in an affordable neighborhood. Does this mean my young son may be recruited into gang-life?