do you regret moving to albuquerque? (sale, homes, unemployment)

[luluinphilly]

I've read every post in this thread and decided to add my two cents. First time poster here ... so be nice!

I lived in ABQ during the 90s. I came from Philly, which I returned to in '98. I drove cross-country in my beat-up car that I had packed-up with my personal belongings. No furniture, which I purchased in ABQ. I didn't know anyone, no job prospects, nothing. I had been to NM several times on vacations, driving around and decided to move since I didn't have any familial responsibilities (husband or children). I gave myself 3 years and then I would move back to Philly. I congratulate myself on staying 7 years! I found a studio apartment near UNM where I eventually got a job as a secretary. I would walk to work everyday. I was involved in the local theatre community by volunteering to usher. I made friends who all ended up moving to L.A. or Vegas to further their acting careers. I had a "few" problems with ABQ but I think it was due to where I was coming from. But, then again, there are more problems with Philly than I remember.

1. Jobs: Just like all cities, there are jobs out there. You just need to look for them. And suck it up! Many times I had three part-time jobs at a time because each job paid only minimum wage! When it came to negotiating a salary, I would be realistic whereas the employer would be cheap! I remember one non-profit wanted to start me at $10K to do three jobs, working 60-75 hours per week including weekends! No overtime! When I finally moved back to Philly, I said my starting salary was $15K more. I found ABQ to be a very $5 per hour place. I also found the cost-of-living was on par with the rest of the country. Groceries, utilities, rent, insurance, medical, etc., were in line with the minimum wage.

2. Living: Finding an apartment was a chore. I didn't want a big place. Big place equals more crap. Since I didn't have furniture I could get a place first and then figure out what I needed. I first stayed at the Warren Coronado for about a month. What a dump! The toilet overflowed constantly and the maintenance was poor. Also, I learned the hard way to stay with my laundry since someone decided to take my underwear. Hey, good luck with the granny pants and support-less bras. It only made me get "real" underwear. Thanks! But it still creeped me out that someone just took my underwear. I did move out of the Warren to a studio apartment near the tennis club. It was great, at first. Hell, I didn't even have to replace lightbulbs! Then the place changed hands and the maintenance was ****-poor. Worse than the Warren, if that was possible! I also started to look at houses, which were over-priced back in the 90s. Bedrooms in the front of the house? One bathroom? No garages? A few years ago I was looking at condos at ABQ HS but they're outrageously priced. I wouldn't buy a studio condo for more than $100K, let alone $75K! Ridiculous. I mean, I bought my 2BR/2BA condo with garage for $85K in 2000. Now they go for $200K. Crazy!

3. Weather: My first year in ABQ, I wore shorts in the winter! The 50 degree weather was nothing to me since I was used to the weather. I mean, here in Philly we have days when the wind chill makes it feel like 2! Yes, that's a single digit. But during the summer in ABQ, it's brutal because there's no humidity. Yes, the dreaded "dry heat" in the Southwest. How many times have I heard people say, "But it's a dry heat." Do you even know what that means? It means, when you step outside of your controlled environment, it feels like all of the water in your body is being sucked out! You must constantly replenish and moisturize. And stay out of the stupid sun, which I've managed since I was 17. So my skin doesn't look like a saddle bag like most of the people in ABQ. And those white things coming down from the sky? It's called snow. Get used to it. It happens every year around Halloween!

4. Seasons: Or lack there of. Yes, NM is one of the only states that has all of the zones - desert, forest, water, mountain. But you need to go to those places. Mountain? Look out your window toward the east and you'll see the Sandias. A true desert? Drive seven hours south to White Sands. Forest? Drive north to Angel Fire. Water? Drive south to Elephant Butte. Yes, it's all there but you have to drive to it. After 7 years, I really got tired of looking at the color brown and its various shades. In the NE, the fall is the most beautiful time of the year with the leaves changing colors. And when it snows, I mean REALLY snows, it's a beautiful sight.

5. Attractions: I've met several natives to ABQ who have never seen many of the sites their state has to offer. I remember driving to Roswell with a friend to check out the UFO Museum when it first opened. He had never been outside of ABQ, which is really sad. And it's true everywhere. I can tell you there are many people who have never been to many of the attractions in Philly like seeing the Liberty Bell! I mean, come on! It's downtown in a glass box. You can walk right by it and say you've seen it!

6. Sports: There are no major league teams. Why do people from ABQ insist on loving the Cowboys? And then if they lose, everyone changes alliances. I know Philly has all of the teams but why not cheer for the minor league teams or the college teams? Philly cheers for its teams regardless of whether they suck or not. And we let our teams know that they suck. Yes, we boo-ed Santa Claus at a football game but, then again, Santa was stinking drunk and cursing. We have our reasons but we are loyal. Last week, with absolutely no way of getting into the playoffs, Philly cheered on the Eagles to do one thing only ... beat the Cowboys, which they did. You're welcome! And that was the BEST present we could've asked for.

7. Diversity: None! There was a joke at UNM between myself and one of my African-American co-workers. We noticed on a demographic chart that African-Americans comprised 1% of the ABQ population. She promptly said, "I guess I'm the one percent!" When I was in ABQ in the 1990s, there were Latinos, Natives, Caucasians. I'm sure that's changed but there was no diversity in anything including food!

8. Shopping: When I lived in ABQ, they were behind a couple of years when it came to fashion. I remember one year I went home to Philly and bought a lot of clothes and shoes from various thrift shops. When I came back to ABQ, people asked where I got my clothing. Some would even say, "I bet you didn't get it here." They just knew that it wasn't from ABQ. I only succumbed to one trend - cowboy boots. I have several pairs that I still wear because they're comfortable and unusual. And I'm known as the teacher who wears the fun shoes!

9. Food: Love chiles! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! My local Whole Foods carries Hatch green chiles which I buy. Instead of regular green peppers, I include chiles to spice things up. I've even made posole and green chile stew. Love the food but, as I stated above, there's no diversity. I do not consider Olive Garden a great Italian restaurant. Nor do I consider Red Lobster THE place to go for seafood. But I must say ABQ had more healthy shopping choices. I miss La Montanita Co-op but I have Farmers' Markets. Whole Foods has finally come to Philly and there is a Wild Oats way out in the suburbs. But we have a few Trader Joe markets.

10. Transportation 1: Back in the 90s, I didn't really need my car. I walked to my job at UNM. I've been back several times to visit friends and have used the public transportation system and it's okay. I remember one day I was waiting for a bus near my apartment. Waiting, waiting, waiting. Before cell-phones that didn't look like shoes (remember those?), I walked to the nearest phone and called SunTransit and complained. The response, "Oh, you're not from around here, are you? You're from one of those big cities that have buses that follow a schedule?" Seriously? If you're going to print a schedule, it's a given you're going to follow it! The reason the bus didn't come? They changed the route but didn't advertise it. Really? And back in the 90s, the buses ran only during rush hours and would stop at 6pm.

11. Transportation 2: ABQ reminded me of a mini-L.A. Very car culture. But the car insurance was half of what I was paying in Philly. I sold my car in ABQ because I knew it wouldn't be able to handle the brutal winters here and haven't regretted it. I've been car-less for ten years now. I have two buses within walking distance, one bus right outside my door, and one train that takes me into Philly. Another train can take me to Trenton where I can take another train to NYC. If I want to go to the casinos, hope on a bus and you're in Atlantic City!

12. Crime: I had to laugh at the comment about crime in Philly. Truthfully, I teach in a not-so-great area of Philly that's always on the news. As long as I'm out of there before the sun goes down, I'm okay. During the winter it's brutal because of daylight savings and the overcast weather. It's always dark by 4pm! But no place is safe in any neigborhood. All neighborhoods change. I've been in my house now for about 10 years and I've seen changes in what's moving in. More houses turning into rental properties means more people with no vested interest in the property. Then you get rundown properties. It's everywhere.

Lucky 13. Attitude: I know the east coast has this reputation of being always on-the-go, very bitchy, very anxious, in-your-face, very aggressive. But ABQ took it to the other end of the spectrum. The manana culture. It's great to be relaxed. It helped me tremendously because now I'm very easy-going, which is a must when dealing with young students. I thank ABQ for that little lesson. But then there's just plan laziness. I remember one winter day, the heat was not in my building. A call was made in the morning. "We'll get to it." At the end of the day, nothing was done about the heat. Another example? I wanted cable. I called Jones Intercable for an appointment. (An aside ... you poor suckers have Comcast. The bane of Philly. The rates will keep increasing. Get satellite. Trust me. I saw what they did to my parents so I refuse to get cable. EVER!) Any way, I took the day off from work but Jones never showed up. I called and was told, "Oh, you're not from here, are you?" No but I expect you to keep an appointment so now you'll come when I'm home and I'll get free installation, which they agreed to! Be firm but not bitchy. That's the secret.

I still visit friends every few years but I've heard all their complaints. ABQ is a great place to visit, go to school, and even retire to but I don't know if I'd return to live. Like I said, every place has its pros and cons. As long as you research your potential new location, you should be okay. It took me two years of research (before Al Gore invented the internet) before I moved to ABQ and another two years before I bought my house in Philly. In this day of the internet, you can't NOT do research. Don't do anything half-assed and you'll be fine.

[lone sailor]

Welcome, Lulu. Well said.

[Towanda]

Hi luluinphilly:

Welcome to the forum!

Wow, you spent a lot of time on that post, and it is very thorough.

I respect your opinions, and it points up to me the fact that no place is for everyone ... and especially in New Mexico, where people either love it or hate it.

I agree with you on some of your points, but disagree with you on others.

I have been a resident in Santa Fe for almost eight months now, and I have not run into virtually any unfriendly people. I find the stores here (and I shop at Kohls and Target not the plaza) have all the style that I require.

Santa Fe has a diversity in food choices, although New Mexican cuisine is certainly dominant, but you can find other ethnic foods here, and I suspect ABQ is the same way.

I find a great diversity in cultures here, coming from Kansas where we had limited diversity to be sure. I have been loving the cultural diversity since I arrived here: there is so much to learn about people whose culture differs from mine. That part of your post puzzled me.

I really haven't encountered people asking me, "You're not from here, are you?" That has always seemed to me it's because so many people here have come from other places. Another aspect of this is that I try very consciously not to go around bragging that I came from another state, hinting that life there was better than here. I am not saying you did this, but I think there may be new residents in New Mexico who do.

The sports part bothers me too -- I come from places where pro sports teams are part of the fun and the local culture. But when I came here I knew I would no longer have that unless I travel out of state to see my teams in other places. My solution has been to get a good sports package on Direct TV which allows me to see a whole lot of sports from my living room.

I guess I was kind of surprised that you found mostly negative stuff and very little positive or cool or fun things about ABQ. I am sure that happens, in which case it was best that you returned to Philadelphia, where it seems you feel more comfortable.

I hope you will keep posting; seems like you have some very important things to say that perhaps we all need to be talking about.

P.S. I have never bought any cowboy boots -- those pointy toes look awfully uncomfortable.

~Towanda

[reneeisxena]

My husband and I are thinking seriously about moving to Albuquerque. It won't be for at least 2 years, we need to save serious money. As for a job, well I'm going to ask for a transfer from the place I now work at to another store down there. (there are several of them.) I will admit that the apartment thing has been the biggest stumbling block. I need to find a place that will accept my cat. Since by the time we move I'll be 55 we have thought of looking at senior centers as I know they are more affordable. As for the weather, well If you've ever spent a winter here in Minnesota then anything would be better. Tonight for example the wind chill is suppose to get down to -35 , again! I was born and raised here but I just can't take this cold weather anymore. I will listen to any advice that anyone wants to give.

[truckzter]

Originally Posted by reneeisxena

My husband and I are thinking seriously about moving to Albuquerque. It won't be for at least 2 years, we need to save serious money. As for a job, well I'm going to ask for a transfer from the place I now work at to another store down there. (there are several of them.) I will admit that the apartment thing has been the biggest stumbling block. I need to find a place that will accept my cat. Since by the time we move I'll be 55 we have thought of looking at senior centers as I know they are more affordable. As for the weather, well If you've ever spent a winter here in Minnesota then anything would be better. Tonight for example the wind chill is suppose to get down to -35 , again! I was born and raised here but I just can't take this cold weather anymore. I will listen to any advice that anyone wants to give.

I don't know what price range you are looking for, but my friends are living in The Enclave, and one of them has a cat -- no problem! The apartments are really nice, clean, new, and quiet.

The Enclave NM - Google Maps

[berncohomes]

Originally Posted by truckzter

I don't know what price range you are looking for, but my friends are living in The Enclave, and one of them has a cat -- no problem! The apartments are really nice, clean, new, and quiet.

The Enclave NM - Google Maps

They are very very nice, I was showing a Townhouse for sale there this week and it was one that got a second look. I don't know about rental prices but to buy they are about $250k-$300k

[Cathy4017]

4. Seasons: Or lack there of. Yes, NM is one of the only states that has all of the zones - desert, forest, water, mountain. But you need to go to those places. Mountain? Look out your window toward the east and you'll see the Sandias. A true desert? Drive seven hours south to White Sands. Forest? Drive north to Angel Fire. Water? Drive south to Elephant Butte. Yes, it's all there but you have to drive to it. After 7 years, I really got tired of looking at the color brown and its various shades. In the NE, the fall is the most beautiful time of the year with the leaves changing colors. And when it snows, I mean REALLY snows, it's a beautiful sight.

Interesting and well-thought out post...but 7 hours to drive less than 250 miles..?

[luluinphilly]

Thanks for the responses! And thanks for welcoming me!

Towanda - I lived in NM during the 1990s. I moved back to Philly in 1998. A good ten years have passed and, aside from keeping in touch with friends and visiting every three years, NM has changed. But they really don't tell me all about the groovy stuff, just the crap. Unfortunately, ABQ and Philly have a lot in common. When I would come home to visit, people would ask me what Santa Fe was like, like it was the only city in NM. Then when I would come back to ABQ, people would ask me how NYC was. I know we're a 2-hour train ride away but I don't spend all of my time there, even though I have friends there. That said, after ten years, Philly has changed tremendously and, unfortunately, not for the good. Within two months I realized why I moved in the first place.

Cathy4017 - I liked to take the back way. Leave mid-morning. Get off near Socorro so I could have a green chile cheeseburger at the Owl Cafe. I think that was the name? Then drive through to the Valley of Fires. Down through Alamorgordo, on to the amazing White Sands National Park. Then over to Las Cruces for dinner and then back up to ABQ. It was a very relaxing drive. I would do this drive when White Sands had their moonlight tours. Awesome! So, yeah, it took me awhile to drive the whole thing but, by that time, I had became part of the manana culture.

Like I said, things have gotten worse in Philly. Suburban flight on the middle class. School conditions (physical and student) has decreased. Taxes going up and, my personal favorite, the mayor has decided to close a dozen libraries AND most of the summer pools to save money! I just might spend my entire summer vacation in NM to get away from the impending crime spree that's going to happen! Yeah, City of Brotherly Love!

[DellaBlu]

I grew up in Albuquerque. I moved away ten months ago, and have been making my way east.

In my oppinion, Albuquerque will always be home. It is still the place that I feel most comfortable, but I will probably never move back.

After moving around a little bit this year and giving myself a bit of comparison living, there are some things about Albuquerque that leave me seriously concerned.
1. The violent crime. I can't say that while I was living there I ever paid it much attention, but when I came home on vacation this summer, it honestly scared me how much goes down.
2. The growing racism. I don't know if it is all of the new-coming residents from different areas of the country that are contributing to the rise of it. But when I was growing up, I never once saw anything remotely close to racial discrimination, and from what my friends tell me, and from what I was beginning to see before we left, it has the potential to become a real problem for the area.

Personally, I don't like the heat of the summers, but I really miss New Mexican winters, I moved closer to the coast thinking I would see more snow, and we haven't had so much as a light flurry yet.
The roads suck when there's construction, but getting around in Albuquerque is honestly the easiest driving I've seen so far. I find that since leaving there, nobody knows how to drive. If you really miss it, I'd say visit, and see if it is as good as you remember, but don't jump on just because of some good memories.

[JadedStone]

Originally Posted by catrinac

I am thinking of moving back and was wondering. It sounds like Albuquerque is becoming a better place to live but I wonder.

Hmm well I have been contemplating a move to Albuquerque after visiting AZ and finding it beyond disappointing.

Maybe you should check this link out to give you some real insight and if a Moderator happens to delete the link just search Albuquerque Gangs TV Report on youtube.
YouTube - Albuquerque Gangs TV Report

Now I'm not saying that every city doesn't have a problem similar to this but a word or two of caution...