From Colorado to Abuquerque?? (Albuquerque, Los Lunas: crime, houses, safe neighborhood)

[sesamekid]

Albuquerans, please share more of your pros & cons - I am considering a move to ABQ and am learning so much on this forum!

I am in my thirties and married with a young child, maybe more on the way. Right now I live in a small town in Colorado which is nice but cold in the winters and not much diversity in the population, and it is VERY conservative.

My son & husband are hispanic so we are looking for a more hispanic friendly place and a more liberal/progressive state-of-mind.

I am also an artist & writer. I love the desert but not the summer heat of southern AZ. I hate snow & wintertime. My family is laid-back, casual. And we love Mexican food.

So you think ABQ would be a good fit for us?

We are seeking an affordable 3-4 bedroom home in a good/safe neighborhood for under $160,000 - is that do-able in ABQ?

Is the crime really that bad? We used to live in Denver so we heard a lot about gang crime there but never experienced any of it personally.

(Sorry, my questions are all over the place!)

[EnjoyEP]

On first glace in reading through your post, I would say that yes, Albuquerque seems a pretty ideal place for you.

A few observations:

-On the whole liberal / "progressive" thing, Albuquerque tends to be a pretty centrist town. Overall, it slightly tilts Dems / libs, but it is something fairly close to 50/50. Some areas of town are solidly Republican / conservative, and others are quite liberal / Democratic. For instance, much of the Northeast Heights and pockets of the Northwest are quite conservative. Transversely, much of the Nob Hill / upper class UNM area are quite liberal / Demo.

The nice thing I found in ABQ is that most people live and let live. The most hard blooded Reagan red blood Republican can very quietly, friendly, and calmly co-exist with the bluest blooded liberal Clinton lover. They can shout it out over KKOB's airwaves and trash one another's politics, but then they can sit down over some cold cervezas in the ABQ sunshine and talk about their families. This is something that truly can't be found in many other parts of the nation in legitimate form.

-Size.

You say you live in a small CO town. Not sure where that would be (I am very versed in CO), but you also note you've lived in Denver.

Albuquerque is kind of like a bigger version - size-wise only I am talking here - a bigger version of Colorado Springs. ABQ's metro size is about 850 thousand residents and Denver's is near 3-million. So ABQ is likely much bigger than where you are now (comparable in size to a Tucson AZ or an Oklahoma City OK) but much smaller than a Denver metro.

So this adds up...do you guys like living in a bigger city? If so, ABQ might be up your alley.

-Winter.

Very likely, ABQ's winters are much milder than you are used to in CO, although again, that depends on where you are. If you are in Pueblo, ABQ's winters would be respectably milder. If in Gunnison (spelling??), then ABQ's winters would be Hawaii-esque.

Albuquerque's winters are very akin in temps to a Knoxville TN or a warmer version of Louisville KY...moderate / temperate, but not balmy or Phoenix-esque.

January's average high is around 48 degrees (with a strong sunshine) and a low around 28 degrees (sometimes dipping into the teens).

The average winter (DEC through mid-FEB) temps in ABQ is roughly a high of 50 and a low of 25.

Albuquerque averages - in 98% of the city (that is, the almost sole majority of the city that is WEST of the foothills of the Sandia Mountains) - anywhere between 7 and 11 inches of snowfall annually (some years more, some years less obviously...these are the averages). That 7 to 11 inches of snowfall typically melts fairly readily after falling.

So does ABQ get a true "winter"? Yes. Absolutely. But it is still one of the most mild climates you get for a location that is still a true four-season climate.

As for laid back and casual, and loving Mexican food, well, ABQ is right up your alley. ABQ has a huge priority towards NEW Mexican food, but it has a huge underrated selection of great Mexican as well.

The only downside I see would be housing, although only slightly. I bet in today's housing climate, you'd have little trouble finding a nice 3 BR home in a nice community for under $160K. A year and a half ago, it would've been tougher, but now, I think it'd be doable.

I had a very, very nice house (4 bedrooms!) in a very safe portion of the older portions of the Northeast Heights - great neighborhood and neighbors - that sold in your price range. It was smaller for 4 BRs (only 1300 square feet) but it shows that those deals are out there. If you go into the nice areas of the Northwest, better deals even for square footage will be available.

I think you'd love ABQ. Go for it!

[ziaAirmac]

As someone who lives in Albuquerque with two in diapers:

X2

Knocked it out of the park as usual EnjoyEP. Nice post.

The only thing I might speak to is education opportunities for your little one. Albuquerque can be very spotty in a lot of ways. There are places in town where a block one way or another can completely change the feel of your neighborhood. Schools is another area that is considered very spotty. What I'm about to say is a generalization, but it gives you an idea of how people in town see things. The Northeast quadrant of the city is considered desirable for schools/families, but your $160k limit will be difficult (not necessarily impossible) to come under in this area.

I think Albuquerque has a nice balance of indoor and outdoor activities for families and weather that lets you enjoy it most of the time.

[sesamekid]

Thanks for the replies - very informative.

I have a couple more questions:

How is the medical care in ABQ? Is there a full range of comprehensive healthcare services? Or do you have to go to other large metros for major surgical procedures/cancer treatment/specialists, etc?

What is the average cost of pre-school per month?

What about the NW quadrant? Seems like most of the houses in my price range are in that area...

ps. EnjoyEP, I now live in Canon City - great weather but VERY conservative/Republican area (and I lean Dem - strongly!)

[rybert]

ABQ has all the medical you will need (granted you may need to travel to a city like Houston for the best of the best in Oncology)... of course there have been posters on this forum that whine about the availability of plastic surgeons.

[Trkstp Tina]

Sounds like Albuquerque would be a good fit for you. As usual, EP summed up things very well! But yes, looks like you will have to stick to the West side. Or maybe check some of the city's southern communities, such as Los Lunas?

[berncohomes]

There are some really nice houses in the NW part of Albuquerque, you should have no problem finding something in your price range.