Need safe place to live in ALbuquerque...help!!! (Rio Rancho, Los Lunas: for sale, apartment)

[TheFamousAJ]

El Dorado has toughened up over the past 20 years or so. La Cueva is definitely the top-performing high school in the APS district, followed maybe by Sandia.

[rblues]

I don't have any children yet (we are expecting) so I can't comment on the school situation, but we just moved here after being at Luke AFB in Phoenix for 4 years and we had a gorgeous home in Phx. However, we opted to live on base. I don't know your husbands rank, but all the housing is new and privatized and we love our 1600 sq. ft townhouse. It just takes some getting used to. I just think that you need to keep a really open mind to living on base. There are also one story houses and other bigger houses just depending on rank, etc. But, we love how safe it is on base and the proximity to things that are on base. Key words here...no commute, safe, nice neighbors that keep to themselves, quiet. I was born and raised in Abq and went to college here too, so I am very familiar with the area, and hubby and I chose to come back after 8 years. We lived on the west side during his first entlistment here and let me tell you, the commute sucks.

[sskkc]

We're Navy (but not for much longer) here in Albuquerque. The housing on Kirtland looks very nice. I used to love living on base... it's so much safer, the schools are better. The commissary on base here is great - I make it down there twice a month for our major shopping. My husband worked on the west side when we first got here which is why we chose not to live on base... reluctantly. 3 years ago, there was no waiting list.

We came here from Jax, FL - total sticker shock in the grocery stores. Even compared to civilian grocery stores in FL... major budget buster! The commissary has been a godsend!

[AndyJ]

If you do end up living on the west side, I'm told they are building a new high school to alleviate the overcrowding at Cibola, which currently has the largest student body in the state. However, with the booming growth on the west side, it's only a matter of time til that school is overcrowded as well. I don't know much about elementary and middle schools on the west side, but I've never heard anything particularly bad. The La Cueva district on ABQ's north side is currently the best public school district. There are a handful of good private schools, as mentioned in a previous post.

A lot of folks seem to be pushing Four Hills. That area is nice and closer to Kirtland, but pricey. I would recommend looking at the neighborhoods around the Academy/Wyoming Blvd area, some of which are in the La Cueva district. I think you are bound to find more reasonably priced housing around there, and your husband can take Wyoming all the way straight to base (~20 min. commute). Hope that helps a bit.

AndyJ

[TCK]

I just wanted to update my posting. Rio Rancho is having gang activity. Some people want to think that we really don't and only Albuquerque has it.
Don't fool yourself. Seems to be more crime. Schools - lets just say I decided to homeschool - safer. It just seems ROUGHER than before. Was talking with a friend yesterday about crime in Alb., Peralta, and Los Lunas.
Guess they make Rio Rancho look tame.

I plan on moving this year. Who knows, I might just come back. Maybe grass is not greener elsewhere........but I want to find out. I did love it here for six years.....just not now. People thinking about moving here.....I think you can do a lot better somewhere else.

[laurren]

I think that Ventana Ranch would be the best Family area in town.
People are VERY welcoming there.
Their school is very very full, but i think they are going to keep building.

[anthonyjurquidez]

Linda you do know you all have Hurricanes and much more disaters than New Mexico also the unemployment rate is high and it is not close to california colorado texas nevada all the tourist states!!!!!!!!

[anthonyjurquidez]

It seems that you are in the wrong area. And maybe you should move to a small town like artesia. I grew up in Paradise Hills area code 87114 population 77,000 and it is mainly middle to upper class hardworking people. I have met numerous people that moved from California who really love it here. My parents have never had a break in or any gang activity in the 22 years they have lived there.

[pennie2008]

Hi moving to ABQ I am also in the same boat as you. We will be moving there this summer and my husband is stationed at Kirkland as well. The crime rate has me concerned too. I was wondering if anyone knows anything about the towns south or east of ABQ like Los Launa? Do many military families venture that far from the city and what would the commute be like time and distance wise. Any help would be great. Thank you.

[mortimer]

pennie2008 wondered:

> ... crime rate has me concerned ....

I assume you broused the forum before this first post of yours or you wouldn't have picked an existing on-topic thread like this.

Do a search with [albuquerque crime] in the search box and you will find so much crime stuff that your head will spin. After it stops, you'll likely come to the conclusion that it isn't any worse or better here than anywhere else.

> ... towns south or east of ABQ like Los Launa? Do many military families venture that far from the city and what would the commute be like ...

I assume you meant Los Lunas. The town was named after a family of the same name - Luna. Luna is also the word for moon in Latin, Spanish, Italian, Romanian (lună) and kind-of French (lune).

Probably a lot of military families who live off-base live there for the inexpensive housing and easy commute. Normally, I'd advise agains living there and commuting to Albuquerque, but commuting to the base would be a snap. It's over 15 and less than 20 miles.

Note that there is also a Railrunner stop and a bus that is waiting for the train for the airport.