Need safe place to live in ALbuquerque...help!!! (middle school, safest)

[ChasP505]

Originally Posted by EnjoyEP

Why is is named "Los Lunas!?

In Spanish, a family is referred to in the masculine, thus the esteemed Luna family are LOS Lunas. Yes, many non-Spanish speaking residents either mispronounce it as LAS Lunas or think it means "the moons". I even hear news people on the local TV stations mispronounce it.

What really drives me nuts is hearing "Rio Doso" for Ruidoso. It's not the Doso River! Ruidoso means "noisy" or "loud" in Spanish! I'm not Hispanic, but I grew up in a New York community with a high Puerto Rican population and I studied Spanish in high school and college, so the bastardization of the language really bugs me.

[mortimer]

ChasP505 says what grates on him:

> What really drives me nuts is hearing "Rio Doso" for Ruidoso.

How do you roll with nu-clea-err, er, I mean nu-kew-ler?

[ChasP505]

Originally Posted by mortimer

How do you roll with nu-clea-err, er, I mean nu-kew-ler?

I don't "roll".

But if you're asking me whether I'm bothered by that pronunciation, my answer is a qualified no. My dear deceased Dad came from the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and pronounced it that way so it's kind of a neutral word for me. I speak with a watered down Bronx accent, but my Dad's southern drawl always sounded perfectly "natural" to me.

I see you're the "2nd biggest curmudgeon". I guess my reputation precedes me.

[mortimer]

ChasP505, staying put, thank you very much:

> ... bothered by that pronunciation, my answer is a qualified no. ...

Just checking. Lots of people really go nuts about that one.

> I see you're the "2nd biggest curmudgeon".
> I guess my reputation precedes me.

Heh. Sorry, but I've only just recently become 'aware' of your crusty-ness, but I might have to demote myself to third, now that you're here.

[yukon]

Who's first?

[mortimer]

yukon sheepishly asks:

> Who's first?

Hmmm, we might need a poll for that, but I think the selection is obvious.

[moving to ABQ]

Originally Posted by moving to ABQ

Hi. There might have been a post similar to this already, but I must have missed it... my family and I are being sent to Kirtland AFB soon and I need to know where the safer neighborhoods and schools are. It is okay if my husband has to make a daily commute (no more than 30-40 minutes hopefully). I currently live in Tucson so I am familiar with the desert environment, I am just worried about all the crime I've been reading about. I have a middle schooler, a grade schooler, and a newborn so safety and decent schools are the most important issue for us. We don't know if we will rent or try to buy at this point, we just want to be safe. If anyone has information (details are great too, like specific streets or condos, etc.) I would really appreciate it. Thank you!

S

Hello again. I am the original poster here...sorry I have been gone for awhile. I want to thank everyone who responded to my post, you have all been very helpful. Unfortunately, I am still in the same boat. When we moved here, we took a place on base so we could look around more before deciding where to live. As nice as the base and housing is, it is just not working out because of the school situation. I am choosing to home school my 8th grader rather than send him to Van Buren. I am also not all that impressed with Sandia Base. Some posters mentioned the Eubank/Wyoming area before...I agree that the houses are nice and fairly affordable, but the area is zoned for the same schools so it is really not an option. I think the school situation is very similar in the Four Hills area. We are considering the Northeast Height area, but it seems that everyday when I hear about the latest crime on the news it is usually in this area. Rio Rancho seems very nice, but a long and pricey commute. At this point, it is probably our first choice. UGH!!! Any more thoughts from any of you? I really, really, appreciate any suggestions you might have. Thank you in advance.

[rybert]

I was in the Van Buren school district for middle-school, but got a waiver to go to Wilson Middle School. I'll ask my mother how difficult it was to obtain.

Consider that sending your kid to Van Buren may be a plus as they have a very diverse student body... many more Asian and Hispanic students than Wilson. My wife went to Van Buren and is now a very successful person/student @ Rice.

Consider that at the end of the day, it is the student and parents that matter the most.

I don't think that you would go wrong with the NE area at all.

[ziaAirmac]

I'm surprised at your take on the Northeast Heights. Whether the news has been heavy from that area or not lately, overall most locals consider the area to be relatively safe. I wouldn't base any decision of weight on the news. It would be like making a new job decision based on the tabloids. It seems that safety and schools are your main concerns. I would find out exactly where the boundaries of the districts you're interested in are, pick an area north of Central and choose your neighborhood only after checking it out. Better yet, get with a local realtor, tell him/her your considerations and let them do what they're great at.
If you look at the crime map, It looks like someone took a marker and blotted out Central with all the icons. Of course there will be random crime in other areas, but at some point you have to assume that risk and live. You're much more likely to be involved in a car accident each time you get in to drive. I would buy a house in the southernmost neighborhood that would get my kids into the La Cueva district and call it good. Mi dos pesos.

Don't worry about fully quoting your own original post if you're in the same thread. Especially if the original font is red. We'll know what you're talking about.

[lisdol]

If Van Buren/Sandia Base have failed to meet AYP for a certain number of years (3?) then you can send your kids to an APS school out of your local boundary. Its a NCLB provision but beyond that I am not sure how you pursue it. If you could not afford the La Cueva district it might be a second option to get your kids in those schools.

Like I said in my original response, we chose to live off base because of the APS schools for the base. I have yet to meet someone happy with Sandia Base school and forget Van Buren - I would not send my kids there, ever. I won't even drive through the neighborhood alone.

Might I recommend looking out in Edgewood if the gas cost does not bother you? Kids here can get into East Mountain High School (its an APS charter high school in Sandia Park - I believe the enrollment is by lottery or first come first served) and the elementary schools in Edgewood are well loved by the community. South Mountain and Rt 66 made adequate yearly progress this past year, which is more than can be said for a great percentage of APS schools. San Antonito Elementary in Sandia Park (an APS district school) is also well liked and a bit closer to town.

The commute is about the same to the west side of the base as it is from parts of Rio Rancho, believe it or not.

It might be worth a look at the E Mtns.

As far as crime statistics have you been to the housing referral office in the consolidated support building? When we moved here they had a handout from the APD with a map of the city in 1 sq mi grid sections. Each was colorcoded based on a key of number of crimes. It was very informative, in my opinion. It was not specific as to property crime vs violent crime, so you have to know a bit about the areas to better interpret it (eg - more crimes in the area of Coronado Center could be from vehicle thefts and breakins, shoplifting, etc...).

Good luck in your search.