New to NM in 5 days!!! (Albuquerque, Santa Fe: rent, living, cost of living)

[cmcastellanos]

Hey everyone.
My husband and I are moving to Rio Rancho on Wednesday, and I wanted to know if anyone can tell me a little bit about that area. I've been looking around and I've found very affordable housing (unlike here in Miami) and plenty of hiking trails, which to me, is AWESOME! I also know that there's a few museums that I'll more than likely pay a visit to in ABQ.

I have a question though...
I've seen beautiful, small towns, full of luscious greenery turn into almost big, concrete jungles in about 10 years...and then I made the decision to move down here to MIA, which i have to say wasn't the biggest mistake, but i'll never do it again.
I no longer like Miami and I'm looking for a place that I can just relax and enjoy my life. NM looks like the place for that, but does anyone think it'll get like MIA? PLZ tell me the truth....I don't want to see such a beautiful place get like THIS!

[Poncho_NM]

I grew up in Miami. NW 52nd Street and NE 167th Street. I left in the 70's but go back to visit. My Mother and Sister still lives in the area and other friends and relatives in the State.

I guess it's what you make of it. My Daughter and 2/3 grand children moved out here from PA about 7 years ago and they like it.

I like it here. I am always considering moving to other places. I have moved around over the years. There is no place I really hated. It's what you make of it.

I saw Miami grow into Hollywood, Dania, Pompano etc....


Rich

[shinysign]

Hello, I don't think it will get like that here. One reason is that Albuquerque has places to spread. It is a 'flat' town. Yes there are the Sandia Mountians and the Indian Reservation, these areas of land block certain areas for growth. However, in every other direction, there is nothing but desert, which can be built on.

Miami, like other coastal towns, builds close to the coast. The coast gets dense, very dense, and city like, and creates that urban feeling.

Albuquerque is actually quite a big city, 500,000 people - if you were to condense that along a coast, it would be urban automatically. But instead, it is flat and laid out, it reminds me of a number of medium sized cities, all interconnected together.

So the answer is no, and if it is possible, it wouldn't happen for decades and decades, there is nothing in particular that people in Albuquerque want to bunch up against, no particular landmark, so as a result, it remains flat. Now the population is growing quickly, and there are far more people here than there were 10 years ago, but aside from increased traffic, it didn't result in much urbanization because the city expaned outwards and did not bunch up in one area. And if it ever gets too big for you you can just move up an hour away to Santa Fe, the rent is higher there, but it is much smaller.

[cmcastellanos]

Originally Posted by shinysign

Hello, I don't think it will get like that here. One reason is that Albuquerque has places to spread. It is a 'flat' town. Yes there are the Sandia Mountians and the Indian Reservation, these areas of land block certain areas for growth. However, in every other direction, there is nothing but desert, which can be built on.

Miami, like other coastal towns, builds close to the coast. The coast gets dense, very dense, and city like, and creates that urban feeling.

Albuquerque is actually quite a big city, 500,000 people - if you were to condense that along a coast, it would be urban automatically. But instead, it is flat and laid out, it reminds me of a number of medium sized cities, all interconnected together.

So the answer is no, and if it is possible, it wouldn't happen for decades and decades, there is nothing in particular that people in Albuquerque want to bunch up against, no particular landmark, so as a result, it remains flat. Now the population is growing quickly, and there are far more people here than there were 10 years ago, but aside from increased traffic, it didn't result in much urbanization because the city expaned outwards and did not bunch up in one area. And if it ever gets too big for you you can just move up an hour away to Santa Fe, the rent is higher there, but it is much smaller.

thanks....makes me feel better...lol

[cmcastellanos]

Originally Posted by Poncho_NM

I grew up in Miami. NW 52nd Street and NE 167th Street. I left in the 70's but go back to visit. My Mother and Sister still lives in the area and other friends and relatives in the State.

I guess it's what you make of it. My Daughter and 2/3 grand children moved out here from PA about 7 years ago and they like it.

I like it here. I am always considering moving to other places. I have moved around over the years. There is no place I really hated. It's what you make of it.

I saw Miami grow into Hollywood, Dania, Pompano etc....


Rich

Thats true...I honestly just don't like the city. I've lived in cities all my life...I just want change you know. I have family there in NM and they all tell me the same, that its completely different, and that i'll love it there. I'm more than sure i will. Things happen as they must, and this opportunity presented itself to me, and hell, i'm jumping on it!
thanks though.

[Poncho_NM]

Originally Posted by cmcastellanos

Things happen as they must, and this opportunity presented itself to me, and hell, i'm jumping on it!
thanks though.

Take the oportunity!


Rich

[Towanda]

Originally Posted by cmcastellanos

I have family there in NM and they all tell me the same, that its completely different, and that i'll love it there. I'm more than sure i will.

Just a comment here:

Everyone does not like it here.

I have found out through this forum and from talking to people here that not everyone does like it here. New Mexico is not for everyone.

Just be open-minded, realize that NM is different than every other state, and see how you feel once you get here.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by cmcastellanos

Hey everyone.
My husband and I are moving to Rio Rancho on Wednesday, and I wanted to know if anyone can tell me a little bit about that area. I've been looking around and I've found very affordable housing (unlike here in Miami) and plenty of hiking trails, which to me, is AWESOME! I also know that there's a few museums that I'll more than likely pay a visit to in ABQ.

I have a question though...
I've seen beautiful, small towns, full of luscious greenery turn into almost big, concrete jungles in about 10 years...and then I made the decision to move down here to MIA, which i have to say wasn't the biggest mistake, but i'll never do it again.
I no longer like Miami and I'm looking for a place that I can just relax and enjoy my life. NM looks like the place for that, but does anyone think it'll get like MIA? PLZ tell me the truth....I don't want to see such a beautiful place get like THIS!

will NM continue to grow? Yes and especially Rio Rancho and Albuquerque. this is good and bad, but no, it will not be like Miami in my lifetime or probably yours.

Now, welcome to NM: I hope it turns out to be all you had hoped it would and welsome to the forum..

Nita

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Towanda

Just a comment here:

Everyone does not like it here.

I have found out through this forum and from talking to people here that not everyone does like it here. New Mexico is not for everyone.

Just be open-minded, realize that NM is different than every other state, and see how you feel once you get here.

Towanda, so true. I am the last person who wants to put a damper on anything, but I also hate to see people set their expectations too high.

We are an example of that. We do miss certain aspects of NM, mainly our friends and neighbors, not that we don't like them here, but we just were so involved in NM we had really good friends within 6 months of moving there. We loved the sunsets, the mountains, the climate (take away the damn winds) and the cost of living. But, there are things we absolutely hated. that isn't really why we left, we really wanted to be closer to the family, but the problems within the state did contribute to our choice to re-locate.

Nita

[yukon]

I used to live in Ft Lauderdale and work in Hollywood - ABQ is NOTHING like that part of Florida. If I had to compare ABQ to FL, I'd say it was very similar to the Tampa/St Pete area - laid back and spread out, and there's still a lot of land to build on before the city has to even think of building up. The rest of the state reminds me of the FL panhandle in attitude - laid back but a tad more conservative than the big city. You'll find Albuquerque to be MUCH friendlier than Miami/Ft Lauderdale. No one honks their car horns here, for one