Relocating to ABQ from CA... (Albuquerque, Santa Fe: ski resort, new home, job market)

[raproo]

it looks like my husband will have to relocate to ABQ for his job. we have no clue about the area, where to live what kinds of social scenes there are... we love to camp, train our dogs, & play video games. in the winter we are avid snowboarders/skiers & love to go XC skiing with our dogs. i'm looking for any advice anyone can give us on what part of town might suit us a bit more, what the job market looks like for someone in the architecture/design industry, & what the fun parts of ABQ are that you locals love? we will be coming to town for a visit in a couple of weeks & would love to know what things we should try to see/do while researching our new home & what foodie restaurants to visit? thanks for your help.

[mortimer]

raproo asked for:

> ... any advice anyone can give us ...

My advice - learn by reading:

Use search and include the word albuquerque or ABQ in each search.
We talk about all that stuff you asked for all the time here.

Also include [CA] or [california] for both the happy and unhappy posts.

[lisdol]

Living on the East side of town would have you closer to the Sandias/Manzanos, where many of your outdoors stuff could be done, but really, its not that far anyway. There is a big pedestrian trail along Tramway, and I believe there are trails as well along the Rio Grande River, which runs N/S through approximately the center of town. There are, I believe, many trails in the foothills east of Tramway Blvd. If you are interested in getting out and walking with your dogs without having to drive anywhere, you may want to consider neighborhoods around there.

If you could describe the neighborhood setting you are looking for (village, urban, dense suburban (eg tiny yards but some grass), or suburban (1/4 to 1/2 acre or more lots)) I am sure someone could chime in with more info. Albuquerque has a big variety.

[manquaman]

Originally Posted by raproo

it looks like my husband will have to relocate to ABQ for his job. we have no clue about the area, where to live what kinds of social scenes there are... we love to camp, train our dogs, & play video games. in the winter we are avid snowboarders/skiers & love to go XC skiing with our dogs. i'm looking for any advice anyone can give us on what part of town might suit us a bit more, what the job market looks like for someone in the architecture/design industry, & what the fun parts of ABQ are that you locals love? we will be coming to town for a visit in a couple of weeks & would love to know what things we should try to see/do while researching our new home & what foodie restaurants to visit? thanks for your help.

Depending on where in California you are coming from you may be in for a culture shock that ranges from 5-10 on the richter scale. I grew up in Albuquerque for twenty years, lived in San Francisco (Nob Hill) for ten, and other large eastern cities for another ten or so.

Albuquerque is many things to many people, but for people coming from large, metropolitan areas the shock can be overwhelming. First the pros: this is a very dog-friendly city, from the many parks to the huge amount of outdoor spaces. Hiking in the local mountains, or trekking a little north for your cross country skiing is fantastic. There is tons of camping and fishing around here too. You will have to travel from one to three hours for the really good stuff, but hiking in the Sandias is excellent - you just have to bring your own water.

Focus your efforts on home building and you can do well as an architect. There are some local firms, and the school at UNM has a good reputation, but competition is rough. I studied it in college and the mistake I made was not to focus on building homes. There is money here, but it is not everywhere and you have to find your market.

It is a great town to raise children in, and a great town to retire in. Medicine and the military are the major industries here (Intel is a big employer here too), although television and movies are a growing industry, but everything else in between is going to take some effort to be comfortable with. But if your husband already has a job, you should be fine, and the cost of living is not high here at all. You should be able to do fine.

Look into the Northeast Heights, the north valley, or the west side to live. Only rush hour is hard to get around here. Everything is within thirty minutes at the most, except that nasty commute time morning and evening. You may even be able to live in the mountains, Tijeras or Edgewood, if you don't mind taking an extra ten minutes to commute. It sounds like you would really appreciate that anyway. You will also get some snow during the winter.

Now for the cons: Albuquerque is a virtual wasteland when you talk about gourmet cuisine, and it has gotten much better since I left years ago. But you will still see fried mozzarella and other standards that were on menus thirty years ago. There are a few restaurants around town that are trying - look into Albuquerque Magazine (May 2008 at the library) to give you an idea of who is doing what. There are some enchanting Mexican and Southwestern restaurants that you cannot find anywhere, eg. El Pinto (outside only, when the weather is good - stay out of the inside and focus on the patios). A lot of it is still Tex-Mex, but look for the mom-and-pop places for the authentic stuff. When you go inside and see Dad at the door and Mom in the kitchen, sketchy (not cheesy) furnishings and a staff (especially if they are the children of the owners) that doesn't speak the best English, sit down.

If you are thirty and younger, the University district (Central Avenue, one mile above and below the school) is an easy place to find decent food and entertainment. If you are older than that, you will have to do some work to find any sophistication - it will definitely not happen in one area. There is no easy social life like you can find in a big city, but there are a lot of things to do here. You just have to know what you like and take some time to look for it.

Albuquerque is a friendly place, more or less. Someone will wave a pleasant 'hello' to you here a few times a month. You're treated as a hayseed in California for that kind of overt humanity. There are some very high risk places to live, but that should be clear when you start looking. But there are also some very exclusive places as well. It all depends on what you can or want to afford. You sound like young professionals, so I would recommend the Pill Hill area near the University. There are some very good deals, especially if you like fixer-uppers, and the neighborhood is about as hip as you are going to find. Everything else is either sterile suburb or sketchy war zone. Around that area you can take walks to cafes and meet people on the street that you don't have to worry about robbing you.

And don't get me wrong, I would never try to talk you out of moving here. We need as much California attitude as we can get here. We will never be a major metropolis, but that is part of the charm of this place. Think third gear as opposed to fifth gear.

Best of luck to you both.

[Towanda]

Originally Posted by manquaman

And don't get me wrong, I would never try to talk you out of moving here. We need as much California attitude as we can get here.

Wondering what THAT means.

[manquaman]

Originally Posted by Towanda

Wondering what THAT means.

The first time I felt anything different about what life could be like was on another family vacation, probably the third time I had been to California, but the first time I began to think for myself (age fourteen). We toured all up and down California from San Diego to Mendocino - Highway One all the way.

I will never forget that day standing near the Cliff House in San Francisco, looking out onto the Pacific with the Golden Gate to my right. Something spoke to me; I felt right - not a lanky freshman, the youngest of four kids, or a child on vacation with his parents. I didn't know why, but I did know that someday I had to live there. I have lived in Vegas (4 years), Hawaii (1 year), Metropolitan Detroit (3 years), and the Washington, DC area (almost 4 years), not to mention San Francisco for ten years. And nowhere have I ever experienced the desire to live life to its fullest than I did when I was in California. Even Southern California, which I detest in favor of the north, has a sense of hedonism that really touches me. It's not hedonism for the sake of escaping or being irresponsible; it's knowing what you work for, knowing that there is more to life than job and stuff.

People are friendly wherever friendly people go, but there is something about California that made me recognize that there is an unspoken agreement to celebrate life. I just haven't found that anywhere else I have lived.

I used to road trip to Santa Fe a lot when I was in my late teens and early twenties. I liked the cosmoplitan feel of the area, especially the historical district that refused to be homogenized. I got to meet people from all over the world - that is the advantage of Santa Fe. The La Fonda is still one of my favorite places to stay. But just outside of Santa Fe is not Santa Fe, except at the Taos Ski Resort. People don't work to live, they live to work, and that is not acceptable (to me).

That is what I mean. You should come over and barecue and we can talk about it over good food, wine, and conversation...

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by raproo

it looks like my husband will have to relocate to ABQ for his job. we have no clue about the area, where to live what kinds of social scenes there are... we love to camp, train our dogs, & play video games. in the winter we are avid snowboarders/skiers & love to go XC skiing with our dogs. i'm looking for any advice anyone can give us on what part of town might suit us a bit more, what the job market looks like for someone in the architecture/design industry, & what the fun parts of ABQ are that you locals love? we will be coming to town for a visit in a couple of weeks & would love to know what things we should try to see/do while researching our new home & what foodie restaurants to visit? thanks for your help.

I sounds like ABQ will be a great place for you, if offers so much outdoor living.

As far as where to live, depending on your income, I would recommend somewhere near Sandia Park.

Restaurants: so many awesome ones, my favorite is one that has been there many years but is always good: it is called The Cooperidge..Another place would be any of the restaurants in Old Town which you will want to visit for sure.
Remember NM doesn't have as many people as many of the cities in Ca so restaurant choices won't be great but there is nothing like SoWest cooking, if you find the really good places. It isn't quite Ca Mexican, nor is it Tex/Mex, it is something all it's own..Of course if time permits, take an hours drive up to Sante Fe.

I can't help you with the career but I am sure someone will.

One thing you will fine, people in NM are very friendly and love their state, as much as people in California love theirs. You will have to approach your with an open mind and enjoy the differences..

Manquaman sees the beauty and fascination in Calif, NM has the same only in a totally different way.

I am not going to say AbQ is as cultrally diverse as CA (depending on where you live in CA) as most everyone in NM is either hispanic, native American or Caucasion. There are a few blacks and some Asian but not many.
One more little bit of information, NM is a poor state but that does not mean everyone in NM is poor, there are many big bucks and some wornderful homes..I am sure you will fall in love with the city if you let yourself..

Nita

[JoZoneNM]

Greetings from a fellow former Californian! I'm still learning what's here (in town) myself, but I knew I wanted to get back here for the longest time. As far as living, I'd recommend the NE and NW quadrants (this city is layed out in quads, so all the addresses will have either NE, NW, SE, or SW as a suffix. As to food places, my God, I haven't seen so many eating establishments in my life in one city, from every possible corner of the globe. You've got your pizza joints, Mexican, New Mexican (yes, it's very different cuisine), Asian of every persuasion (Thai, Schezuan and Hunan Chinese, and "fast"), BBQ joints, American, plus let us not forget the usual burger joints you can find all over the country. I'd pay attention to what Manquaman has to say, as I feel he's hit the nail on the head in a lot of respects. There is cultural diversity, but you have to look for it a little harder. And if you ever want a tattoo, this is the city to come to for the variety and number of skin artists. Also, this is, indeed, a very dog friendly place, I think Albuquerque ranks third in the nation for doggie heavenhood.
For everyone reading these posts, there is a California state of mind that we could definitely use more of:; the sense of one world, one humanity; keeping the earth green for future generations, instead of trashing it just because you can; the sense that we can be courteous to one another, especially those who drive their cars like they're the only ones on the road. As much as I love living in NM, I also hate how some attitudes seem to be rampant around here, all divisive, selfish attitudes. C'mon, people, I know we can do better!
Never mind world peace; visualize using your turn signal!

[derekbill]

You're going to love the light here. Blue is really blue, and the sun is amazing - - so bring your sunscreen. ABQ is #3 in the country in skin cancer (behind Denver and Tucson). You may be surprised to find yourself allergic, and if your skin tends toward dryness, be prepared to buy hand lotion more often. That goes for eye drops if you happen to be a contact wearer. Our air is very clean almost all the time, and the roads are generally clear compared to what you probably lived with out there.

We moved here 20 years ago from Ventura County, and haven't regretted it. Not once. As bad as our fiscal problems are, I think you're leaving a sinking ship for a much smaller one with a friendlier crew and a much sounder hull.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by JoZoneNM

Greetings from a fellow former Californian! I'm still learning what's here (in town) myself, but I knew I wanted to get back here for the longest time. As far as living, I'd recommend the NE and NW quadrants (this city is layed out in quads, so all the addresses will have either NE, NW, SE, or SW as a suffix. As to food places, my God, I haven't seen so many eating establishments in my life in one city, from every possible corner of the globe. You've got your pizza joints, Mexican, New Mexican (yes, it's very different cuisine), Asian of every persuasion (Thai, Schezuan and Hunan Chinese, and "fast"), BBQ joints, American, plus let us not forget the usual burger joints you can find all over the country. I'd pay attention to what Manquaman has to say, as I feel he's hit the nail on the head in a lot of respects. There is cultural diversity, but you have to look for it a little harder. And if you ever want a tattoo, this is the city to come to for the variety and number of skin artists. Also, this is, indeed, a very dog friendly place, I think Albuquerque ranks third in the nation for doggie heavenhood.
For everyone reading these posts, there is a California state of mind that we could definitely use more of:; the sense of one world, one humanity; keeping the earth green for future generations, instead of trashing it just because you can; the sense that we can be courteous to one another, especially those who drive their cars like they're the only ones on the road. As much as I love living in NM, I also hate how some attitudes seem to be rampant around here, all divisive, selfish attitudes. C'mon, people, I know we can do better!
Never mind world peace; visualize using your turn signal!

and ms Lib had spoken. I do not agree with much of what you have to offer the OP. As for tatoo artist etc I have my doubts she was looking for that..

Courteous drivers, compared to Ca, you are not serious???

Derebill, you are right about the skin cancer and dry skin. We went through so much lotion living there I almost went broke. lol. but the sun rises and sun sets make up for it...

As for alegies, I never had a one til moving to NM, but as bad as it was or is in late Feb to mid APril the rest of the time it is livable...

You have given a true view of ABQ.

Nita