101+ Reasons That I Miss Albuquerque (Las Cruces, Las Vegas: rental car, transplants, sale)

[honu1]

I'm just waiting for my job contract in Tampa to end (36 days...yes, I've been counting them down for a while now). Working on finding a new abode in ABQ in time to start my job there in Sept. Tampa is not a bad city, but its just not for me. I miss the Sandias, the chile, the architecture, the laid back lifestyle, and the hiking and snowboarding ...ahhh, so glad to be getting back. The hard part is deciding on the first place I want to stop when I return. Of course, a nice beverage will be involved...maybe Horse & Angel, or maybe the Savoy if there's music on the patio that night...but there better be chile, lots of chile...

[43north87west]

Originally Posted by nmweatherman

But then Phoenix is on the road to becoming just another sprawling, over-developed Little Los Angeles.

Hopefully, the distance from Albuquerque to the "center of the universe" will be enough to keep the LA Effect from drifting that far east. Because you're right, Phoenix--at times--seems like it's drifting closer and closer to LA.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by EnjoyEP

-The almost daily (what, 350+ days a year?) occurrence of the deep, dark, gorgeous purple hues of “Sandia” for 10 to 20 minutes against the Sandia Mountains daily;
>Doesn’t matter how bad your day has been, you know that you’ll get a bit of artistic magic against those mountains every day near sunset

Great post, but 350 days? ABQ averages 76% sunshine year round, which comes out to roughly 275 days a year. The sunniest place in the world is Yuma, AZ, and they dont hardly even get 350 days of sun. Just thought Id throw that out there.

Carry on!

[Burquebinder]

Eh,

I wouldn't worry too much about Albuquerque growing into another phoenix. The pace and form of development that typified Phoenix for the last 20-30 years has either slowed considerably, or stalled, all across the U.S.

Even if the economy completely improves, I don't think we'll ever see full-fledged phoenix style development ever again. Albuquerque may grow in population and popularity, but I think we've turned a corner in the way we grow cities (over just the past 1-5 years) and I'd say Albuquerque was able to stay small enough to have weathered the storm, so to speak. I'd also add that the water limitations alone would prevent that kind of continued sprawl in ABQ...

At any rate, I like the place just the way it is and I hope I can fit into the place nicely

[lobo]

Originally Posted by EnjoyEP

Thanks so much for the kind words, Lobo!!

I actually live next to a house that has had a car parked in the driveway the past few days with the yellow zia license plate on it (which struck me so because you almost never see the NM plates up here!). Maybe it is your mom visiting!

Nope, it's not her because she flew there and rented a car. But you should pop on over to your neighbors and see who is visiting. Maybe they brought some Hatch chile along.

You are right about the green only been temporary in Wisconsin and even then, ya never know. We went to Freeze Lake for the 4th of July one year when I was a kid. The photos show us all bundled up in our winter jackets with the wind blasting us. My kids saw that picture and could not believe it was taken on the 4th of July!

[yukon]

Albuquerque is everything Phoenix used to be in the early 60's.

Especially in the NE quandrant - very similar to the part of PHX I grew up in, in the 60's (Arcadia area).

I think ABQ has enough history and culture ingrained that it will continue to keep it's personality no matter how large it grows.

Yet another great post, EnjoyEP!

[nmweatherman]

Ten to thirteen years ago, Californians were bailing out of their state like rats leaving a ship. They were buying land in Arizona like crazy. I witnessed whole barren desert acreage turning into housing developments within 24 months or less (Golden Valley, beyond Kingmanm and North Phoenix merging with Black Canyon City). The Californians also fled in droves to Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Idaho.
With California now going down the tubes, I wonder how bad this is going to get...the migrations I mean. Phoenix is joining in that...many Phoenicians are fed up and moving to places like Albuquerque (count the Arizona plates you see around town, along with the California plates.
The constant migrations from the Northeast US and Midwest US to the Pacific coast and the Southwest is still going on too. As Don Henley sang, "There is no more new frontier, we have got to make it here..."
I want to start a movement to get a wall, a long, huge wall (with guards?) out on the West Mesa to stop the hordes! Of course local and national developer$ are wringing their hands, almost drooling over the expansion of the greater Albuquerque area. Just look at Rio Rancho; that type of new sprawl was going on continuously in Phoenix 30 or more years ago. I don't care for Rio Rancho because it reminds me how Phoenix was raped. God help us all!
Two of the things now lost forever in Phoenix, due to developers and migrations, are the Oriental flower and vegetable gardens in South Phoenix...hundreds of acres of the most beautiful flowers for sale you have ever seen; and "orange blossom time." When I was in High School there, there still came a magical time of each year when the entire city smelled of orange blossoms, and Lord, was that intoxicating and wonderful. All the sprawling groves have been turned into buildings, roads and parking lots, and all you smell these days in the Phoenix air are gasoline fumes, deisel fumes and smog.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Burquebinder

Eh,

I wouldn't worry too much about Albuquerque growing into another phoenix. The pace and form of development that typified Phoenix for the last 20-30 years has either slowed considerably, or stalled, all across the U.S.

Even if the economy completely improves, I don't think we'll ever see full-fledged phoenix style development ever again. Albuquerque may grow in population and popularity, but I think we've turned a corner in the way we grow cities (over just the past 1-5 years) and I'd say Albuquerque was able to stay small enough to have weathered the storm, so to speak. I'd also add that the water limitations alone would prevent that kind of continued sprawl in ABQ...

At any rate, I like the place just the way it is and I hope I can fit into the place nicely

I think many thought the same about Phoenix. I hope it does grow but not like Phoenix, I fear it will though, maybe not quite the same way, but it will soon be the "in" place to live, just like Austin is right now, and OKC is starting to become.

Of course none of the areas will expand the way many did from 1945 to the turn of the century, why? because people are not having as many children. The biggest fear is controlling the illegals. At least that is how I see it.

Nita

[trailtramp]

Former Phonecian here also...don't miss that stifling smoggy weather a bit. A few cold winter days here are easily preferable to nearly 4-6 months of 100 degree weather.

I like the idea of building a massive wall out on the west mesa but I don't think we need it. The draw to come here will never be as strong as the draw to AZ was...its not cheap enough here, shopping is limited to many, wages are too low, poverty too high, big companies will not relocate here en masse, and alot of people are just blindly afraid of living in a state with so many reservations.

And all that is just fine with me, I love the size of NM's population just as it is...and am reminded of how much I love it every time I get on the highway to go to SF or Taos or Angel Fire........

[nmweatherman]

"The draw to come here will never be as strong as the draw to AZ was...its not cheap enough here, shopping is limited to many, wages are too low, poverty too high, big companies will not relocate here en masse, and alot of people are just blindly afraid of living in a state with so many reservations."

Wow I hope this is so, I really do. Albuquerque is a cowtown, and that's why I love it. It is big enough to be interesting and engaging, and small enough to feel like home.

But keep in mind, this city is beginning to get national coverage and exposure in many positive ways for many positive qualities. Hollywood just discovered us and New Mexico, for better or worse. Del Webb-type speculators are beginning to come here, to turn their eyes on us.

The thing about New Mexico is that if Albuquerque goes down the tubes due to developers, there are many more temperate-climed towns and areas I can move too, and I won't hesitate to leave if Albuquerque gets raped like Phoenix did!