ABQ neighborhood tour in 48 hours? (Albuquerque, North Valley: apartment, rental, house)

[leftwing]

Howdy folks,

I am interviewing for a position at UNM in August and will be in town for a couple of days thereafter. I know two days is really not enough time to do justice to the region and all it has to offer, but what I'm trying to do is get a sense of the neighborhoods so I can make a semi-informed decision about where to look for places should the interview work out.

My wife and I are looking for a 2-3 bedroom rental house in a safe neighborhood that is within a 30-minute (bus, rail, or drive) commute to UNM campus. Having access to city amenities is a big plus -- we're early-thirty-somethings sans kids -- as is walkability, but I get the impression that Nob Hill and Downtown are the only options for true walkability. Definitely a perk rather than a requirement.

Areas we definitely want to spend time in: Nob Hill, Summit Park, North Campus, Spruce Park, Silver Hill, Downtown, Near NE, North Valley. I'm accustomed to very short commutes, hence the bulk of hoods right around the U.

Any other hoods I should check out? Is this a doable tour in 48 hours?

Really excited to get a chance to visit and possibly live in ABQ. Seems a great little city with lots of character, sunshine, and delicious food.

[leftwing]

Oh, and I should also have said: proximity to a park is another perk. We love nature-y walks.

[berncohomes]

My wife works at UNM and her drive is about 15-25 mins depending on traffic and we live at the absolute furthest SE corner of ABQ (Four Hills)

You should check out all the areas you mentioned and also the foothills (East of Tramway from Central on and up). Some nice parks dotted around some very nice neighbourhoods and with the added bonus of having convenient entrances to the trails going through the foothills of the Sandia's.

[leftwing]

The commutes are manageable, then, except maybe for folks who need to cross the river during peak commute times. Cool.

Four Hills and the Sandia foothills sound like perfect additions to our list of neighborhoods to check out! Old Town too, I suppose. I should mention that I'm willing to spend up to $1,300 or thereabouts on rent, but that seems to get you a lot of house out there. Whereas it gets you a 500 sq.ft. apartment built in the 40s in my current neighborhood (which I love, but we need more space now!).

I really wish we had more than two days to spend in the area and really get a sense of it. Sounds like this is doable in two days, then.

Thanks, bernco.

[Zoidberg]

I noticed you left out one of the most walkable neighborhoods: S of Central between Carlisle and University. Not all of it is ghetto, and the ability to walk to class without dickering with parking is a huge bonus which is why it's so popular.

[leftwing]

Is that "University Heights," Zoidberg? Good call. And a walking commute would be ideal.

[berncohomes]

For $1300 month you can buy in the Foothills and Four Hills area.

[leftwing]

Wow, that's fantastic. Though I'd still want to rent for a year or two while we figure out whether the job and area are right for us. Eventually we want to buy a (non-proverbial) farm, while I would continue on at UNM. Granted, NM isn't known for being verdant and lush, but I hear the Bosque Farms area just south of ABQ is farmable.

[leftwing]

I've continued reading about neighborhoods on CD and poking at Google Maps, and here's what I've come up with so far:

Albuquerque Neighborhood Tour - Google Maps

All in a day's driving, eh?

[berncohomes]

Is the list in the order you will be driving? If so there are a couple of ways of making it quicker for you.