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Couldn't have said it better myself, EnjoyEP........I also prefer the more cookie-cutter looking suburbs/neighborhoods, and have never really liked older housing and older areas that much.
I guess it's because I have always lived in mostly neat, trim cookie-cutter places, with newer roads, etc.
It's probably why I'm having so much trouble finding something in Ruidoso or Cloudcroft.....very different! If I wanted to live in ABQ, Rio Rancho would probably be the first place I'd look.
Is this being too nosy? How come you are leaving Clayton? -- you have always been such a big promoter of the town and encouraged so many to check it out as a great place to live.
He's probably having the same situation as me - Likes the town but not much to offer.
I don't know anything about Clayton but if it's isolated or not much to do like in Timberon, I know how he feels.
I lived in cookie cutter neighborhoods for 36 years, and that type of situation became completely unappealing to me a long time ago.
I wouldn't want to live someplace again where I don't like the "feel" of it. I think I have paid my dues on that one.
My other reason is that Rio Rancho is so NON-New Mexico. I could have stayed in Kansas near my family members or moved to Dallas to be near other family members if that is the kind of house I wanted to live in. They have houses exactly like that in those two places.
This is only my personal opinion and I usually get slammed good for it ... so I repeat ... JUST MY OWN OPINION....
I do not like Rio Rancho and would never live there. It looks like any generic suburb in any of a dozen cities in the U.S. It has no New Mexico history or ... (IN MY OPINION) ... charm. The only thing it has (IN MY OPINION) is a view of the mountains.....which you can get in ABQ, Placitias, Bernallillo, etc.
Could you expand your search to Albuquerque or the East Mountains?
Its a fairly new city to have *much* history tbh. I would drive a 30 mile drive to work or maybe a 40 mile drive to work in Rio Rancho.
Is this being too nosy? How come you are leaving Clayton? -- you have always been such a big promoter of the town and encouraged so many to check it out as a great place to live.
I still love the town as a whole but we had a change in City Council the last couple of years and that toppled with a Chamber of Commerce that has its head in the clouds I think we are destined to stay the same for a while tbh. I still love the town and love the company I am working for but its time to move on I think.
I've lived in Rio Rancho for nearly a year and a half now, it's got an upside and a downside, like all places.
I live in Enchanted Hills, nearer to Bernalillo than to what really seems like Rio Rancho, but have a Rio Rancho address, but here's my thoughts on the place.
1) It IS cookie-cutter generic suburb, and it boils down to "do you want that?" Personally, I prefer to live somewhere quiet, stable, and unexciting where I can GO to exciting and get home, so it works for me. In my neighborhood crime is rare, neighbors are friendly, there's tons of kids and lots of parks. There are no family-run businesses or quirky stores or anything I'd really consider 'interesting' but i can be in Los Ranchos or down on north 4th or central in 20-25 minutes, so I can get to those things when I want to.
2) The police are annoying. There's a line between 'doing their job' and 'harassing people because they can' and Rio Rancho PD missed that line. Traffic stops for 2mph over the speed limit or even imagined offenses (You were weaving, you didn't signal long enough before changing lanes, etc...) happen frequently.
3) The schools are awesome. I have one in Vista Grande Elementary, my job involves working with schools and school boards, and they were a HUGE part of my decision to pick Rio Rancho over other suburbs or ABQ itself.
4) It's actually pretty well planned. The city has done a really good job with its responsibility for growing. New businesses (like HP, as you found) are being brought in, infrastructure is strong and well-thought-out.
5) It's sleepy. The sidewalks roll up at 6 on weekdays. I can't actually think of a club or a bar in my part of town. I have 2 small kids and I'm a single Dad, so that doesn't bug me much. We're home and settled by early evening anyway. I can see how that would bother someone, though. A lot.
It's a great place to raise a family, be close to Santa Fe, ABQ, and closer to the woods (Jemez or Cibola) than being in Metro ABQ. But it's not a hotbed of culture, education, or fun, so it's more about what you're looking for.
-Z
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Disclaimer: This is my own personal opinion. 
Rio Rancho
