Areas Around Sandia Foothills/Cibola Nat. Forest (Albuquerque, North Valley: real estate market, house)

[drextow]

Originally Posted by berncohomes

As Mortimer said Nob Hill is the closest to what you are looking for, you could almost say Ridgecrest too, not much shops but certainly in walking distance of Nob Hill. (MLS Map Search UNM North & UNM South)

If you are looking for mountain living then there are areas (Cedar Crest & Tijeras) which are near the Foothills but they are over 30 minutes from Downtown, they have great views, elevated living and in plenty of options in your price range. However they do not not have a "downtown"

Berncohomes,

When you say over 30 minutes, what would that be? 45-50? Under an hour?

Thanks Much!

[mortimer]

Originally Posted by drextow

RE: the 30 min. commute, only husband is working downtown
and we are looking more for a small town vibe if possible

If you like historic areas, why not live close to downtown,
say around 8th and Silver ( within a mile of there )?

It is the small town vibe right there. It was built when
Albuquerque was just a small town and looks the same now.

Go to http://maps.google.com/ and type in 87102.
Zoom into a 500ft scale. Move the little blue person onto the
intersection of Silver and 8th and start looking at all the
attractive bungalos. It's a wonderful area.

You can access Old Town or Nob Hill either by walking or using
the Rapid Ride. ( probably not walking to Nob Hill, but it's doable )

Originally Posted by drextow

How is traffic there? Are there areas you def want to avoid
if looking for the 30 min commute to downtown ABQ

If you are moving to the area, why not opt for NO automobile commute?

People always come on this forum and pronounce that they are
totally used to a 45-min commute, so they are really really
"tough" ( -er than youse Albuquerqueans ).

Why not look at that hour each day as a waste of your life and
strive to reduce it?

It's one thing to change jobs and find that your new job is 30 min
away from where you live, but to just move into an area and
choose to live 30 minutes away is just nuts.

As I'm fond of saying: Don't be a nut.

Originally Posted by drextow

We like altitude/water ...

That area is close to the river and you can walk over and look
at the muddy water any time.

Note that ALL of Albuquerque is "at altitude."
The very lowest point is some 4,900 ft high.

[berncohomes]

Originally Posted by drextow

Berncohomes,

When you say over 30 minutes, what would that be? 45-50? Under an hour?

Thanks Much!

45-60 minutes depending on traffic/construction.

[lisdol]

I did not see this mentioned, and I have not set foot in the neighborhood, so I don't know if this fits at all, but does anyone know if Los Ranchos comes anywhere close to fitting what the op is looking for?

[EnjoyEP]

Originally Posted by theplu

Oh and there are some beautiful areas by the river (it's called The Bosque - pronounced "boskay")

Just a minor thing, but that would be the overly gringo way of pronouncing it. I believe *technically*, the better pronunciation would be:

"bose-kay"...

[Chaparral]

Originally Posted by lisdol

I did not see this mentioned, and I have not set foot in the neighborhood, so I don't know if this fits at all, but does anyone know if Los Ranchos comes anywhere close to fitting what the op is looking for?

Riverfront or close to the river in Los Ranchos in the 250-500k range? Perhaps if it were 1960. Definitely "walkable" along the bosque and ditchbanks, but no lively downtown. You could definitely find old Spanish/southwestern styled homes in the area though.

One thing that the OP may want to bear in mind while searching for a new home in the ABQ area: The "town" that he/she currently lives in would qualify as 5th largest city in the state of NM. Basically, what the OP may have taken for granted in their current (or previous) spot, simply may not apply in ABQ. The move to NM may require a complete re-definition of what the OP is comfortable with in a home/neighborhood.

Chap

[drextow]

Thanks for the info. I looked at that area on google and at first blush didnt see the type of area we have in mind but will look some more. The type of close in neighborhood we envision is like Laurylhurst in Portland (if anyone has been there). Guide to Laurelhurst Neighborhood in Portland Oregon

Great old houses from the turn of the city mixed with little neighborhood hubs that are in walking distance. Is there anything like that anywhere in the ABQ area?

[quote=mortimer;11267564]If you like historic areas, why not live close to downtown,
say around 8th and Silver ( within a mile of there )?

It is the small town vibe right there. It was built when
Albuquerque was just a small town and looks the same now.

Go to Google Maps and type in 87102.
Zoom into a 500ft scale. Move the little blue person onto the
intersection of Silver and 8th and start looking at all the
attractive bungalos. It's a wonderful area.

You can access Old Town or Nob Hill either by walking or using
the Rapid Ride. ( probably not walking to Nob Hill, but it's doable )

If you are moving to the area, why not opt for NO automobile commute?

People always come on this forum and pronounce that they are
totally used to a 45-min commute, so they are really really
"tough" ( -er than youse Albuquerqueans ).

Why not look at that hour each day as a waste of your life and
strive to reduce it?

It's one thing to change jobs and find that your new job is 30 min
away from where you live, but to just move into an area and
choose to live 30 minutes away is just nuts.

As I'm fond of saying: Don't be a nut.

[drextow]

Originally Posted by Chaparral

Riverfront or close to the river in Los Ranchos in the 250-500k range? Perhaps if it were 1960. Definitely "walkable" along the bosque and ditchbanks, but no lively downtown. You could definitely find old Spanish/southwestern styled homes in the area though.

Chap

So what would the range be there in 2009?

We know that living in CA for 10 years has somewhat skewed our current vision of what a small town size is, but it has not perm skewed us. We are both tired of big and supersized (which almost everything in CA is or wants to be). We have both lived in small areas (little town in Montana population 600) and large cities (Phoenix, population 8 bazillion and growing) so have experienced the whole gambit.

We think our preference would be a town (area-village-enclave...whatever) of less than 10-15k, but close (30-45 mins max) to a larger city. We also know we may end up somewhere that is not even in our imagination right now. That is the exciting thing about relocating to a whole new geographic area and we are both game and adventurous!

Thank you for all the help/comments/advice. You are all very kind.

[lalahartma]

Corrales!

[karmathecat]

I would agree with Corrales although I am not sure what 500k would buy you there.

Closest thing to Laurelhurst here would be Ridgecrest.