Albuquerque, NM vs. Houston, TX (Las Cruces, Socorro: home, employment, contractors)

[zapata]

Howdy:

Been living in Houston, TX for 9 years, move from EL Paso, TX but now wife wants to be close to her family in El Paso, TX.

I work in the IT field and there are no good jobs in El Paso, TX. Albuquerque has more IT jobs offerings.

For what I read here, seems like Albuquerque is not a good place to live.
Anyone here who has lived in both places...???

[Mark S.]

Check out the university in Las Cruces. You'll be right on El Paso's doorstep.

[zapata]

Originally Posted by Mark S.

Check out the university in Las Cruces. You'll be right on El Paso's doorstep.

Hey Mark...!!! I know..I have applied before to the University but they never call me..!!

Las Cruces will be also a great place to live, the closest place for IT work is the White Sands Missile Range, I have also applied with several contractors (Lockhead Martin, General Dynamics, Rayteon, etc) but no luck. In the mid 90's I was a contractor there for another company (now defunct) but was lay-off and that's why I move to Houston.

Criminal activity here in Houston has growing up since we took all the Katrina evacuees, (some NOLA criminals tag along mixing with the good people)

[domino]

Salaries in New Mexico will notch match Houston salaries. But remember, cost of living is lower in New Mexico. Even so, you will have to sacrifice standard of living to move back.
Houston has much more opportunity for good salaries and upward mobility than NM. So unfortunately, I live here in Houston. Maybe when I retire I will return to NM. It's a shame, but that's the situation as I see it.

[finmqa1]

Zapata - There are a lot of great opportunities here, as stated before there will be some sacrifices on your part but I'm sure you can live with those. I have met a few people in the last few months that have moved here from EP and they absolutely love it. When you are in a big city such as Houston you can find everything you're looking for. That may not be the case here right now but it is certainly changing day by day. Besides if you are really missing something here you can always find it on vacation. My wife moved here from San Francisco and because she came with the right attitude, she has loved it here for the last five years. If she really needs her city fix we hop on the plane and visit her family in the Bay Area and San Diego.

[abqtj]

I grew up in Houston and lived there until 1996. Been here ever since, with family still in Houston (and Austin).

The cost of living is actually HIGHER here in Albuquerque, than Houston, mainly due to housing I believe. Also, I noticed groceries tended to be a bit higher when I moved here, as it gas.

That said, I love living here. The climate is fantastic, as is the proximity to many outdoor activities.

[LLD]

I grew up in and around Houston and have lived in Albuquerque for the past 2 years. IT salaries (and I'm in IT) in general are significantly lower in Albuquerque than Houston and the cost of living is definitely higher here than Houston. Houston and some other parts of Texas still have some of the lowest housing costs in the States. Groceries in Albuquerque are as high as I paid in DC. Austin and Houston prices were much more reasonable for groceries.

The biggest difference is the weather -- hot and humid Houston -- a coastal climate -- and dry High desert climate in Albuqueruqe.

The people are very friendly and welcoming in both cities and I think both areas have lots of things for families. Houston of course being a major metropolitan area has much more amenities to offer and variety than Albuquerque. Albuquerque is on its way to becoming a nice city but as I mentioned elsewhere I think that is about 15-20 years away.

I don't know what it will take for the salaries to go up here. But I know my friends in IT have said no way would they take the cuts they would have to take to come here. That said, if you look for a while you can find a decent salary but it takes patience.

Hope this helps.

[6 FOOT 3]

Zapata....I'M from El Paso and live here in ABQ and my thought is if you find employment here and don't mind the drive its about 4 hours from each city.When i go home to visit alot on weekends i leave at 5.00 a.m. with a large cup of coffee and get there by 9.00 a.m. usually. Once i get down to Socorro (75 miles south ) then i can pick up some of the a.m. stations all the way down....

El Paso is closer to Elephant Butte water receation than ABQ but on the flip side ABQ is closer to the Jemes mountains recreation than El Paso is to the Sacramentos mountains recreation....