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These are great choice and are 3 of my favorite small metros. They all rank in my personal top 25% of all metros. I would go 1. Boise, 2. Spokane, 3. Albuquerque. ALB might would squeak to #2 if their crime rate wasn't so high. But I love their food and moderate climate. Love Spokane's green surroundings and the lake at Coeur d'Alene being in the area. To me, Boise offers the best combination of things. I'm a Conservative and, like you, am very live-and-let-live. I could live in any of the 3 and be happy. All 3 are really good. Good luck wherever you land!
OP, I've never been to Spokane, but I'm in Santa Fe. If your list had included SF, rather than ABQ, that could have been a good choice. ABQ is very hot throughout the summer, so you can't really do outdoor activities. For that reason, I vote for Boise. I don't think it matters, whether ABQ is more liberal, because there are plenty of liberals in Idaho, and some of them are in Boise. I think there's a lot more outdoor activity to be done around Boise; better hiking, rafting, etc., and cooler weather to enjoy it in.
Santa Fe has a good bookstore scene; Indie bookstores are alive and well in SF, and regularly host author events, and so on. I have no idea about ABQ in that regard, but I think you should check out the potential for that, in Boise, This can be done online. Libraries are a given. Thai food has fizzled in NM, and Korean is unheard of. There is Indian, and decent Chinese.
Last edited by Ruth4Truth; 04-16-2019 at 12:27 PM..
Santa Fe may not be a choice for the OP considering she is going to be a graduate student and the degree she wants probably can't be had from Santa Fe's lone, small liberal arts college.
Santa Fe offers much in the way of culture and art, but very little in terms of most everything else that goes into making a city a viable option outside of tourists and retirees. The high cost of living would adversely affect a student like the OP.
Albuquerque having the lowest cost of living of all these cities is actually a very good thing for someone like the OP, who presumably will be a graduate student with a job, but probably not a very high-paying one.
The Thai food scene in Santa Fe may have fizzled, but it's alive and well in Albuquerque. And there actually are quite a few Korean restaurants in Albuquerque, again more than in either Spokane or Boise. Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Indian, Middle Eastern, are all well-represented in Albuquerque's restaurant scene.
Santa Fe has 1/10th of the Asian population of Albuquerque, so it's understandable it doesn't offer much in the way of Asian food. However, Santa Fe is not representative of Albuquerque, and someone who admittedly has very little knowledge of Albuquerque shouldn't speak about what this city offers in this regard.
Albuquerque doesn't get all that much hotter than Boise in the summer. And Albuquerque is not Phoenix, Las Vegas or Tucson when it comes to heat. The heat does not dramatically affect the amount of outdoor activity you can do most days in the summer here like it does in those places. Albuquerque only sees about 2-3 days on average of temperatures above 100. Some years it doesn't have any. Boise has seen temperatures above 100 quite frequently since 2000. The highest it has seen is 110 degrees on three different days in this period, most recently in 2018. The highest Albuquerque has seen in that same time is 105 degrees once in 2013.
Look at the sources below for the actual amount of 100-degree days in both cities. Triple digit temperatures are what I would consider very uncomfortable or prohibitive heat when it comes to outdoor activity. Albuquerque has its elevation working in its favor to avoid the extreme heat of other cities in the arid west like Boise, Phoenix, etc.
Boise itself may be somewhat liberal, but it is in a very conservative state. The conservative state government in Idaho is who are threatening the new public library in Boise. The legislature recently passed and the governor signed a bill to mandate elections for projects like the library and a multi-use stadium. The legislation was prompted because of opposition to public funding for both projects.
Those are very real ways that a conservative state government can hold back progress in a liberal city.
Boise itself is a much smaller portion of its state population than Albuquerque is in New Mexico. Albuquerque actually yields much power in the state legislature and it benefits from not having the political divide between it and its state government.
Santa Fe may not be a choice for the OP considering she is going to be a graduate student and the degree she wants probably can't be had from Santa Fe's lone, small liberal arts college.
Santa Fe offers much in the way of culture and art, but very little in terms of most everything else that goes into making a city a viable option outside of tourists and retirees. The high cost of living would adversely affect a student like the OP.
Albuquerque having the lowest cost of living of all these cities is actually a very good thing for someone like the OP, who presumably will be a graduate student with a job, but probably not a very high-paying one.
The Thai food scene in Santa Fe may have fizzled, but it's alive and well in Albuquerque. And there actually are quite a few Korean restaurants in Albuquerque, again more than in either Spokane or Boise. Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Indian, Middle Eastern, are all well-represented in Albuquerque's restaurant scene.
Santa Fe has 1/10th of the Asian population of Albuquerque, so it's understandable it doesn't offer much in the way of Asian food. However, Santa Fe is not representative of Albuquerque, and someone who admittedly has very little knowledge of Albuquerque shouldn't speak about what this city offers in this regard.
Albuquerque doesn't get all that much hotter than Boise in the summer. And Albuquerque is not Phoenix, Las Vegas or Tucson when it comes to heat. The heat does not dramatically affect the amount of outdoor activity you can do most days in the summer here like it does in those places. Albuquerque only sees about 2-3 days on average of temperatures above 100. Some years it doesn't have any. Boise has seen temperatures above 100 quite frequently since 2000. The highest it has seen is 110 degrees on three different days in this period, most recently in 2018. The highest Albuquerque has seen in that same time is 105 degrees once in 2013.
Look at the sources below for the actual amount of 100-degree days in both cities. Triple digit temperatures are what I would consider very uncomfortable or prohibitive heat when it comes to outdoor activity. Albuquerque has its elevation working in its favor to avoid the extreme heat of other cities in the arid west like Boise, Phoenix, etc.
Boise itself may be somewhat liberal, but it is in a very conservative state. The conservative state government in Idaho is who are threatening the new public library in Boise. The legislature recently passed and the governor signed a bill to mandate elections for projects like the library and a multi-use stadium. The legislation was prompted because of opposition to public funding for both projects.
Those are very real ways that a conservative state government can hold back progress in a liberal city.
Boise itself is a much smaller portion of its state population than Albuquerque is in New Mexico. Albuquerque actually yields much power in the state legislature and it benefits from not having the political divide between it and its state government.
All of the ethnic cuisines I bolded above are also well represented in Boise. Boise's creative food/dining scene has received national attention and has a good share of James Beard nominated chefs.
Boise can get hot for a few months in the summer, but the nights cool down nicely. The tree canopy in town does a great job at shading the city when it does get hot. Also, Boise sits at the foot of massive forested wilderness areas, so it is quick to get out of the valley and up into the cooler mountains if the summer heat gets to you. There is a lot of water in and near Boise so heading to the river in the center of town or up to the rives or lakes in the mountains is popular during summer.
Also, Boise already has a main library as well as several smaller branches around the city. The new proposed library is a fancy replacement for the current main library. The city is hoping to have funds in place to move forward regardless of a vote.
All of the ethnic cuisines I bolded above are also well represented in Boise. Boise's creative food/dining scene has received national attention and has a good share of James Beard nominated chefs.
Boise can get hot for a few months in the summer, but the nights cool down nicely. The tree canopy in town does a great job at shading the city when it does get hot. Also, Boise sits at the foot of massive forested wilderness areas, so it is quick to get out of the valley and up into the cooler mountains if the summer heat gets to you. There is a lot of water in and near Boise so heading to the river in the center of town or up to the rives or lakes in the mountains is popular during summer.
Also, Boise already has a main library as well as several smaller branches around the city. The new proposed library is a fancy replacement for the current main library. The city is hoping to have funds in place to move forward regardless of a vote.
Where did I ever say Boise doesn't have those ethnic cuisines present. I said Albuquerque has more of each of those ethnic restaurants, which is undeniably true and verifiable as fact.
Albuquerque has cool summer nights, trees to shade, a river running through it, has lakes, streams and springs nearby and sits at the base of mountains and massive forests to escape to as well. What Albuquerque doesn't have is as much of the extreme 100 degree heat of Boise, which I showed with proof.
I already said Boise has a main library with branch libraries. The fact is its main library is smaller, it has fewer branches and less materials than the library system in Albuquerque. Again, this is all verifiable.
The funding that is being threatened by the state's new mandate for a public vote is actually the largest portion of the funding sources for the new library, to the tune of about $35 million of the $85 million total budget.
Which of these three cities would you prefer to live in and why?
I have a choice of relocating to any of these three cities for the next two years. I'm leaning toward Albuquerque, but I'd love to hear other people's opinions. I'm more familiar with Albuquerque and have only passed through the other cities briefly.
I'm curious about cost of living, amount of stuff to do, friendliness of the people. My favorite pastimes are hiking, seeing live music, and reading - libraries are important to me. I am very laid back and like to live simply -not at all materialistic. I am politically liberal but appreciate the live and let live attitude. I also am a big fan of Asian food (Thai, Indian, & Korean especially) which I realize is probably not prevalent in any of these three cities.
Boise definitely checks off all of your desires. It is one of the best cities for outdoor activities and there is a vibrant dining scene and live music scene. During the summer there are several outdoor concert series.
There are libraries as well as independent book stores and a lot of coffee houses that are great places to check out local artists and writers. Boise has that coveted laid back Northwest vibe and is friendly and clean with a good dose of civic pride amongst the residents.
Santa Fe may not be a choice for the OP considering she is going to be a graduate student and the degree she wants probably can't be had from Santa Fe's lone, small liberal arts college.
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I wasn't promoting Santa Fe, but I don't see where the OP said she's going to be a student. I don't recall that she mentioned affordability, but I guess I missed it.
I wasn't promoting Santa Fe, but I don't see where the OP said she's going to be a student. I don't recall that she mentioned affordability, but I guess I missed it.
The OP has a thread in the Albuquerque forum where she talks about her situation and reason for looking at moving to Albuquerque. She got accepted to UNM among other schools, apparently including Boise State and Gonzaga. She also asked about the possibility of achieving reduced in-state tuition as a resident of New Mexico after one year, so I assume she doesn't have money to burn and is looking to save money where she can as a student. She said she was curious about cost of living in the OP.
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