Looking to relocate, employment not an issue (Albuquerque, Santa Fe: crime, homes)

[dang133]

Hi,

I'm new to the forum, but I've been browsing here for quite some time. My fiancee and I are looking into relocating to NM. Both of us own online businesses, so employment isn't an issue for us. I'm looking for ideas on where to relocate to in NM.

What we're looking for:

1. Reasonably bike friendly (I love to ride and hate to drive)
2. Somewhat dense (ie: not generic urban sprawl)
3. "Liberal" tolerant (I'm not looking for Berkeley though...)
4. An area with character (older homes strongly preferred)
5. Must be within an 1.5 hours of a major airport (I travel often for work).
6. Something near a college would be nice (I'd like to have interns do a lot of the work for my business).

House price = under 200k. I'm willing to renovate if its in a nice part of town.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

[chilegal]

You would need either ABQ or El Paso airports. I see you are looking into Colorado also.
Good luck on your search.

[dang133]

Thanks. Would ABQ fit the bill?

[chilegal]

Originally Posted by dang133

Thanks. Would ABQ fit the bill?

Not sure, I live in Alamogordo. I would suggest you read more of the posts about each city you are thinking about. Then take a trip to each city or state you are considering. That would be well worth the time and money spent.

[newmex]

How about Cleveland, Ohio?

[GregW]

Your list sounds like mine except I don't have an online business (yet). I would suggest Socorro or somewhere between Albuquerque (I just love typing that name) and Santa Fe.

[jazzlover]

I responded to your post over on the Colorado forum. I'll take a stab here since I have a lot of familiarity with northern New Mexico (down to about Albuquerque), too (40 years worth of familiarity, if someone is asking). Unless you can be satsified with a regional airport (Farmington, for example), you're pretty much going to have to be within proximity to Albuqueque. In the price range for housing you have quoted, Santa Fe, which would be close enough to the Albuquerque airport, is out of the question.

I will get flamed here by Albuquerque residents who disagree, but I do not find the Albuquerque metro area especially agreeable. I love its setting, but Albuquerque and its suburbs insist, like most other Western cities, is sprawling into the same automobile-dependent suburban ghettos that all of those Californians constantly are leaving California to escape--only to create more of it wherever they go. Rio Rancho, for example, in my opinion, is a great model of everything to do wrong in building a new community--it's the same kind of suburban mess that will become unsustainable when energy prices explode (which they are going to). Unfortunately, for metro Albuquerque, most of it has been built in the last 40-50 years on that same model.

The one area of Albuquerque that might fit all of your bill is the area near Central around UNM. However, I had a friend who lived there for several years. He moved after his home was broken into 4 times in little more than a year--the last time at midmorning when he and his wife were home. Yes, he did have a security system. He had lived in New Mexico for over 40 years and worked at Sandia. When he retired, he left the state--he'd had enough of Albuquerque's vibe--that is, the crime problem.

I might make a suggestion here: You might want to check out Salt Lake City or Ogden, Utah. There are some great neighborhoods in central SLC that would fit your bill, and are very close to the SLC airport. Like Albuquerque (which I admire New Mexico for doing, though I know it is unpopular when many there), Utah is aggressively building a rail transit system from SLC to Ogden which will make commuting there much more tolerable. Many people shy away from SLC because of the LDS "issue," but that is not really a big deal in my mind. I've done a fair amount of business in Utah over the years and it hasn't bothered me (and I am not LDS). The Wasatch Front has a lot of sprawl problems, too, but it still has many "distinct" communities with older homes and "core" downtowns. Like Albuquerque, SLC has spectacular mountain country literally right out of its back door. There is even city bus service to a fair amount of it. The only downer to SLC is the smog in the winter, which can be pretty bad. Just a thought.

[dang133]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

I responded to your post over on the Colorado forum. I'll take a stab here since I have a lot of familiarity with northern New Mexico (down to about Albuquerque), too (40 years worth of familiarity, if someone is asking). Unless you can be satsified with a regional airport (Farmington, for example), you're pretty much going to have to be within proximity to Albuqueque. In the price range for housing you have quoted, Santa Fe, which would be close enough to the Albuquerque airport, is out of the question.

I will get flamed here by Albuquerque residents who disagree, but I do not find the Albuquerque metro area especially agreeable. I love its setting, but Albuquerque and its suburbs insist, like most other Western cities, is sprawling into the same automobile-dependent suburban ghettos that all of those Californians constantly are leaving California to escape--only to create more of it wherever they go. Rio Rancho, for example, in my opinion, is a great model of everything to do wrong in building a new community--it's the same kind of suburban mess that will become unsustainable when energy prices explode (which they are going to). Unfortunately, for metro Albuquerque, most of it has been built in the last 40-50 years on that same model.

The one area of Albuquerque that might fit all of your bill is the area near Central around UNM. However, I had a friend who lived there for several years. He moved after his home was broken into 4 times in little more than a year--the last time at midmorning when he and his wife were home. Yes, he did have a security system. He had lived in New Mexico for over 40 years and worked at Sandia. When he retired, he left the state--he'd had enough of Albuquerque's vibe--that is, the crime problem.

I might make a suggestion here: You might want to check out Salt Lake City or Ogden, Utah. There are some great neighborhoods in central SLC that would fit your bill, and are very close to the SLC airport. Like Albuquerque (which I admire New Mexico for doing, though I know it is unpopular when many there), Utah is aggressively building a rail transit system from SLC to Ogden which will make commuting there much more tolerable. Many people shy away from SLC because of the LDS "issue," but that is not really a big deal in my mind. I've done a fair amount of business in Utah over the years and it hasn't bothered me (and I am not LDS). The Wasatch Front has a lot of sprawl problems, too, but it still has many "distinct" communities with older homes and "core" downtowns. Like Albuquerque, SLC has spectacular mountain country literally right out of its back door. There is even city bus service to a fair amount of it. The only downer to SLC is the smog in the winter, which can be pretty bad. Just a thought.

Thanks for the advice. I'll look into downtown ABQ, I've been to Rio Rancho, its not what I'm looking for. SLC was my first choice, but my fiancee used to live there and hated it. .

[dang133]

Originally Posted by GregW

Your list sounds like mine except I don't have an online business (yet). I would suggest Socorro or somewhere between Albuquerque (I just love typing that name) and Santa Fe.

Socorro is awesome. I stayed there one night on a cross country bicycle trip. Amazing town.

[mrkool]

Originally Posted by dang133

Socorro is awesome. I stayed there one night on a cross country bicycle trip. Amazing town.

You're hilarious !