Questions about Las Cruces and Albuquerque (Santa Fe, Rio Rancho: rent, low crime, mobile home)

[Balco9]

Is there any tornado's in New Mexico? Is there a water shortage in these two cities and is the tap water clean? Which city is better for a family looking for low crime, good public schools, more greenery than Phoenix and lots of tree's?
I currently live in Tacoma, WA and can't stand the all the dark and rainy days, traffic, and crime. Which of these cities are more affordable. Is there any military bases near either of these two cities? Are the people friendly and decent drivers?
Thank you and appreciate any feedback...
New Mexico seems like a better place to live than Western Washington.
Fall and Winter months you can't take your kids out to the park or play organized sports becuase of all the rain and cold weather.

[funkymonkey]

There's not really any tornados here.

The water situation is fine, though there are restrictions on what days you can water (at least in Las Cruces). Overall I'd say the tapwater quality is better in Albuquerque. Crime is probably lower in Las Cruces. Albuquerque has more trees. Rent is a lot cheaper in Las Cruces, and houses are less expensive. Albuquerque has an air-force base. Las Cruces has one nearby (Fort Bliss in El Paso).

[mike0421]

Originally Posted by funkymonkey

There's not really any tornados here.

The water situation is fine, though there are restrictions on what days you can water (at least in Las Cruces). Overall I'd say the tapwater quality is better in Albuquerque. Crime is probably lower in Las Cruces. Albuquerque has more trees. Rent is a lot cheaper in Las Cruces, and houses are less expensive. Albuquerque has an air-force base. Las Cruces has one nearby (Fort Bliss in El Paso).

Don't forget Holloman AFB in Alamogordo.

There was actually a tornado spotted near White Sands Missile Range last year, and it was captured in a picture. This was considered a freak occurrence though. The terrain here is too varied to sustain a tornado for any length of time.

[mortimer]

mike0421 claimed:

> The terrain here is too varied to sustain a tornado ...

The terrain really doesn't enter into it. We are too far west to get the clash of air massess where the Warm/moist Gulf air interacts with the Cool/dry systems moving in from West to East across the continent.

"Tornado Alley" is where something like 99% of all the tornados in the world occur and that sort of ends in Eastern New Mexico.

There are, however, frequent high winds that can tip a mobile home experienced in the state, but the chances of any one location getting hit is low.

[Balco9]

Thank you for the tornado information...
How bad is the crime in Albuquerque?
Are there gangs, shootings, home invations, and or petty theft?
Is it safe to walk at night downtown or in your neighborhood.
Our price range is up to 400k, would that get us in a good neighborhood?
Is there any clean lakes for my dog's to swim.
Thank you...

[Balco9]

Roi Rancho ans Corrales seems to have lower crime and better school test score's.
Are these two cities a good place to rasie a family outside Albuquerque?
How far are these two cities from Albuquerque and the AFB?
Thank you.

[loboABQ]

Rio Rancho and Corrales are on the Westside of ABQ. Depending on what your traffic is like where you're at now will help answer whether you feel the drive from Rio Rancho or Corrales to ABQ is bad.

It's usually about 20 minutes on a good day (to downtown/UNM area). The Air Force base is locate further south so maybe tack on maybe another 10 minutes

[EnjoyEP]

I love both Albuquerque and Las Cruces. Both are great cities in their own ways. I am originally from the Wisconsin area and am again living in WI currently, however, I lived in ABQ for a number of years and spent quite a bit of time in Las Cruces / El Paso, and am a great fan of both ABQ and LC; however, both are very different cities in some ways.

Originally Posted by Balco9

Is there any tornado's in New Mexico?

Tornadoes are about the least of your concerns in NM. While I believe documented tornadoes have occurred in all of the 50 US states, and yes, there have been some extremely minor tornadoes spotted in/near ABQ or Las Cruces in the last couple of years, I can't describe fully how rare and minor tornadoes are here compared to almost any other state in the US. This is the desert, and frankly, desert regions are just very anti-tornado.

Originally Posted by Balco9

Is there a water shortage in these two cities and is the tap water clean?

These are both desert cities...they both average about 8 inches of rainfall per year. As such, yes, water is a very precious resource in both cities and folks should strive to conserve whenever possible. Xeriscaping is preferable to lawns/grass in both cities, and using common sense with water usage is preferred as well.

However, certainly water is always available to residents. For doing things like your laundry, drinking, bathing, etc., it "feels" really no different in both cities than any other region in the US. The tap water is indeed clean in both cities, although I always found it to taste kind of funky compared to the tap water I am used to up here in WI.

Originally Posted by Balco9

Which city is better for a family looking for low crime, good public schools,

Crime is very low in Las Cruces, as LC is a still smallish (100,000) city, but it can happen - it is near a big city (El Paso) and is a college town.

Crime is very low in many parts of Albuquerque (NE Heights, North Valley, Northwest side, Nob Hill area, etc.) and is higher in parts (SE, SW, South Valley portions of UNM and Downtown areas)...even having said that, many parts of the far SE, the Southwest, etc., are quite safe. Albuquerque is similar to most big cities in the US - overall safe, but has portions that you'd want to avoid. If you use common sense, crime isn't much of an issue in ABQ. However, again, it is a big city - crime can and does happen.

Good public schools - Albuquerque has many good ones, and many terrible ones. Overall, APS isn't highly thought of, but it really depends on which school you chose to live near where your child would go. Otherwise, ABQ has some outstanding private schools. Las Cruces' public schools are fine.

Originally Posted by Balco9

more greenery than Phoenix and lots of tree's?

RED FLAG ALERT!!!! I always do not understand why people consider moving to the heart of the DESERT, and then want "greenery" and "lots of trees". Folks, this is the DESERT. Water / rain is a scare commodity. If you are looking for greenery and water and trees, the desert is not the place for you.

I am not trying to "go off" here, but I find that the people that hate Albuquerque or Cruces (or El Paso or Phoenix or Tucson or what have you) often times, it is because they say it is "so brown" or they "miss the green", assuming they moved from a greener area.

Well, folks, the desert IS brown, and frankly, when I see people trying to raise lush, green lawns or trees, I just shake my head, as a) they waste so much water, and b) that just isn't what the desert is. It would be like having people try to grown saguaros and other cacti in Tacoma, or people trying to grow palm trees in Milwaukee...it just doesn't work.

I would say that probably Albuquerque is slightly more green than Las Cruces, because a) it is more established, in the 60s and 70s lawns were more commonly used in these areas and they were used quite a bit in ABQ and are still there, b) the Rio Grande in Albuquerque has a lush green bosque next to it, the c) Sandia Mountains are kind of greenish in areas, and d) Albuquerque's weather is slightly cooler and thus is a bit more accommodating to types of big trees, etc. But overall, I do really encourage you - if green and trees is very important to you - consider not doing the desert. Both cities are desert and overall brown, not green, as they should be.

Originally Posted by Balco9

Which of these cities are more affordable.

They are very comparable. Both are very affordable compared to most places - very affordable compared to Tacoma. It is hard to say between the two though, they are pretty much a wash. Obviously there is far more opportunities for jobs in Albuquerque, as ABQ is much bigger. Both are very affordable though.

Originally Posted by Balco9

Is there any military bases near either of these two cities?

Yes. There is an air force base in ABQ, and there is a large army base in El Paso (45 miles from LC).

Originally Posted by Balco9

Are the people friendly and decent drivers?

This is just hard to answer, as it is just generalizing and obviously there are exceptions to any such generalizations. However, as a native Wisconsinite, I found the people to be EXTREMELY friendly in both Albuquerque and Las Cruces. In fact, some of the friendliest I have ever encountered in general. Very laid back. Very "manana" type attitude.

Driving overall is terrible though. I find the drivers in Albuquerque and Las Cruces to be some of the worst I have encountered in the nation. TRAFFIC is very good, especially in LC, but also in ABQ for a city of its size, and of course a breeze compared to the Sea-Tac area. But the drivers themselves are bad, bad drivers (more incompetent I think than mean or rude).

Originally Posted by Balco9

New Mexico seems like a better place to live than Western Washington.
Fall and Winter months you can't take your kids out to the park or play organized sports becuase of all the rain and cold weather.

For my tastes, yes, NM is a great place to live, and would be far better than for Western Washington (and better than where I am in the upper Midwest). It really is a polarizing place though...the desert...I would really encourage you to visit extensively Albuquerque and 'Cruces first before deciding to live there...they are the polar opposites of the Pac NW. However, I would live in ABQ again or LC in a heartbeat - both are great cities.

[EnjoyEP]

Originally Posted by Balco9

How bad is the crime in Albuquerque?
Are there gangs, shootings, home invations, and or petty theft?
Is it safe to walk at night downtown or in your neighborhood.

Crime is very low in many parts of Albuquerque (NE Heights, North Valley, Northwest side, Nob Hill area, etc.) and is higher in parts (SE, SW, South Valley portions of UNM and Downtown areas)...even having said that, many parts of the far SE, the Southwest, etc., are quite safe. Albuquerque is similar to most big cities in the US - overall safe, but has portions that you'd want to avoid. If you use common sense, crime isn't much of an issue in ABQ. However, again, it is a big city - crime can and does happen.

Like in each and every big city in the US - with no exceptions - yes, there are gangs, shootings, home invations and petty theft. However, if you live in a nice area (which is the far majority of the city), you certainly won't have problems with gangs or shootings, or at least the odds are extremely strong you won't.

Home invations and petty theft of course are always a possibility, however, I would say like most big US cities, in most areas in ABQ, you have a low possibility. However, like most big US cities, the chances will always be there and necessary normal precautions should be taken.

Originally Posted by Balco9

Our price range is up to 400k, would that get us in a good neighborhood?

Yes, a tremendous neighborhood. You could afford a virtual mansion in ABQ for $400K.

Starting at $250K, you can get into pretty nice gated communities in ABQ.

$400K would take you a long, long way in ABQ. ABQ is far more affordable than the Pac NW. Taxes will be far lower too.

Originally Posted by Balco9

Is there any clean lakes for my dog's to swim.

I gave you a big RED FLAG ALERT!!! in a previous post in this thread to your inquiry on the "greenery" or "trees" in Albuquerque / Las Cruces, and I am doing so again here. This is a landlocked, desert area. Lakes are not common. In fact, NM has the least amount of water per capita in the state than in any other state in the US.

There is the Elephant Butte Lake which is large and about 175 miles south of Albuquerque which would be a good bet for that. There is also Cochiti which is up near Santa Fe. So yes, there are a few lakes in driving distance. However, again, this is the desert and lakes are few and far between. They can be found, but it isn't at all like living in the Pac NW, Midwest, the Plains, etc.

ABQ and NM in general is a GREAT place to live for many people. But I do just caution you...you should probably be honest with your tastes to yourself...how important are greenery, trees, lakes, water, etc., to you and your recreational quality of life? If they are very important, or even kind of important, ABQ or Las Cruces are probably not good bets for you - they are the desert. However, if they aren't too important and you'd be okay just with an occasional day trip to a lake, then they'd probably be just fine for you.

[EnjoyEP]

Originally Posted by Balco9

Roi Rancho ans Corrales seems to have lower crime and better school test score's.
Are these two cities a good place to rasie a family outside Albuquerque?
How far are these two cities from Albuquerque and the AFB?
Thank you.

Rio Rancho is a fairly conventional suburb of Albuquerque...going from Albuquerque's west side to Rio Rancho, unless you saw the dividing sign, like many suburbs of many big cities, you wouldn't even be able to tell you crossed over.

Rio Rancho is nice, just like most of Albuquerque is. It is middle class, fairly safe, growing enormously quick. Its public school system is very well thought of...people often move to Rio Rancho for its public schools. One concern with RRPS is overcrowding in schools, since it is growing so quickly.

It is a fine place to raise a family and tons of families live there.

Corrales is more upper class or upper middle class. It is fairly pricey overall. It is small, quiet, and extremely safe. A very nice community. If you are looking for that "greenery", it might be a good option for you, as it is near the Rio Grande, and thus tends to be more tree-laden, green, etc., than most of Albuquerque is. It is very pricey (in comparison to ABQ and RR), however, if you foot the bill, it is very quiet, safe, etc.

They both can be a hike to the Air Force base...depending upon traffic, it can be 45 minutes one-way (in rush hour), but with no traffic, they can be as little as 20 minutes. Both though are on the "other side" of the metro area from the Air Force base.