Hey S R G -
I am sorry that it has taken me so long to respond to this. Somehow I missed it. I hope you are still checking here.
I am in my young 30s, married with 2 kids. Mid-level professional (just a BA, no Master's). Just got done living in Albuquerque for 4+ years. Moved away in July (my wife and I thought it would be better to be close to our family in WI, but good Lord were we wrong, not about my family, but living in WI), but now am really trying to either move back to Albuquerque or to El Paso, TX (biggish city 30 miles south of Las Cruces).
While I have only lived in Albuquerque (never lived in LC), my wife and I have some family in El Paso and made extremely many visits/stays there, often frequenting the nearby Las Cruces too.
So hopefully this could be of some help:
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Originally Posted by Some Random Guy
1. For someone mid-career, what kind of options are there in either city?
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Well, probably slightly better options in Albuquerque. Albuquerque is a city with a population of 500,000 and a metro area of 850,000. It is a fairly rapidly growing area, and businesses / industries are continually looking at ABQ as a player to expand / relocate into. It is one of the "hotter" spots in the US.
In comparison, Las Cruces - while becoming quite a popular town in its own right, especially as a retirement destination - is still less than 100,000 folks. Thus, that is a big difference in terms of the sheer amount of jobs/corporations/organizations...opportunities.
However, both are growing, and both are constantly in need of educated, experienced professionals; while this is improving in New Mexico, there is still often a dearth of college educated professionals that firms look for. Thus, I wouldn't rule out Las Cruces automatically either.
One nice thing about Las Cruces is that - as mentioned above - it is only 30 miles from El Paso, TX which is a city of over 600,000 people. Thus, for a job search, if you don't mind commuting (distance applies here, congestion doesn't) you really can be looking in both Las Cruces AND El Paso. But back to the "negative"...El Paso doesn't have a very good job market currently for many professional segments for a city of its size. That is slowly and gradually changing, however, it hasn't changed nearly as fast for the better that Albuquerque did.
Frankly, in very, very general terms, professional opportunities are better / more available in Albuquerque. But if I were you, I would keep my options open to both Albuquerque as well as Las Cruces/El Paso. Jobs and professionals are still obviously in need in LC/EP as well, and who knows what the landscape there will look like with their respective continued growth in 3-4 years?
But the edge here certainly goes to ABQ currently.
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Originally Posted by Some Random Guy
2. For a couple earning slightly above median income, how livable are these cities?
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Very.
Seriously, this area of the country is still one of the most affordable/livable areas of the US next to maybe some Plains areas, upper Rockies areas, and Texas / some of the deep Southeast.
When you consider how nice the weather is in these cities (shhhh...try not to tell others), the cost of living is unbelievable. Again, please don't spread the word...at least not until I am back in the area and am settled.
The cost of living in Albuquerque is slightly higher than Las Cruces, but not by much. Housing costs are still very affordable comparatively in both of these markets. You can get really, really nice houses in decent areas of both cities still for under (and sometimes well under) $200K.
Taxes are great in New Mexico. Low property taxes.
Other costs like gas, food, etc., are pretty much standard.
Seriously, you'd be sick coming from the Pac NW at how much cheaper things are in New Mexico in these cities. It isn't even close to comparable. A $200K house in Albuquerque is a $600K house in Seattle.
This is one thing that really bugs me about living here in the Midwest. I make a semi-solid middle class income, but my wife stays home with our kids. So comparatively, I am certain nationally our household income is maybe not even hitting the median mark...it just is what it is. Money is tight here. To us it is worth it for our kids' upbringing.
But anyway, my salary in Albuquerque (and would've in Las Cruces) went quite a distance more and - while we weren't swimming in cash - were much more comfortable. Here in the Midwest where taxes and housing is much higher (and not as much as the Pac NW), we struggle much more.
Bottom line: Dollar just goes farther in this area of the Southwest.
But hurry up and get down there before someone figures this out and ruins the economics of the area!!
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Originally Posted by Some Random Guy
3. What are rents like for the slightly better than average 2br apartment with W/D?
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Golly, you can get a great apartment for a decent price in this range. A good range would be $600 to $800 per month, although you could probably find stuff in this criteria as low as $500 and as high as $1100 ($1100 with this criteria in Albuquerque would get you an absolutely kick-butt apartment).
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Originally Posted by Some Random Guy
4. What are crime statistics like in either city??
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Albuquerque - for a city of its size (usually classified as a mid-sized or big-sized city) - has slightly below average crime stats comparatively. Not horrible, but slightly below average.
Albuquerque also has a very unwarranted national reputation as being a higher crime city. This was formed - as foolish as it sounds but this is true - because it was featured often on the nationally distributed TV hit series "Cops"...people always saw ABQ on the show, and thought "wow, is ABQ a bad place." In reality, COPS was filmed in ABQ so frequently because the producers of the show really liked the climate in ABQ...nothing more or less - they liked the weather and wanted to be there. The scenes filmed in COPS in ABQ sadly could've been filmed in most any big city any night of the week.
ABQ as I said does have slightly below average crime rates, but I just think one would be foolish to refuse the city based on crime stats. There are so many parts of ABQ - the majority - like other big cities - where it is so extremely safe and relatively crime free outside of small petty stuff. Parts like most of the NE Heights, the Northwest side, the West Side, the North Valley, Rio Rancho and Corrales (suburbs), much of Downtown, Nob Hill, the Uptown area, the Foothills, the newer portions of the SE Heights - this is a significant majority of the city - is very safe.
There are, like most other big cities, portions of the city that are especially crime-ridden and you'd probably want to avoid. But like you would in any other big city, you learn those areas, you avoid them, and you don't have a problem.
Las Cruces' crime rates are pretty darn good. Again, it is a city of less than 100,000 people, so crime isn't as big of a deal in a smaller town than it is in a bigger city like ABQ. Crime does exist here too, and I would say that if you lived in the majority of ABQ that is fairly crime free, you would feel about the same in Las Cruces as you would in ABQ.
If you just use a hare of common sense, crime shouldn't be a major issue in either city.
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Originally Posted by Some Random Guy
5. Diversity - we are a mixed race couple (Latino/White) - how accepting are people in these cities of this?
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Extremely. This type of a marriage is so common in both cities/areas that you'd not even hardly be in a minority. I am a gringo, my wife is 1/2-Mexican but she looks her Mexican side. I don't think we ever even so much as thought about it...and that is said without exaggeration. You have so many whites and Latinos in both cities...almost an even distribution...that these folks interact with themselves so commonly and normally you wouldn't even think of it.
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Originally Posted by Some Random Guy
6. Artsy/Funky - we live in and enjoy a very artsy/funky city chock full of artists and liberal types. Which city might have a more similar "vibe"?
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Well, I am anything but artsy and funky, but you'll find a pretty healthy representation of this in both cities. I would say Albuquerque much more so, but remember that Las Cruces is a town of less than 100,000 people that is dominated by its university (New Mexico State) so it certianly is a bit of a college town; any time you get that, you'll get that artsy/funky thing too.
Albuquerque's Nob Hill area, UNM area, Downtown area, portions of Corrales (suburb), etc., are very artsy/funky. Remeber, it is not too far from Santa Fe, kind of an artsy/funky bastion, as well as Madrid (a very small town 45 miles away that is kind of infamous for its artsy/funky thing) and Taos (120 miles away).
Las Cruces is a hare more conservative politically, but again, like ABQ, you find a good mix. You'd find artsy/funky stuff here too. Probably not nearly as much as ABQ though.
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Originally Posted by Some Random Guy
7. Education - how helpful/necessary is it to have a degree of some sort in either city? What percentage of locals have a 4 year degree? How easy is it to find work commensurate with the degree (liberal arts)?
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Both of these cities still have a relatively low population of those with a college degree in comparison to many other cities in the US.
Although, ABQ is kind of weird. It has a relatively low percentage of college educated folks, however, it has a really high percentage of PhDs. ABQ tends to either have a really extremely educated workforce (big in ABQ is engineering and tech and science jobs) or a really big dearth or college educated folks.
Both cities, having a college degree (again, I just have my BA) is a bigger advantage than it is in many other cities. Jobs aren't quite as available in either city as they'd be in big, 2/3/4 million populated cities, but then again, you have a leg up with a degree.
So it isn't necessary as it is in other cities more commonly, but it surely is helpful.
I think with your 4-year liberal arts degree, you'd have a good, solid footing job-wise in these cities.
Good luck! Both are tremendous cities and both are some of the finer places you can live weather-wise in the US.
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Hmmmm anyone reading could you please answer any of these?
Thanks!
