What's the big city alternative to Santa Fe? (Albuquerque, Las Cruces: new house, to buy)

[Vinegaroon]

Salt Lake City.

There is affordable housing there, plenty of skiing, similar weather, mountain biking, etc. If I were to move from Santa Fe, I would head to SLC.

I lived in SLC for 6 years, and Utah was the greatest outdoor state to live in.

[GreatSantaFe]

Based on your criteria I'd stick to either Albuquerque or Santa Fe.

Does ASU have an alumni association directory? Perhaps you can find a grad who is working in the accounting/financial services field in Abq or SF, and they can help you get interviews. As an alternative, pack a suit and drive here. Then just walk in cold to as many firms as you can and ask to speak to the person in charge and convince her/him that you'd be perfect for them.

Forgive my presuming to tell you what to do , but in my other life as a hospital administrator I was always amazed at how few job applicants took the initiative to either get or create a position for themselves. Such assertiveness, backed with smarts and personality, will put you in a stronger position than most other applicants. And even if a firm doesn't have a position open, they just might decide to create one if the right person walked in their door.

Go for it!....and good luck!

[Muscle Car Mama]

This discussion has made quite an interesting read! I too have become obsessed with where we are to move, though I have a family so it's a bit more involved and gut wrenching, with many restless nights. We live in Washington State now and the grey skies are absolutely miserable, I just read that the annual average % of sunshine is a mere 47%. So much crime here (and I grew up in SoCal) and much of that is toward innocent children. I would love to go back to SoCal and be close to my family there but alas, not the greatest place for children to grow up now-a-days (or for a career either, with 10+% unemployment as of Feb '09 ). We have contemplaited Flagstaff/Prescott, Boulder, Denver, Placerville CA, Santa Clarita CA, and ABQ has most recently peaked my interests. So, tell me, have you decided? I see that the last post was roughly 6 months ago. And if I may ask (I know it's a Santa Fe thread, and I would LOVE to live there too if the schools were better and the housing was affordable for us) how would you compare Denver to ABQ? I've never been to Denver but my husband is from CO and I have been to ABQ but it was a good 25 years ago and I was quite young at the time. So please tell!

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by loborick

Now is the best time for you to move to Santa Fe. You are single and just starting your life in the "real world". No ties, no attachments. If you wait, life and commitments can get in the way.

So true!

Plus its accounting, every business in the world needs accountants. Plus single and young, you can really live in any kind of housing situation no problem. It's when you have a wife and kids that the importance of economics and quality of life (i.e. your housing situation) matters most.

[vegaspilgrim]

Originally Posted by Muscle Car Mama

This discussion has made quite an interesting read! I too have become obsessed with where we are to move, though I have a family so it's a bit more involved and gut wrenching, with many restless nights. We live in Washington State now and the grey skies are absolutely miserable, I just read that the annual average % of sunshine is a mere 47%. So much crime here (and I grew up in SoCal) and much of that is toward innocent children. I would love to go back to SoCal and be close to my family there but alas, not the greatest place for children to grow up now-a-days (or for a career either, with 10+% unemployment as of Feb '09 ). We have contemplaited Flagstaff/Prescott, Boulder, Denver, Placerville CA, Santa Clarita CA, and ABQ has most recently peaked my interests. So, tell me, have you decided? I see that the last post was roughly 6 months ago. And if I may ask (I know it's a Santa Fe thread, and I would LOVE to live there too if the schools were better and the housing was affordable for us) how would you compare Denver to ABQ? I've never been to Denver but my husband is from CO and I have been to ABQ but it was a good 25 years ago and I was quite young at the time. So please tell!

Good thing I just happened to notice this post. Yeah, six months in internet time is like ancient history.

Not really a whole lot has changed. I'm still in school, but I graduate next month. Haven't had any job offers here in LA. I'm going back to my parents in Denver, then I'm going to play it by ear, apply to jobs in both Denver and Albuquerque. Having thought this out, I'm no longer interested specifically in Santa Fe. However, if let's just say some awesome opportunity turned up in Santa Fe, I wouldn't turn it down either. I think EnjoyEP was right though-- the only place in New Mexico that's really for me at this stage in life is Albuquerque.

Within Southern California, Santa Clarita is a pretty good choice, btw. There's also Palmdale & Lancaster (high desert, the Antelope Valley) up the road. I took a photo tour of the area recently you may be interested in: Palmdale, Acton, Vasquez Rocks photo tour. But you're still part of the greater LA area there, with all the positives and negatives that entails.

Denver is a ordinary, but very well executed mid-size/large middle American city. Architecturally it looks like you're in a midwestern city. As I described it recently, it's basically the easternmost edge of the West, the gateway city to an empire of mountains and basins, but on the edge of the middle of nowhere to the east. It's a good place to live, but definitely an acquired taste, some like it, some hate it. It all depends on where you're from and what your sense of perspective is. Albuquerque and Denver are very different for many different reasons. A lot of people like to talk politically correct on this forum and mask the truth. I'll just flat out say this, the #1 thing that makes ABQ a fundamentally different place than DEN, other than the size, is the overwhelming Hispanic population/culture/community. Denver has a large Hispanic minority, especially on the west side, and some subtle southwestern undertones but it's nothing like ABQ; overall Denver is a very "white" city with a smattering of other ethnic/international groups (and parts of the metro area, such as Aurora, are much more diverse than others), but not any one particular minority dominant over the regional culture. It's neither a good thing or a bad thing, just a fact of life.

[CCCVDUR]

In contrast to Albuquerque, Santa Fe and towns in northern NM (Espanola, Taos), and Northern New Mexico (Flagstaff, Prescott), are all very unfriendly, cliquish places and very anti-business. Albuquerque is very similar to Santa Fe in terms of culture and only 7 degrees warmer in terms of climate. A plus is that it's a very pro-business town under Mayor Cha'vez. I lived there in 2007. In 2008 I returned and was amazed at the progress for the middle class, including a Warehouse style Wallmart with stained concrete floors in Bernalillo.

I'll be driving through there next week and I'm sure it will be even greater. Silver Ave. is now a bike boulevard, and I understand that there will be a bike ramp going across I-40 somewhere. Mayor Cha'vez is an excellent mayor who has proposed a swimming lagoon at Tingley Beach. Albuquerque is much more pro-business than Tucson.

From ABQ, one can easily escape to Santa Fe for the weekend and have fun. New Mexico overall has a very low unemployment rate, because Albuquerque, Farmington, and Las Cruces are all very pro-business and want entrepreneurs. If you love Santa Fe, I'd suggest living in Albuquerque and spending time in Santa Fe on weekends. Or, you could live in Placitas in the Sandia foothills, and be 1/3 of the way to ABQ (15 minutes), and 2/3 (30-40 minutes) to Santa Fe, and have immediate access to the hiking and biking trails in the foothills. I love Placitas, the people are very nice, and it's the most architecturally and naturalistically beautiful area in the ABQ metro.

Among other places, I am considering Albuquerque again, too. I'd enjoying visiting Santa Fe on weekends, but would never want to live there since it's unfriendly and anti-business, and the town is very lonely and shuts down at 7pm at night. They're still struggling over a Wallmart there to my understanding, and don't even have any discount grocery stores like Food For Less or Costco, although they did just open an REI (20 years too late).

[Towanda]

Santa Fe is just as friendly as you make it.

I have been here for almost a year, and I can say I have NEVER found this city to be unfriendly.

So for people lurking out there and considering moving here, you don't have to pay any attention to people voicing negative opinions about this city.

That is all they are -- someone's personal opinions, not fact.

[vegaspilgrim]

Thanks for the post, Tom. I agree, if I were to move to New Mexico, I would live in Albuquerque and see Santa Fe and the rest of the state on the weekends. Not for the reasons you state though, but rather because I'm under the impression I'd find a lot more young people my age in Albuquerque, whereas Santa Fe is more of a retirement town. As for Placitas-- scenic place, but no thanks. And it's not like I have several $,$$$,$$$ lying around to buy some grand estate there either. I would live in Albuquerque itself.

Towanda, everything on these forums is a matter of opinion. If it was all about fact there would be no need for the forums entirely, there would only be the city-data place facts and statistics pages.

[Towanda]

Gee, thanks for telling me.

[rybert]

Originally Posted by Tom Lane

In contrast to Albuquerque, Santa Fe and towns in northern NM (Espanola, Taos), and Northern New Mexico (Flagstaff, Prescott), are all very unfriendly, cliquish places and very anti-business. Albuquerque is very similar to Santa Fe in terms of culture and only 7 degrees warmer in terms of climate. A plus is that it's a very pro-business town under Mayor Cha'vez. I lived there in 2007. In 2008 I returned and was amazed at the progress for the middle class, including a Warehouse style Wallmart with stained concrete floors in Bernalillo.

I'll be driving through there next week and I'm sure it will be even greater. Silver Ave. is now a bike boulevard, and I understand that there will be a bike ramp going across I-40 somewhere. Mayor Cha'vez is an excellent mayor who has proposed a swimming lagoon at Tingley Beach. Albuquerque is much more pro-business than Tucson.

From ABQ, one can easily escape to Santa Fe for the weekend and have fun. New Mexico overall has a very low unemployment rate, because Albuquerque, Farmington, and Las Cruces are all very pro-business and want entrepreneurs. If you love Santa Fe, I'd suggest living in Albuquerque and spending time in Santa Fe on weekends. Or, you could live in Placitas in the Sandia foothills, and be 1/3 of the way to ABQ (15 minutes), and 2/3 (30-40 minutes) to Santa Fe, and have immediate access to the hiking and biking trails in the foothills. I love Placitas, the people are very nice, and it's the most architecturally and naturalistically beautiful area in the ABQ metro.

Among other places, I am considering Albuquerque again, too. I'd enjoying visiting Santa Fe on weekends, but would never want to live there since it's unfriendly and anti-business, and the town is very lonely and shuts down at 7pm at night. They're still struggling over a Wallmart there to my understanding, and don't even have any discount grocery stores like Food For Less or Costco, although they did just open an REI (20 years too late).

Pick a team Tom!

You can't be pro Walmart and pro bicycles too!