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Aries63, Marmon, Cornflakes..... Thanks for the great suggestions. Aries63, I did laugh at the Moriate post. We haven't really driven through Moriarty but it is really sounding that it will definitely not be a fit for us. It appeared that it's very flat. Is Edgewood the same way; same etc.? Albuquerque definitely deserves a more thorough look at ... as well a good look at Corrales, North Valley, the town north of Albuquerque west off of I-25 that has a senior housing area being built (forgot name). I had a concern that Cedar Crest/Tijeras & area north would be overly expensive for us (we can comfortably handle 800-1100/mo lease). Now the questions: 1) No matter where you live in any part of Albuquerque, do all people get hit by gang problems (be it knocking your mailbox down or breaking auto glass of a car sitting outside)? Are you on the alert that a gang person could break in to your house at any time? This is the conception that I get from watching Channel 4 news. 2) How satisfied are you with the sense of community provided in the Albuquerque area at large (including Rio Rancho, Tijeras, Bernalilo, etc.)? Also, thanks to Cornflakes, I'll be putting that on the back burner for now.... excellent suggestion. I appreciate what you all are saying as it gives me a better feel for what ABQ is really like.
I don't think Edgewood is quite like Moriarty, but I am not very familiar with it. There are some nice properties in Edgewood, and it seems a little less remote (i.e. easier, quicker access to Albuquerque) than Moriarty.
As for your other questions...
1) The gang activity is probably not as pervasive as the news would have you believe. It is a problem, but the true gang violence seems confined to certain areas. There are a lot of wanna-be thug types running around though. Living in what is supposed to be an affluent area, we still get graffiti, car break-ins, and petty property crimes. Also, the longer you live here, you will learn where you can go to avoid these types of punks. For example, Coronado mall is crawling with thug types - but you can go to Abq Uptown or even Cottonwood Mall for a more pleasant shopping experience.
2) Not really sure how to answer this. To me, Albuquerque feels like a community. It feels like home, like where I belong. It is familiar and there are a lot of friendly people. But it's not like a small town where everyone knows everyone. I have lived here most of my life and almost never run into people I know, but my husband sees people he knows all the time (he's been here for about 15 years). And the places we frequent (certain stores and restaurants) know us and our kids and always talk to us. IMO, Albuquerque is one of the best cities around. We are planning to relocate in the next few years, and I literally become tearful thinking of some of the things I will miss about Albuquerque and NM.
Good luck to you!!!
P.S. Given your budget, may I suggest another neighborhood? It's in the NE Heights of Albuquerque, and I don't know that it really has a name, but if you work with a realtor they will know what you are talking about. It's the area between Montgomery - Candelaria, and Wyoming - Louisiana. It's an area that was built by a company called Mossman. They are older, lovely, well-built homes and it is a nice, quiet neighborhood that seems relatively crime-free. Also, the Four Hills area is lovely and to me feels like a small town / community.
I don't think Edgewood is quite like Moriarty, but I am not very familiar with it. There are some nice properties in Edgewood, and it seems a little less remote (i.e. easier, quicker access to Albuquerque) than Moriarty.
As for your other questions...
1) The gang activity is probably not as pervasive as the news would have you believe. It is a problem, but the true gang violence seems confined to certain areas. There are a lot of wanna-be thug types running around though. Living in what is supposed to be an affluent area, we still get graffiti, car break-ins, and petty property crimes. Also, the longer you live here, you will learn where you can go to avoid these types of punks. For example, Coronado mall is crawling with thug types - but you can go to Abq Uptown or even Cottonwood Mall for a more pleasant shopping experience.
2) Not really sure how to answer this. To me, Albuquerque feels like a community. It feels like home, like where I belong. It is familiar and there are a lot of friendly people.
Good luck to you!!!
I have been checking out rental home prices over the last week and have found a # of excellent choices. The homes that came up in searches were in Rio Rancho and one or two up in the Tramway area. I haven't investigated Edgewood yet. I focused additionally on those areas farther north or farther east/west to be away from alot of traffic and subsequent noise. While we want to be in the mountains, it may or may not work for us and that's okay.
I haven't been to Coronado Mall but I would have guessed that in that area it wouldn't be a prime area to visit. My sister & her husband lived in Rio Rancho eight years ago and we went to Cottonwood Mall. My mother and stepfather lived in that area also and went all over the place shopping. It is such a shame there seems to be that 'element' in Albuquerque that adds a hassle in living there. It's kind of like when we lived in Anchorage.... winter was always an added hassle to have to deal with.
I have been checking out rental home prices over the last week and have found a # of excellent choices. The homes that came up in searches were in Rio Rancho and one or two up in the Tramway area. I haven't investigated Edgewood yet. I focused additionally on those areas farther north or farther east/west to be away from alot of traffic and subsequent noise. While we want to be in the mountains, it may or may not work for us and that's okay.
I haven't been to Coronado Mall but I would have guessed that in that area it wouldn't be a prime area to visit. My sister & her husband lived in Rio Rancho eight years ago and we went to Cottonwood Mall. My mother and stepfather lived in that area also and went all over the place shopping. It is such a shame there seems to be that 'element' in Albuquerque that adds a hassle in living there. It's kind of like when we lived in Anchorage.... winter was always an added hassle to have to deal with.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with Coronado Mall. I don't know how anyone can feel unsafe in the busiest mall in the state. It's not like it's a ghost town filled with low-end shops.
The "thugs" others mention are most likely young Hispanic kids who I suppose may look intimidating to certain people but are anything but hostile.
Of course if one is predisposed to classifying certain elements of society as unfavorable then I suppose they can just say that they feel unsafe around them to try to justify their feelings.
Go to Coronado Mall at least once if you move here and tell me whether you truly feel uncomfortable or unsafe around a bunch of Hispanic kids strolling amongst the Cinnabon, Victoria's Secret, Gap and Disney Store.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with Coronado Mall. I don't know how anyone can feel unsafe in the busiest mall in the state. It's not like it's a ghost town filled with low-end shops.
The "thugs" others mention are most likely young Hispanic kids who I suppose may look intimidating to certain people but are anything but hostile.
Of course if one is predisposed to classifying certain elements of society as unfavorable then I suppose they can just say that they feel unsafe around them to try to justify their feelings.
Go to Coronado Mall at least once if you move here and tell me whether you truly feel uncomfortable or unsafe around a bunch of Hispanic kids strolling amongst the Cinnabon, Victoria's Secret, Gap and Disney Store.
I agree with you 100%. I like to hang out from time to time at Barnes&Noble, nobody ever intimidated me there. At Sears I sometimes feel like I've stepped into Juarez, but I never felt unsafe at all (and I've been to Juarez a few times, even to a mall that has a skating rink there...only Coronado doesn't have a skating rink...too bad).
There is absolutely nothing wrong with Coronado Mall. I don't know how anyone can feel unsafe in the busiest mall in the state. It's not like it's a ghost town filled with low-end shops.
The "thugs" others mention are most likely young Hispanic kids who I suppose may look intimidating to certain people but are anything but hostile.
Of course if one is predisposed to classifying certain elements of society as unfavorable then I suppose they can just say that they feel unsafe around them to try to justify their feelings.
Go to Coronado Mall at least once if you move here and tell me whether you truly feel uncomfortable or unsafe around a bunch of Hispanic kids strolling amongst the Cinnabon, Victoria's Secret, Gap and Disney Store.
It's great that you feel safe and comfortable there. However when I see people getting arrested there, that tells me that clearly there is SOME kind of criminal activity going on there . And it's not as if this is a rarity. As for classifying certain elements of society as unfavorable, yes, criminals are unfavorable in my opinion.
The Disney Store had to close the Coronado location even though they had 2x the sales of the Cottonwood store. Reason? 4x the theft rate.
Wouldn't it be a possibility that it could have been employee-caused shrinkage?
(Or store management less skilled at deterring and catching five-finger discounters).
Cottonwood seems like it would have a slight edge in terms of honest clientele, but not 4X.
Even with such a high shrink, I'm surprised with the margins Disney puts on their stuff that 4x shrinkage alone would justify closing a retail location.
It's what the manager told me. I was told something similar by the manager of a retail store located near Coronado but not inside the mall.
It could have been employee theft, sure. But I think employee turnover is pretty high in retail and it was over a many year period that the loss occurred.
I also was told by someone at Baby Gap that they have different store layouts at different stores, partly based on loss...and the Baby Gap at Coronado does put its more expensive clothing in the back...in full view of the registers.
It's great that you feel safe and comfortable there. However when I see people getting arrested there, that tells me that clearly there is SOME kind of criminal activity going on there . And it's not as if this is a rarity. As for classifying certain elements of society as unfavorable, yes, criminals are unfavorable in my opinion.
If you only go to places where there are never any criminals then you have no place to go.
Any mall, anywhere, is going to have arrests. They are a shoplifter's paradise. I have never seen anyone get arrested at Coronado but I have no doubt it happens there, at Cottonwood, and ABQ Uptown. If someone shows me there are 10 times more arrests at Coronoado than Cottonwood it still wouldn't faze me, I'm going to go there anyway. I always get lost around Cottonwood, the traffic there scares me more than any shoplifter.
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