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We just returned from a trip back to Oklahoma for a Funeral and on the way back we took some time to stop and do some scouting in ABQ as we are considering relocating next year from Las Vegas NV to ABQ.
We have passed thru there many many times but never stopped. I have read a lot of postings here and talked to others that have lived there at one point in time or another. Heard from the good and the bad comments.
This is MY first hand impression of what I thought.
From I40 coming from the east we got off at Tram Way and headed North.
There was alot of APTS. Some looked nice and some not so nice!
We came to Academy and turned Left heading down the hill going west and it was much like our area we live in now except with a lot more green!
I DID NOT SEE CARS ON BLOCKS OR COUCHES ON PORCHES!
But a very clean well kept area.
We turned Right on a main street, I can not recall the name. But we ended up getting on Paseo Norte, I think thats what it was called. There was about the normal amount of traffic on it for a city of this size. Lots of police cars!
We followed that up and around by the Mall near Rio Rancho. Passed the INTEL factory and then turned left on Sara RD. There was a short area that was "Hit and Miss" Yes there was a few manufactured homes and Yes I did see a few of them that had cars and other junk in there dirt yards. But there were some nice homes in there also.
We turned left on Southern and found other areas that were ok to really nice. There was a golf course in the area.
There was a Walmart and other shopping areas that we consider as part of consideration when we begin to look for a rental home.
We Followed Southern going south untill the homes ran out and turned around.
Came back north to Unser and made a right. Was funny becuase it look like Vegas. NICE BIG HOMES all stuck together. Like if you ran out of soap in the shower all you had to do was knock on the window next to you and they could hand you some.
We came to Paradise and made a left. Nice homes on nice big lots! Really nice area.
We ended up back on Paseo Norte to the I25 going south got off at MLK and headed Left, Passed the University and all the really COOL HIP stores.
We were looking for NOB Hill area, FOUND it! Drove around that area stopped at a park in the middle of all the homes that was full of grass and let our 2yr old run around and the dogs stretch there legs. The weather was awsome!
We really liked the homes between Coal and Lead. But not as far East around the HighSchool area. They were smaller and the area just didnt give me that warm and fuzzy felling.
We then ended up taking Lead going West thru down town, its was clean with a ton of people walking around enjoying the weather. We ended up just pass down town in the Numbered street area, A few "Rough" looking individuals and smaller older homes but nothing like what I was told the down town area was like.
We took it till the end where it ran into the river and had to turn right. There was a park on the East side and some Fishing holes on the left. There were some housed across from the park and that area looked really nice.
Does anyone know if that area is too close to down town to qualify as a "SAFE" Area to raise a child?
We took a right on Central and we back thru down town and saw a lot of really nice shops and pubs/bars.
Finally after almost 4 hrs of just driving around we got back to I40 west and headed back to Vegas.
From what I saw ABQ is no different from any other city we have lived in. I grew up in LA and have lived in 5 other states. You are going to get your good and your bad reguardless.
I SAW NO GRAFFITTI! I am sure it exsist there.
I SAW NO HOMLESS OR PANHANDLERS! I am sure there are.
We were there 4hrs and saw none of the above.
Here in Vegas, You can find all that pretty darn quick!
I am covered in INK from the bottom of my jaw down to my wrist and everywhere in between and did get a few odd looks from some at a few of our stops in town. Which I thought was really odd in such a diverse town.
I did not encounter any really polite or friendly people. I held the door for a older woman becuase the man infront of here didnt. I said thank you to the cashier and she just looked at me, I didnt get a your welcome.
I am not looking for small midwest town friendly bring you apple pie type. Just was paying attention to how some of the locals acted.
I realize that we can NOT judge a town after only 4hrs and I am sure we missed a ton of the good as well as the bad.
But overall the wife enjoy and had a good vibe from what we saw. Shes from a small university town in Oklahoma so it was more comfortable than Vegas to her.
We are between ages 35 and 40 with a 2yr old and we enjoy our custom cars,motorcycles, and off road toys like quads and buggies. So if your reading this. It is only our view and opions and I would suggest to anyone thinking of relocating or retiring to please do your own research and GO THERE IN PERSON!
I found ABQ to be quite nice and far from the "arm pit" that I have heard and enjoyed the weather!
Can any one tell us how traffic is on Game Days near and around the Univeristy? Does the 25 get backed up on those days?
Also, if anyone knows. Is it legal to ride off road on the land near the 40 just west of the Flying J? I saw a ton of people out there on our way our of town but didnt see any vehicles, just people???
Didnt see one motorcyle shop, I am sure they exsist!
Sorry for the long posting but I wanted to express what I saw and see if there are any locals that would be willing to coment on some of the areas that we drove thru looking at homes.
The area with the fishing at the end of lead/coal is called Tingley Park. That's not considered a bad area but I have heard bad things about the Tingley Park apartments but that was a couple of years ago and they might have changed.
Panhandlers are usually found at the major intersections, I-25 & Montano, I-40 & Menaul, places where you would get on the freeway. They usually only work Monday to Fridays though.
I know there is off-roading south on I-25 and if you go to the BLM on Montano and I-25/Edith they can give you a map of all the areas you can go off-roading.
There are several motorcycle shops here in town, I'm sure all the bikers will tell you their favorite, I know there is Motorcycles Wild on Central & Zuni and Nick the owner is a pretty cool guy.
Really? I don't know how you missed them. We were there this weekend and saw quite a few panhandlers and "rough" looking people, all downtown. Our first impression that it was pretty clean. Of course Sunday morning it wasn't so clean from all the trash people left in the streets and sidewalks from the night before but at 7:00 am there were city workers already out cleaning the trash. My guess is that Central/Route 66 is cleaned up good because it is a tourist area.
Really? I don't know how you missed them. We were there this weekend and saw quite a few panhandlers and "rough" looking people, all downtown. Our first impression that it was pretty clean. Of course Sunday morning it wasn't so clean from all the trash people left in the streets and sidewalks from the night before but at 7:00 am there were city workers already out cleaning the trash. My guess is that Central/Route 66 is cleaned up good because it is a tourist area.
I quess I was just looking in the wrong areas to find the bad of ABQ. We were just trying to stay positive and try to give us an idea of the positive there and not the negative. As stated in my post. I am sure that there are Bums,graffitti,gangs,litter,cars on block, appliances in the front yard. You WILL get that in every city of substantial size!
We just didnt see alot of bad that would affect our decision to consider relocate there.
I am sorry that your impression was not as positive as ours.
You should come to Vegas sometime and visit the east side of the valley far from the strip and you would think that ABQ is paradise!
We took it till the end where it ran into the river and had to turn right. There was a park on the East side and some Fishing holes on the left. There were some housed across from the park and that area looked really nice.
Does anyone know if that area is too close to down town to qualify as a "SAFE" Area to raise a child?
You are probably referring to the Country Club neighborhood, or the area south of Central and west of 14th St. It is considered a desirable neighborhood and if you can afford a home there it would be a nice place to raise kids and to live, with easy access to everything downtown, Old Town, Botanic Gardens, Zoo, and the Bosque bike trail which goes along the Rio Grande for about 20 miles. Too bad you didn't get a taste of Old Town while you visited. Once you start going east of 14th St. (south of Central) though there are some shabby areas that I would avoid, but it's not all bad.
Kit Carson Park at the edge of the Country Club neighborhood is really nice, with a lot of cottonwoods, grass, and a playground. On the weekends a lot of families from Mexico gather there for a picnic and barbecue, it's a very family-oriented atmosphere.
I came straight here from Vegas.. but I lived here in the 70's (as a young child, thankyouverymuch) and... well... I don't get the FUD campaign that seems to proliferate this board.
I've felt safer here than I did in Vegas, and I lived extreme NorthWest, in a pretty gentrified area.
If you need thoughts or opinions while making your decision, feel free to PM me.
The one thing I can tell you that drives me crazy about this town after living in Vegas is how it shuts down. I'm a family man, but every now and then I want to go get a meal at 3:00am, or I'm fighting insomnia and looking for something to do around midnight on a weekday, and everything is closed.
Other than that, much happier here than I was in Vegas...and, strangely, I live closer to a casino here than I did in Vegas. Weird.
FUD:
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o Fear, Uncertainty, & Doubt.
o File UpDate
o Fedora Users and Developers (Fedora Linux).
o Female Urinary Device
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We followed that up and around by the Mall near Rio Rancho. Passed the INTEL factory and then turned left on Sara RD. There was a short area that was "Hit and Miss" Yes there was a few manufactured homes and Yes I did see a few of them that had cars and other junk in there dirt yards. But there were some nice homes in there also.
That part of Rio Rancho was already built in the 80's. There should not have been any "manufactured homes" if you mean mobile homes there, but who knows. I have friends who use to live there when it was the "outskirts". Some of those places have large lots...
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Originally Posted by ssincity
We turned left on Southern and found other areas that were ok to really nice. There was a golf course in the area.
Yes, there is a Golf Course and country club in that area.
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Originally Posted by ssincity
There was a Walmart and other shopping areas that we consider as part of consideration when we begin to look for a rental home.
That area just had a recent building boom. The Walmart was built about three years ago.
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Originally Posted by ssincity
Came back north to Unser and made a right. Was funny becuase it look like Vegas. NICE BIG HOMES all stuck together. Like if you ran out of soap in the shower all you had to do was knock on the window next to you and they could hand you some.
The development there has been sporadic in little pockets for years.
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Originally Posted by ssincity
I SAW NO GRAFFITTI! I am sure it exsist there.
I SAW NO HOMLESS OR PANHANDLERS! I am sure there are.
Albuquerque spends about one million dollars a year on graffiti cleanup. The former Mayor, Chavez was big on trying to prosecute "graffitists".
We have homeless people, I have seen a lot worse in a lot of other cities.
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Originally Posted by ssincity
Can any one tell us how traffic is on Game Days near and around the Univeristy? Does the 25 get backed up on those days?
I've never seen I-25 get backed up for games. Just basic crashes and perhaps further North in October during Balloon Fiesta.
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Originally Posted by ssincity
Also, if anyone knows. Is it legal to ride off road on the land near the 40 just west of the Flying J? I saw a ton of people out there on our way our of town but didnt see any vehicles, just people???
Seven mile hill area possibly, there are a lot of areas to the West of the Flying J for various types of riding. Might have been watching ATV's etc down lower in some arroyos.
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Originally Posted by ssincity
Didnt see one motorcyle shop, I am sure they exsist!
They exist, major brands and a few ATV shops.
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Originally Posted by ssincity
Sorry for the long posting but I wanted to express what I saw and see if there are any locals that would be willing to coment on some of the areas that we drove thru looking at homes.
Thanks for the comments and actual observations. Hope you enjoyed the short stay.
I have, many times, the traffic gets backed up around the Cesar Chavez exit which is closest to the UNM sports arenas and the Isotopes Park. It always catches me off guard because I don't pay attention to their schedules.
I have, many times, the traffic gets backed up around the Cesar Chavez exit which is closest to the UNM sports arenas and the Isotopes Park. It always catches me off guard because I don't pay attention to their schedules.
Hmmmm.... I wonder why the "Let's Build A Stadium Downtown" crowd say that doesn't happen...
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