I'm wondering about what it's like downtown...

[ABQCurious]

Hi,

I too am a single woman in my 40s who is thinking of relocating to ABQ.

I am considering buying one of the cheap homes in Barelas -- near Tingley Park, just south of the Flying Star.

I know the area is run down, but it's undergone some renovation. The crime maps show the area beside the Zoo as being "green" (i.e. not danger zone "red").

Can anyone tell me more about this area?

Thanks very much.

[Poncho_NM]

Originally Posted by ABQCurious

Hi,

I am considering buying one of the cheap homes in Barelas -- near Tingley Park, just south of the Flying Star.

I know the area is run down, but it's undergone some renovation. The crime maps show the area beside the Zoo as being "green" (i.e. not danger zone "red").

Can anyone tell me more about this area?

Thanks very much.

The settlement of Barelas was formally established in 1662 so it has a long history. My actual experiences of Barelas? I was just driving through part of the area two days ago trying to take some pictures, and we had a storm yesterday so I could not return. About 30 years ago I worked with someone who grew up in the neighborhood.

Some of those "cheap" homes could cost you a lot for repairs, maintenance and or renovations...

I would walk through the area to get a real feeling for the area and insure you would like the area and culture.

Without repeating already printed material, you might look at:

Barelas Community Web Page
Community Profiles
Barelas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rich

[NMHacker]

Originally Posted by ABQCurious

Hi,

I too am a single woman in my 40s who is thinking of relocating to ABQ.

I am considering buying one of the cheap homes in Barelas -- near Tingley Park, just south of the Flying Star.

I know the area is run down, but it's undergone some renovation. The crime maps show the area beside the Zoo as being "green" (i.e. not danger zone "red").

Can anyone tell me more about this area?

Thanks very much.

It's an ok area. Can have some problems but not any worse than similar areas. My wife and I lived in that area for a couple of years. Never really experienced anything bad. You are right that there have been some pockets of renovation. I would consider it if that is what you are looking for.

[aries63]

Barelas' reputation is pretty rough-and-tumble, it's a low income area that has its problems, but as you've noticed there has been a lot of investment in and around there to make improvements. Proximity to downtown and Old Town are a plus. The National Hispanic Cultural Center along with the Instituto Cervantes add a lot of cultural capital to the area, although I hear the popular La Fonda del Bosque restaurant in the NHCC is closing down, probably another victim of the economy.

I have known people who chose to live in Barelas, some who liked it and some who did not. Recently a couple I know decided to move out of there and bought a house north of downtown. In Barelas they said their neighbors on all sides had German shepherds which they kept outside to guard their houses. There was a lot of angry barking.

[Cornflakes]

Originally Posted by ABQCurious

Hi,

I too am a single woman in my 40s who is thinking of relocating to ABQ.

I am considering buying one of the cheap homes in Barelas -- near Tingley Park, just south of the Flying Star.

I know the area is run down, but it's undergone some renovation. The crime maps show the area beside the Zoo as being "green" (i.e. not danger zone "red").

Can anyone tell me more about this area?

Thanks very much.

So you're looking at something between 8th and Tingley Drive? That would be well south of the Flying Star, sort of close to Tingley. If you're looking over there west of the zoo, you're getting into the Raynolds Addition neighborhood. But if you're talking about something along the 8th Street corridor just east of the zoo, then that's Barelas.

Anyway, my wife and I own a house in Barelas near the old railyard. We've been there two years. It's an interesting neighborhood that has slowly been getting better over the past 5-10 years. Apparently it used to be called the "armpit" of Albuquerque, but I don't feel that title applies to today's Barelas. It's still one of the poorer neighborhoods near downtown, but I wouldn't say it's "unsafe." We don't have bars on our windows or anything and have never had any sort of crime-realted trouble.

Barelas is the city's oldest neighborhood, founded well before Old Town. It's about 80 percent Spanish-speaking only. Many residents are older, senior citizens, although age groups seem to be getting broader. It's mostly very quiet. There are several churches, a cool community center and a couple parks. There are also some well-known restaurants nearby: Red Ball Cafe, Barelas Coffee House, El Modelo, etc.

Some parts of Barelas are nicer than others. The areas closer to the river are interesting, but maybe not quite as nice as some of the spots closer to 4th Street. However, there are some decent spots close to the zoo on the north side of Barelas just west of 8th Street.

I think you need to visit the area before making any big decisions. It's not for everyone. For some of our friends, it's a total culture shock when they visit. We've enjoyed being there, although I think we'll move at some point simply for the purpose of getting a bigger house for kids, etc. Homes in Barelas are, as you mentioned, very affordable. That's good, but it also might mean your house needs lots of work.

Best of luck in your home search. Definitely take a look at Barelas and see what you think - it might be a good fit, it might not. If you have more questions, feel free to PM me.

[Guitarplr]

Originally Posted by wscottling

It's been about 18 years since I last lived in Albuquerque, and that wasn't for very long (about a year). Since then however, the city has stuck in my mind as "my favorite" city ever -- and I've lived in quite a few.

I'll be moving the first week of January, and I originally thought to move to Portland, OR, but something is calling me to NM again. It's hard to explain.

Anyway, I've been checking Craigslist about available apartments and such, and I have enough savings to rent a studio for the average rent for about 5 to six months without panicking about being put on the streets. I'm not looking to get into a "roommate" situation since I've been living in someone else's space for too long now and I want to live in my own space again.

I don't have a car, but I see y'all have a bus line and a light rail (that wasn't there last time I live there), so I'm wondering if I'll need a car?

No, I probably won't have a job coming in, but I never move to a city with a job in hand. It's not the way I roll, and it's worked for me so far. I see that y'all have quite a few temp companies so I'm good for finding temp work until I find a "real" job.

Okay, there were some questions in there -- sorry for rambling, my brains are fried with all this studying. (I'm in my last semester of grad school).

Question 1 - which are the better parts of downtown where I can rent a small studio for not too much money and still get around in relative safety without a car? I'm a single woman in my mid-forties if that makes any difference.
Question 2 - will I eventually need a car? or can I get along without one okay?

Thanks!

Long story short you'll be fine. You should get a car though. There's a lot of stuff to do in and around Albq and you'll be able to get around a lot better and with more freedom if you have a set of wheels.

Welcome back!!!!

[wscottling]

Originally Posted by Guitarplr

Long story short you'll be fine. You should get a car though. There's a lot of stuff to do in and around Albq and you'll be able to get around a lot better and with more freedom if you have a set of wheels.

Welcome back!!!!

I'm actually figuring this out. The bus is fine and dandy, but man does it take time to get anywhere unless one lives right downtown. Wow.

[ABQCurious]

Thank you to everyone who answered my question! I'm sorry it took so long to reply to you. I'm not good with Internet forum technology and didn't see all your input until I Googled Barelas again.

ABQ Curious