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I've searched extensively to find information on this and the only thing I can find, all over Google, is about the reverse which is living in ABQ and working in LL. That comes highly recommended, which makes me hesitant about this.
I am planning for a move to the area in mid January. I'll be working at UNM Hospital (I'm an RN) on the night shift, so I've been ignoring all of the advice like "stay on whichever side of the river you work on" since my commute will be reversed; I'll be going home at 7:30 am, going into work at 6-6:30 pm. I don't expect traffic to be a huge issue.
In looking for somewhere to live, I noticed there are some very nice 3 bed/2 ba houses with privacy-fenced yards in Los Lunas in the ~$1k/mo range. This would be wonderful for me since I really need a place that's not the typical apartment -- I have 2 big dogs (65 & 55 lb bulldogs) and 2 old cats. Most apartments wouldn't rent to me anyway, but regardless, I want a place with a fenced in yard and at least 2 beds. I'd also prefer a garage because of all the car theft I hear about.
Looking at these lovely houses in LL, I'm tempted. I wouldn't want to commute more than 30 minutes but that's pretty doable for northern LL, and I'm also open to the littler places in between. I'm just wary of moving to a place that's way more small town than what I'd want. I'm leaving a town of ~15,000 people where if you want to do any real shopping or see a movie in a non-busted theater, you have to drive 45-60 minutes. I do NOT want to jump right out of that here and back into it in LL. However, I don't like big city living either. I lived in a nice neighborhood in Stafford, TX (suburb of Houston) and really enjoyed it, being close to lots of shopping within a 10-20 minute drive but also getting to feel like I had space enough for me and the pets. I can't tell if LL and the smaller towns north of it will be the sweet spot or too close to "home" for my tastes. I'll be visiting at the beginning of January to spend a few days driving around town trying to get a feel for different neighborhoods and find a place to rent, but am attempting to get a head start with this. I've heard the rental market moves very quickly.
The biggest consideration is that because I'm a nurse, I'm a mandatory worker. Any kind of bad weather, and I'll still be required to be there. I don't know how much this plays into things in this area. I don't want to get stuck driving 2 hours in a blizzard just to try to get to work, and especially if I-25 ever gets shut down.
So, how about it people of the ABQ area? How advisable is this? Is making my budget go further in the 'burbs worth it?
Editing to add: No kids and no desire for kids so schools are not important to us whatsoever.
I don’t think that commute is too bad — particulary at off hours in reverse. Not much different than, say, Placitas. Have you been to Los Lunas? There’s not a lot there, but there’s more than there used to be. Groceries, several chain restaurants . . . you’ll have the basics. That one main road that goes through Los Lunas seems to be jammed 24/7, though. You would have to factor that in to your commute if you live on the eastern end of town.
I-25 crosses the Rio Grande near the Isleta Casino, so Los Lunas has sections on each side of the river. I don’t know if that small bridge inside the city is a problem, but the whole “live on the side where you work” is essentially geared toward folks in ABQ/Rio Rancho. It’s not as big of a deal when you get further out of town.
Out of all the directions you could be commuting in from, LL has the fewest concerns in terms of weather. Expect a shutdown of the freeway to affect you about once every 10-15 years.
My biggest concern with a night shift commute would be drunk drivers, particularly on nondivided highways and intersections. You'll probably go months without seeing a drunk, but it only takes one.
The applicable section of I-25 is due for major reconstruction work in the next 10 years, but if you're not hitting it at rush, then it shouldn't impact you much.
The other thing I'd recommend is to be a little more vigilant in terms of property crime than you otherwise would. Expect an occasional busted drivers' side window and an attempted home burglary/stolen vehicle in the next 5 years. Our down economy and dysfunctional legal system are causing a few bumps in an otherwise blissful existence. Our friends' house in Valencia County got nearly destroyed by some "wet bandit" burglars.
What about the neighborhood just to the north of the UNM Hospital (North Campus area)? I used to work in the UNM area and had several coworkers who lived in that area and walked to work, and had pets. And they could go home at lunch to check on their pets. Albuquerque is very pet-friendly, it seems like pet ownership is practically mandatory here (I'm the only person I know who has no pets).
Living in Los Lunas has no great advantage that I can think of. And soon the Facebook facility will make it even more congested. You will be spending more on gas and extra hours on the road every week away from your pets.
What about the neighborhood just to the north of the UNM Hospital (North Campus area)? I used to work in the UNM area and had several coworkers who lived in that area and walked to work, and had pets. And they could go home at lunch to check on their pets. Albuquerque is very pet-friendly, it seems like pet ownership is practically mandatory here (I'm the only person I know who has no pets).
Living in Los Lunas has no great advantage that I can think of. And soon the Facebook facility will make it even more congested. You will be spending more on gas and extra hours on the road every week away from your pets.
The additional space will cost us on the monthly rent in Albuquerque. Looking around, there are basically no houses in my price range, and most of what I can find is 2 bed/1 bath apartments with no yard. Even if I could go up on the price (which I can't because I have to pony up for a mortgage back home until my house sells, and then selling costs once it does), everything I see with 3 bedrooms starts at ~$1k with weird requirements like only one dog, or no cats, or only small dogs, or two pet limit. LL is more space for less money and seems more laid back on the rules as well. It's just hard to balance out all of the varying factors, especially never having been to LL. I know it'll be hopeless trying to sort this out without physically going in person, so I've already got that trip booked.
I appreciate all of the other advice given! I'm ready for some property crime, and am hoping having two bulldogs might avert some of that. I know they'd start barking if anybody broke a window. I doubt it'll help our cars though!
I've searched extensively to find information on this and the only thing I can find, all over Google, is about the reverse which is living in ABQ and working in LL. That comes highly recommended, which makes me hesitant about this.
I would feel pretty safe in guessing that 99% of people in Los Lunas commute to Albuquerque. Reverse commutes (from the city to the suburb) are nice, but hardly the norm.
Albuquerque is a big city with thousands of employers. Los Lunas is chiefly a bedroom community with few employers. The new facebook Data Center will bring jobs to the area, but not enought to make Los Lunas much more congested. facebook has been mum about just how many people the new facility will employ, but various articles have stated estimates ranging from 50 to "dozens" to 200-300 permanent employees.
Building the facility will probably employ over 1,000, but of course those would be temporary construction jobs.
I wanted to add re: bedroom community. There are actually a lot of state jobs in Los Lunas, and whole many of those workers are local to LL or Belen, many will commute in from ABQ. Central NM Correctional is the largest prison in the state, then there is the courthouse, the complex of government buildings on the north side of Main St. and many transitional living/group homes run by the Department of Health. So, it’s not 100% bedroom community.
But it’s still nothing compared to what my colleagues in Rio Rancho and Corrales go through to get to work near UNM and back every day.
I commute from Los Lunas to the Gibson area everyday and the commute isn't bad at all 20-25 minutes. That said, I live fairly close to I-25 in Los Lunas and if you live any further east then the traffic gets pretty bad on Main Street that could add substantial time to your commute. I get t work quicker to my colleagues that live on the west side or Rio Rancho.
I know someone who regularly commuted from Belen to NE Albuquerque. It was a little long-ish in terms of a commute but otherwise she had no problems 95% of the time. Every once in a while there was a big traffic accident that created big delays and there aren't easy ways around such things in that area.
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