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Some great comments here, and thanks for the insights.
Right now, what we are struggling with is ABQ's perceived perception as a bastion for homelessness and crime. When we visited a few months ago, it was striking to me that you couldn't go to a CVS or Walgreens in the NE Heights (the supposedly nice areas) without everything being locked down and behind plexiglass. We didn't feel unsafe, but that was noticeable.
And, all of my family that currently lives in ABQ complains about the homelessness/crime being an issue. Without debating the merits of the accuracy of it (it is likely overblown in my view), sometimes perception is tougher to deal with then reality. And, things like that are difficult to judge from 2,000 miles away.
What's also interesting is that friends we have who live and teach in the "nice" school districts in ABQ, and they mention that many families pull their kids from the middle and high schools to send to private schools (which is crazy to me, since homes in those areas are almost unaffordable for us anyways). I am sure the reality with the schools, like most things, is that the school is what you make of it and kids can get into trouble anywhere they go.
And that is some of the appeal of Rio Rancho - more of a blank slate and some physical distance between ABQ with still pretty decent schools.
Lots of food for thought and appreciate the posts here so far.
Perception is most people's reality. Have your family members visited any other cities with the same issue? CVS or Walgreens is a result of shoplifting. I've lived all over the Western US.
Most cities have homeless issues and crime. Watch other cities news and you find the same issue. If you hang in those neighborhoods I would be worried, suburbia is a great target for thieves as no one is home a prime target for burglaries.
I'd like to point out that most school shootings are in suburbia and the perpetrator was white and bullied. Are you living in hope or fear? Are you good parents that have taught them good values of being human? Do you have faith in your kids to make the right decisions for themselves? Are your kids comfortable being themselves?
Homelessness is surging across the country. Denver has seen a surge in homelessness, with their current count about 9,000 homeless in the Denver region. In Albuquerque the estimate is a little less than 2,000. In Tucson it's 2,200. These are recent figures from this year. Rio Rancho provides no homeless services so they send people to Albuquerque.
Are people afraid of homeless people, or afraid of becoming homeless here? I'm not sure what the concern is.
Exaggeration: "Everything is locked down behind plexiglass". What?! I live in the NE Heights and haven't seen this. Hardly anything is locked behind plexiglass. At least nothing I buy.
New Mexico and Albuquerque have always suffered from a perception issue, that anything bad that happens here is somehow much worse and scarier than when the same thing happens elsewhere.
I was just in downtown ABQ to meet someone for lunch, and the reports of its "destruction by the homeless" are greatly exaggerated. It looked nice, clean, some new restaurants have opened up, and the overall feeling was good, except that it was hot, 96 degrees. So if there were homeless people around they must have taken refuge in some cooler spaces, out of sight.
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