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Old 01-06-2010, 07:14 PM
 
Location: Dallas, TX
543 posts, read 1,379,384 times
Reputation: 423

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Hello all,

My wife possibly has the opportunity to do her residency at UNM and we have some questions about the area/city. We would prefer to live close to the university and it looks like Nob Hill would be a good bet (she was also told Ridgecrest [sp?] area was popular with residents). We would prefer to rent a house with at least 2 BR, it looks like rent in this area is around $1,000 to $1,400 does this seem accurate? Also, if there are any other areas around the university you can recommend it would be appreciated.

Is the crime as bad as the statistics would make it seem? The high rate of sexual assaults (among others) has me a bit concerned with my wife possibly having to be on call and going out at night/early morning. I've lived in some relatively high crime areas (NW Indiana, Chicago, Kansas City, etc.) but this city seems to have worse crime ratings than all of those cities. Any thoughts?

Now on to the longer term questions. We've been discussing staying in the area where she does her residency and we are really intrigued by the Tijeras area. I really want to live in a unique area and I despise the whole 'burb/McMansion lifestyle. I also like the idea of all the outdoor activities living on the mountain presents. The thing is we want our children to go to Catholic schools. It looks like there is a Catholic grade/middle school in Tijeras but it looks like the only high school in the area is St. Pius X in ABQ. It doesn't look like it's too far from Tijeras but I assume it would be hard to get the kids to school if I-40 is closed during winter, any idea if this would be true? Also, does anyone know if St. Pius X is a good school?

Finally, one of the issues we're wondering about is the state university system. Our other option is Texas which has a great state university system and we would be happy with our children going to a state school in Texas. How are the state schools in New Mexico? I know there aren't as many schools as in Texas but there isn't quite the population either.

Like I said our other option at this point is Texas... but we're not really big fans of the whole Texas thing. We like Fort Worth and we love Austin but unfortunately those aren't options for her residency. So we'd have to live in one of the other major cities for 5 years or so which is not that appealing to us.

Thanks for reading my (long) post, but we've got a short time to make residency decisions and we're trying to gather as much info as possible. Any information is greatly appreciated!
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Old 01-06-2010, 09:28 PM
 
508 posts, read 1,084,572 times
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I would say Nob Hill/Ridgecrest is a good bet. A 2 bedroom place will run you typically between about 800-1200 for a decent/nice place, 1400 for a 2 bedroom in ABQ is very nice.

To me, crime is exhaggerated - but I know others will offer other opinions. Property crimes, domestic assaults, drug abuse and such are high - as you might expect with an area that has alot of poverty. I've not had any problems, and similar to other U.S. cities, you really have to be in a bad mix of people (gangs, drug abuse, etc) to have a real worry. That said, take precautions as you would anywhere. Most of ABQ to me seems very safe, and very quiet.

As for schools, from my experience schools are on the whole not great, but there are good ones to be found. The state university system is ok to good, depending on the programs of course. I would say UNM is underrated as a major public university. That said, I'm not sure it can compete with the quality offered at places such as UT. Texas also has a number of strong, private universities (i.e. Rice).

As far as cities go, ABQ is somewhat like a smaller Austin, with far more spectacular natural scenery, and much better weather. In other words, it's great, and somewhat of a well-kept secret.
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Old 01-07-2010, 09:14 AM
 
Location: Dallas, TX
543 posts, read 1,379,384 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Burquebinder View Post
I would say Nob Hill/Ridgecrest is a good bet. A 2 bedroom place will run you typically between about 800-1200 for a decent/nice place, 1400 for a 2 bedroom in ABQ is very nice.

To me, crime is exhaggerated - but I know others will offer other opinions. Property crimes, domestic assaults, drug abuse and such are high - as you might expect with an area that has alot of poverty. I've not had any problems, and similar to other U.S. cities, you really have to be in a bad mix of people (gangs, drug abuse, etc) to have a real worry. That said, take precautions as you would anywhere. Most of ABQ to me seems very safe, and very quiet.

As for schools, from my experience schools are on the whole not great, but there are good ones to be found. The state university system is ok to good, depending on the programs of course. I would say UNM is underrated as a major public university. That said, I'm not sure it can compete with the quality offered at places such as UT. Texas also has a number of strong, private universities (i.e. Rice).

As far as cities go, ABQ is somewhat like a smaller Austin, with far more spectacular natural scenery, and much better weather. In other words, it's great, and somewhat of a well-kept secret.
Thanks for the price range information that seems to be inline with what I am seeing and is comparable/lower than our current mortgage right now. We will probably be renting for the first 5 years or so while she finishes out her residency and we could pretty easily swing that amount of rent. Thankfully I work from home and can move anywhere or it might be a little hard to swing that rent on a residents salary.

Yeah, I would assume we would need to just take the usual precautions. She'll be on call much more than she ever has been before during residency so I guess that has me a bit more worried than usual.

Thanks for the info on the schools, we're more than willing to supplement the education they receive at school with additional teaching at home. So we're not super concerned about the school system unless it's really terrible. My school system growing up was terrible but I still managed to become a productive member of society. Does anyone have any other info on the Catholic schooling in the area?

Yeah, the unversity system in Texas is pretty good but the only problem is that you have to actually live in Texas to utilize them (they take 90% Texas residents I think). My wife and I went to a very unprestigious state school satallite campus and we're both doing more than fine. I really think it doesn't matter where you go to school as long as you get the right kind of degree (useful, in demand, etc.) and work hard. So I'm sure UNM would work out nicely. As far as private schools goes, if our kids want to go to one we'll pay as much as we would have paid for a state school. They'll have to figure out how to pay for the rest (we both paid our ways through school so we're not super sympathic about the private school thing ).

Yep, the scenery is what gets me. Austin has far nicer scenery than the rest of Texas, which is part of why we like it. Albuquerque has spectacular scenery.

We'll be visiting the last weekend of January (I have never been to ABQ) is there anything you guys would recommend we see? We're going to check out the Knob Hill/Ridgecrest area and we'll probably go up to Tijeras to see if it's what I envision it being (nothing ever really is though is it? ). We might take the Tram up the mountatian as well. Anything else?

Thanks again!

Last edited by mezman; 01-07-2010 at 09:52 AM..
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Old 01-07-2010, 09:44 AM
 
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico
3,011 posts, read 10,010,465 times
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When we moved to ABQ from New York in 1970, we traveled I-40 from the east into ABQ.

When we went through Tijeras Canyon I was totally stunned and unprepared for the natural beauty and the emotional affect it had on me - I have often told people that was the moment I fell in love with New Mexico - and the feeling has never wavered in 40 years. I will just never forget that moment.

If I had not chosen Santa Fe for my retirement home, second place on the list would have been Tijeras.

Last edited by Towanda; 01-07-2010 at 10:32 AM..
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Old 01-07-2010, 10:23 AM
 
Location: Albuquerque
5,548 posts, read 16,052,382 times
Reputation: 2756
Quote:
Originally Posted by mezman
... We would prefer to live close to the university
... we are really intrigued by the Tijeras area. ...
This is sort of like saying that one would either like a 20-minute
walking commute or a 1-hour drive/park/shuttle/walk commute.

If you gotta have the kids way out there, you could use
the Turquoise Route offered by
New Mexico Department of Transportation - New Mexico Park and Ride

It's one thing to already be living in Tijeras or parts East and then decide
"hey I need to attend UNM ...", but to move here with your eyes open and set
yourself up for a commute like that is nuts. It's nuts financially and time-wise.

Go visit the wonderful Tijeras area campgrounds and have picnics there.
Go cross-country skiing after good snowfalls. Do that.
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Old 01-07-2010, 10:26 AM
 
Location: Dallas, TX
543 posts, read 1,379,384 times
Reputation: 423
Quote:
Originally Posted by mortimer View Post
This is sort of like saying that one would either like a 20-minute
walking commute or a 1-hour drive/park/shuttle/walk commute.

If you gotta have the kids way out there, you could use
the Turquoise Route offered by
New Mexico Department of Transportation - New Mexico Park and Ride
Sorry to be more specific living near the university is during her 5 years of residency. Tijeras would be later if we decided to stay post-residency.
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Old 01-07-2010, 10:33 AM
 
Location: Albuquerque
5,548 posts, read 16,052,382 times
Reputation: 2756
Quote:
Originally Posted by mezman
... living near the university is during her ... residency.
Oh, ... re-reading ... I guess I missed that bit.

Over 5-years, you'll have lots of time to check out Tijeras then.

I predict that once you live in the UNM area for 5-years,
you'd miss it soon after moving to the East Mountain area.
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Old 01-07-2010, 11:44 AM
 
Location: Burque!
3,556 posts, read 10,200,575 times
Reputation: 859
It's really difficult to decide on a college before you know what your children are interested in. It might make sense to hedge your bets and move to Texas... lots of great degree programs at multiple schools. UNM is a good school, but not in every degree program.
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Old 01-07-2010, 12:46 PM
 
1 posts, read 2,141 times
Reputation: 10
As far as transportation to St. Pius X from Tijeras - there are other students from Tijeras- you may be able to carpool- I admit I work at St. Pius and just got back from a seminar of our graduates who are now freshmen at college. The consensus was they were prepared for colleges (including UNM, Notre Dame and Johns Hopkins) and felt that they were disciplined and had learned to take responsibilty for themselves.
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Old 01-07-2010, 01:42 PM
 
Location: From "Parts Unknown"!
238 posts, read 633,504 times
Reputation: 211
Lightbulb Many Questions You Have, Padawan

Quote:
Originally Posted by mezman View Post

Hello all,

My wife possibly has the opportunity to do her residency at UNM and we have some questions about the area/city. We would prefer to live close to the university and it looks like Nob Hill would be a good bet (she was also told Ridgecrest [sp?] area was popular with residents). We would prefer to rent a house with at least 2 BR, it looks like rent in this area is around $1,000 to $1,400 does this seem accurate? Also, if there are any other areas around the university you can recommend it would be appreciated.
Hello, Mezman.

I will try to answer your questions to the best of my knowledge....

Nob Hill is an excellent neighborhood that is close to most of everything. Ridgecrest is one of the better neighborhoods in that area, but you may also want to check out the North UNM Campus area, which is just as nice and is even closer to the UNM Medical School and Hospital. Rent isn't too bad, and I think you could swing between $800 and $1,200 a month for rent for a decent place.

You may also want to consider living on the Base of KAFB. I know it seems kinda weird, but they have great deals there on base housing, it's very safe (you get security and guards at the gates), and you don't have to be in the military to apply. It's just a bit longer of a drive away to UNM, but it may be worth it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mezman View Post

Is the crime as bad as the statistics would make it seem? The high rate of sexual assaults (among others) has me a bit concerned with my wife possibly having to be on call and going out at night/early morning. I've lived in some relatively high crime areas (NW Indiana, Chicago, Kansas City, etc.) but this city seems to have worse crime ratings than all of those cities. Any thoughts?

I won't lie to you: crime in Albuquerque is high! There are some that just do not want to believe this, but for a city this size, it's pretty high. And the most rapes and sexual assaults do occur around the UNM area. Now, I am not saying this is Compton or Detroit, but if you are aware of your surroundings and don't look for trouble, chances are you won't find it. Not too sure if you are a gun owner, but you can open carry here and you can also get a CCW if you want to.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mezman View Post

Now on to the longer term questions. We've been discussing staying in the area where she does her residency and we are really intrigued by the Tijeras area. I really want to live in a unique area and I despise the whole 'burb/McMansion lifestyle. I also like the idea of all the outdoor activities living on the mountain presents. The thing is we want our children to go to Catholic schools. It looks like there is a Catholic grade/middle school in Tijeras but it looks like the only high school in the area is St. Pius X in ABQ. It doesn't look like it's too far from Tijeras but I assume it would be hard to get the kids to school if I-40 is closed during winter, any idea if this would be true? Also, does anyone know if St. Pius X is a good school?

Tijeras is a nice area. But keep in mind that it is on the other side of the mountain. That means the weather is quite different than the protected area of Albuquerque. The wind blows harder, the temperature is cooler, and the snow falls more there than in Burque. But if solitude and natural beauty are your thing, then it's not a bad place to be. It is also not too far away from the city, so you can do shopping, get to medical facilities, etc. in a short drive.

As far as St. Pius... it is an EXCELLENT school, and it is the only one in the city. We have a Catholic school system (http://www.csoadmin.org/directory.htm - broken link) here that goes from pre-K through 12. And they are all good! Tuition isn't that much either, and it's worth it because your kids will be well prepared for college. The public school system here is just plain bad. Private school, especially Catholic school, is probably the best way to go in Burque.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mezman View Post

Finally, one of the issues we're wondering about is the state university system. Our other option is Texas which has a great state university system and we would be happy with our children going to a state school in Texas. How are the state schools in New Mexico? I know there aren't as many schools as in Texas but there isn't quite the population either.

Like I said our other option at this point is Texas... but we're not really big fans of the whole Texas thing. We like Fort Worth and we love Austin but unfortunately those aren't options for her residency. So we'd have to live in one of the other major cities for 5 years or so which is not that appealing to us.
The Texas state college system is excellent, as they have some of the best universities in the world. However, UNM does indeed have a tremendous medical school, which is quite the bargain when comparing them to other schools. I currently attend UNM en route to my Masters Degree, and I can tell you that it's a mighty fine school - especially for the price. The main problem I have with UNM is that every bum in the NM public school system can get in, which kinda waters down the talent pool. However, most of them don't make it past the first week of class anyway, and even more deadweight is gone when the Pell Grant checks come in.

Then there is NMSU in Las Cruces, which is a decent - albeit, party - school. There's NMMI in Roswell, which is a Military 4 year high school and junior college. This is a great military school. And the other school I recommend is NM TECH in Socorro, which is an excellent technical school. I'd even go so far as to compare it with Cal Tech, but without the sky-high price tag. NM Tech is quite a bargain, as are most of NM's college institutions.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mezman View Post

Thanks for reading my (long) post, but we've got a short time to make residency decisions and we're trying to gather as much info as possible. Any information is greatly appreciated!

Hey, thanks for posting. I hope we were helpful in your decision. Good luck to you and take care!


--BtK
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