AZ or NM, Im leaving the NH cold! (Phoenix, Tucson: rent, crime)

[KingBlunted]

Ill make it short and sweet. Im 100% going to move within 2 years to the southwest. For some reason I am only considering AZ or NM. I have read all the pros and cons threads on AZ, but not too many people compare NM and AZ.

quick background: 27 year old, single, and I have a B.S. degree in business and lots of experience with desk jobs/ collections.

So I guess my question is this.. What are top 3 or top 5 reasons to move to az over nm??

Im so sick of the blizzards and cold in the North east. Also 6000$ property taxes for a house on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere is the final straw.

I need good reasons to convince my close family members...

PS if this exact question is on here, I apologize for not seeing it. I am just really happy to have found this site! All answers welcomed!

[FitnessPower]

Well I lived in Albuquerque, NM 21 years and currently have been in Phoenix metro, AZ for 10 years. I personally like AZ a lot more.

-AZ has more to do, due to larger metros
-AZ has better weather (If i cant wear shorts and a t shirt then the weather is unacceptable lol)
-All 4 pro sports teams, spring training, super bowls, BCS title games, PAC 12 sports
-Less crime per capita
-Better geographic location (less than 5 hours to vegas, san diego, LA, Puerto penasco mexican beaches)

[corydon]

New Mexico has some off the most beautifull and desolated places, what some like, others can not handle. Phoenix for sure is close by many interesting places, Albuquerque is just a day drive from most places.

I think Phoenix is a bit more difersified, NM is really New Mexico.... Nothing wrong with that offcourse.


New Mexico is extremely empty, as a truck driver I love it.......

[KingBlunted]

Thanks for the responses! And thanks for the pictures even more. Being up east, Im pretty sure no roads, if any are that straight. In all honesty I really need a change. My #1 focus is AZ, but am still open to suggestions. I want to have some sort of job security obviously.

[KingBlunted]

top 3 pros/cons of NH (my situation now)

Pros:
family roots
OCEAN
Current job, (but they just opened office in Phoenix)

Cons:
Property taxes way too high
Cold for 6-7 months, blizzards for upto 5-6 months which makes heating costs crazy high!
Next to Mass

[Scottay]

-The two states are very similar in terms of geography. They have mountains, we have mountains etc.
-NM does get cold. Not like the northeast, but Albuquerque does get snow.
-Phoenix is much larger than Albuquerque and has a lot more to do but they dont have the brutal summers that we do.
-Not sure if you're a big winter sports fan, but Snowbowl and Sunrise just cant compare to the resorts in Taos.
-Phoenix traffic is much much worse. It took my wife 1.5 hours to get from Chandler to Avondale yesterday during evening rush hour.

You're obviously sick of the cold and snow so if I were you I'd choose Phoenix or Tucson. Have you thought about north Florida or Savanah GA??? Closer to your family and ultra cheap cost of living.

[Bummer]

Interesting thread, KingBlunted . . . about 15 years ago I was researching places to settle in preparation for retirement.

After a great deal of research and considering a number of points like size, cost of living, weather (both Winter and Summer) and availability of services as well as just "stuff to do," I chose Tucson. So far, 15 years later, I have no regrets and yes, New Mexico was definitely in the running.

Good Luck on your research and relocation.

[magnum0417]

I love both states but if you have to work for a living, the Phoenix Metro area has the most job opportunities along with competitive wages. I am familiar with ABQ and if you do not have a government job, you are scraping for $12 even if you are a college grad. Plus, you are competing with many blingual people as well in ABQ who are natives to the area .I was in ABQ last year and a recent UNM Lobo Grad was thrilled to get a $12/hr job at Intel in ABQ.

I love ABQ for visiting but PHX is my home due to more employment opportunities. Benefits with PHX is you can drive 2 hours and feel like you are back in New Hampshire from a weather standpoint during all 4 seasons.

At the end of the day, make your employment prospects #1. What good is having Taos and the Sandias nearby in ABQ if you are living paycheck to paycheck ? I'd love to live in San Diego but I am not willing to make PHX wages while having twice as high of a mortgage so one has to think practically. The term is "Sunshine Tax" is widely used for areas of the SW where cost of living far exceeds local wages. San Diego most definitely along with smaller SW cities like ABQ,Tucson, Prescott and Flagstaff most definitely fit that "Sunshine Tax" profile. Phoenix atleast has job prospects comparable to a typical mortgage and/or rental.

[CheyDee]

You mentioned job security is important to you, your work is a "pro", and your present employer just opened a PHX office.

It sounds to me like a no-brainer then.

[Champ le monstre du lac]

I think 102 years ago in 1912 when Arizona and New Mexico both joined the union into statehood as the 47th and 48th states they probably had a lot more in common back then. Arizona has just had so much more modern day growth, particularly from the mid 20th century going forward. New Mexico is still old school Southwest, where as Arizona has been completely transformed through transient migration. It also seems like New Mexico is not even on the radar of most Arizonans. New Mexico feels more like a frontier state.

It was that old school Southwestern charm that attracted me to New Mexico, and as a New Englander myself the historical aspects of NM was something I particularly appreciated. New Mexico is a very low key state, more poverty and lower middle class and less keeping up with the Jones' appearances. It is a very friendly and laid back state, most people seem approachable. All the locals in New Mexico will tell you they have better Mexican food than Arizona. Their own variation of it, New Mexican food is based on green chile peppers (and spicy red chile sauce) and it's very locally celebrated and they put it on everything, eggs, pizza, enchiladas.

ABQ can be a fun base for a while if you're into road tripping. Santa Fe, one of the Southwests most interesting destinations for art, history, and culture is only an hour away. Santa Fe has a lot of character, the architecture is all pueblo revival and it was settled by the Spaniards in 1609. Taos has great mountain recreation with good summer hiking and winter skiing and it also has a lot of artistry and an old historic pueblo style plaza. White Sands is magnificent, never seen anyplace quite like it. Within a 4-5 hour drive are places like Durango and Telluride Colorado, and the San Juan range which is some of the most beautiful and impressive scenery in the Rockies. Flagstaff/Sedona, and Northern AZ are also accessible for long weekend getaways. Denver and Phoenix are a long drive, about 7 hours, so if ABQ doesn't stimulate your urban fulfillment, it's a very long drive to the next major metro area.

ABQ is a mid-sized metro area of about 900,000 and the city has some quirky Route 66 charm, though some of it is also very seedy. Nob Hill/UNM area is pretty eclectic with good dining choices. Old Town is cute and touristy and is the historical center of town. Downtown ABQ need improvement and feels rather derelict, and a good bulk of ABQ's layout is low rent commercial sprawl. There are some nice and scenic neighborhoods up in the Sandia foothills, and along the Rio Grand Bosque. As a medium sized metro it has all the basic retail necessities one could need, even Trader Joes, Whole Foods and an Apple Store. Higher end retailers such as Nordstrom or many specialty stores here fall short, and the closest real Outlet mall center is 4 hours away in El Paso. When a new chain restaurant like Dave and Busters or Claim Jumper opens it seems to be all the buzz, and many Burqueno's are content with the idea of Olive Garden rather than a more local and authentic option for Italian.

Either choice the OP makes is going to be a much better and easier climate than New Hampshire for sure. I find desert sunshine much easier to get along with than the atrocious winter weather back east, and I genuinely do feel a bit happier out here. New Mexico generally has a higher altitude than most of Arizona. In ABQ, summer pool weather in NM lasts about 5 months, June/July/August average highs are in the 90's, it cools down quite a bit more here at night, Winter is a mixed bag or short winter cold fronts, and back to balmy 50 degree days and chilly nights in the 20's and 30's, however it did hit the 70's this weekend. For the most part ABQ has a very agreeable four season climate. ABQ is usually on average about 15-25 degrees cooler than Phoenix.

I love living in the Southwest and I've been living in New Mexico for 2 years. I want to settle into the region but I can only echo other posters statements here whom have had experience with both states, opportunities are limited in NM. I need an upgrade, more job opportunities, and a bit more to aspire to, so my partner and I will be moving to Phoenix by the end of the year. Though NM is a beautiful state with a lot of interesting character, Arizona just has a whole lot more to do, a lot ore economic opportunity, and a lot less isolation. So I had a good run here, but I'm looking forward to living in Arizona.