Austin, Albuquerque, or Denver? (Dallas, Irving: apartment complex, crime, home)

[JProg305]

I'm a long time city-data visitor and a first time poster. This question is aimed at anybody who has lived in any of the aforementioned cities? Generally speaking, what advantages do either of these cities have over the other ones in the list? Specifically, I'm interested in which city would be most appropriate for a young (mid to late twenties), educated (both receiving PhD's in Sociology), active (both interested in live music, the arts, and outdoor activities), progressive (both interested in social/environmental justice and sustainable development) couple to move to after grad school. I've done a fair amount of research on each city and there is elements of each city that I like very much. Austin has a sizzling music scene, good barbecue, a sizeable progressive community, small to mid-town feel with the amenities of a larger city (except for a good airport, from what I can gather ), good mom and pop businesses, a good arts scene, and is pretty racially/ethnically diverse (I'm Latino, so diversity is one of my main considerations). Albuquerque is situated in what I believe is one of the most beautiful parts of the country (Rio Grande valley, Sandia Mountains ), it still retains a unique and eccentric personality (which many cities of its size seem to have lost), has lots of good mom and pop businesses, has amazing weather (from what I hear) due to the high altitude, has experienced substantial revitalization downtown, is planning, hopefully, on building a light rail line through downtown, has a strong regional economy, and is a growing city that is not too large or too small. Denver has light rail , a beautiful setting, a fairly progressive population, lots of diversity, lots of great microbreweries, a good (not as good as Austin) live music and arts scene, nice parks, weather that sounds great to me (I'm originally from Miami, but I'm weird in that I love experiencing all four seasons), progressive marijuana laws and homelessness eradication programs (not eradicating homeless people, just trying to reduce or end homelessness in the Denver metro area), and myriad outdoor activities. I am originally from Miami, so I'm used to big city life (crime, congestion, rudeness, crazy drivers, etc.). However, I'd like the slightly slower pace of life that all of these cities seem to offer. Can anyone help me out? Any suggestions, comments, or criticisms are welcomed. Thanks in advance.

[love roses]

I lived in Denver for 6 years. Denver and Austin have lots of similarities actually. Austin is know as the Live music capital of the world, but Denver gets a lot of the same acts that come through. You'll find much of the same types of music there that you do here. Denver and Austin are basically the same size, except that Denver wins on the public transportation front (actually, the entire state has great transportation systems in place) and on the pro sports. It's also similar in topography as well, since Denver is in a valley. Austin has more hills in closer proximity to it's city center than Denver does. Lots of great small towns in close proximity to each one for day trips. Austin beats Denver as far as it's not as cold and they have better barbecue than Denver. The Mexican food is different in both places too, but both are good. Both pretty diverse cities. People will complain about Austin traffic because there's only one or two major freewys running through Austin, but Denver has this problem as well. I hope this helps a little. I could write more about the differences/similarities, but I don't want to be too wordy with one post. Denver and Austin are relatively progressive, however, Boulder wins more on that front than Denver. Denver is pretty conservative actually, compared to Boulder. People in Denver call Boulder "The people's Republik of Boulder", even the Denver newspaper.

[JProg305]

Hey love roses, thanks for the feedback. I like the sound of the weather in Austin and Albuquerque more than in Denver. Even though I like cold weather and I grew up in the snow for part of my life, I've never had to commute in the snow and ice and I'm kind of nervous about driving in those conditions. So I guess Austin wins out in that regard. Albuquerque gets snow in the winter too, but only around 7 inches a year (I think). I know Denver gets around 55 to 60 inches of snow a year. I just want to live in a relatively safe city with an urban, funky, unique feel with good pubs, bars, ethnic restaurants (and bbq too), live music venues, walkable neighborhoods, mom and pop businesses, etc. Is that too much to ask for?

[rg80]

If you were thinking Santa Fe I would suggest that, but not Albuquerque...

Denver is Cool but in a very clickish way. Its more like Dallas. If you like to Ski your 2 hours away from lots of fun, but if you prefer mild winters Austin is a good choice.

I like living in Austin and traveling to other areas personally. We have a very diverse group here and a lot of good food as well.

Your lifestyle criteria sounds like you would enjoy the SOCO area quite a bit. Zilker park or Hyde Park area as well (hyde park may have more college kids however). What age/ price range do you have/

[cubssoxfan]

Austin has a sizzling music scene, good barbecue, a sizeable progressive community, small to mid-town feel with the amenities of a larger city (except for a good airport, from what I can gather )

Just curious what make you say that? I thought Bergstrom was large enough to be relevant and small enough not to be a hassle. if it's direct flights to more places, then I understand. If it's the airport itself, Bergstrom is decent; much less of a hassle than Denver's behemoth.

[Papillon Mom]

Hi,
I have to chime in on this one. My husband and moved to Albuquerque about a year and a half ago and are completely miserable here. We moved here from Apex, NC and before that lived in Tucson, AZ. Hubby grew up in Phoenix and I in LA. So we have experienced both big city and small town life. I must say that we have never felt as unsafe as we do here in Albuquerque.
We live near the University (my hubby is in grad school) so that may be a little of the problem. But, honestly, we don't even go out at night because of the gang activity and drunks. I know I am sounding a bit extreme but we have reason to be.
I am a teacher in a local school and over half of my kids are already involved in gangs (middle school). Two are currently on probation (one for drug possession with intent to sell and the other grand theft auto). One of my kids from last year was walking home and was jumped by a group of (adult) gang members because he was in the rival gang (he is only 14 and the men who hurt him were in their late 20's). Every night the news reports many robberies and shootings (even in the "good" areas). My husband's program at UNM is very small (only 15 people in his year) and the only ones planning to stay are those who grew up here. He has 1 1/2 years left and I can't wait to leave. (Have to admit, we are currently calling it purgatory).
I am not going to say that all of Albuquerque is simply horrible. We love the Balloon Fiesta, the Bosque and Old Town. Some people love it here and would not live anywhere else- we are just not those people. We are simply looking for a place we feel safe.
Just my 2 cents.

[b. frank]

Originally Posted by Papillon Mom

Hi,
I have to chime in on this one. My husband and moved to Albuquerque about a year and a half ago and are completely miserable here. We moved here from Apex, NC and before that lived in Tucson, AZ. Hubby grew up in Phoenix and I in LA. So we have experienced both big city and small town life. I must say that we have never felt as unsafe as we do here in Albuquerque.

I can relate to that: my wife and I lived very briefly in ABQ. We lived waay out in the northwest suburbs which was safe but also very far from the extremely limited amount of things to do in the city.
The gang issue was surprising. Not sure if this was gang-related but the first week we lived there - a police helicopter was shot down by a citizen with a shotgun. It crash-landed in a backyard! The nightly news was a constant source of twisted entertainment. Gangs seem to have really ruined that city.
Austin is truly a breath of fresh air compared - even though I do love the weather in ABQ, mountainy like Colorado but warm. I would recommend this city if it weren't so unsafe and just culturally dull.
That brings us to Denver - great city. I lived in Ft. Collins, but the whole Front Range is generally great. I would move back there easily. Gotta be OK with regular snow, though.
Austin: my only complaint is the heat and the allergens which are symptoms of the overall climate - which is overall great.

If I had to make the choice between the 3 - it is a tossup b/w Austin and Denver - just pick your climate.

[ohmygod]

Originally Posted by Papillon Mom

Hi,
I have to chime in on this one. My husband and moved to Albuquerque about a year and a half ago and are completely miserable here. We moved here from Apex, NC and before that lived in Tucson, AZ. Hubby grew up in Phoenix and I in LA. So we have experienced both big city and small town life. I must say that we have never felt as unsafe as we do here in Albuquerque.
We live near the University (my hubby is in grad school) so that may be a little of the problem. But, honestly, we don't even go out at night because of the gang activity and drunks. I know I am sounding a bit extreme but we have reason to be.
I am a teacher in a local school and over half of my kids are already involved in gangs (middle school). Two are currently on probation (one for drug possession with intent to sell and the other grand theft auto). One of my kids from last year was walking home and was jumped by a group of (adult) gang members because he was in the rival gang (he is only 14 and the men who hurt him were in their late 20's). Every night the news reports many robberies and shootings (even in the "good" areas). My husband's program at UNM is very small (only 15 people in his year) and the only ones planning to stay are those who grew up here. He has 1 1/2 years left and I can't wait to leave. (Have to admit, we are currently calling it purgatory).
I am not going to say that all of Albuquerque is simply horrible. We love the Balloon Fiesta, the Bosque and Old Town. Some people love it here and would not live anywhere else- we are just not those people. We are simply looking for a place we feel safe.
Just my 2 cents.

I have to agree about Albuquerque. The city data website rating for crime in the city is bad.I think it ranks even worse the phenix AZ. Personally I have experince a little of it. Had a radio stolen out of my car once. And the drivers side mirror nocked off. And I think someone was syphoning gas out of my tank until I baught a lockable gas cap. Gas was $1/gal at the time. Once in the same day there were 5 cars broken into in the same apartment complex that the above happend to me. This was a nice area of town. Irving and golf course rd. Invironment wise if you like dryness,hot summers,cold winters,thin air(oygen),offgreen trees,weeds and did I mention dryness then you'll love albuquerque. Job wise it REALLY REALLY sucks now. 6 employments agencies and 10 direct applications and still I am still jobless. Before I could go to one employment agency and have work the same day.