Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have been in Portland, OR too long. Portland is a great town with a lot to offer but the rainy winters are wearing me down. I am thinking about relocating but I am still struggling to find a worthwhile place to move to.
Looking for:
sunny weather - 4 seasons are ideal but not necessary.
availability of professional jobs
proximity to skiing - within 2 hours drive would be ideal
proximity to hiking
some culture - food, music, entertainment
affordable real estate - I would like to buy a home
moderate to liberal politics - preferred
I have been to San Diego a couple of times over the years for short stays. Loved the weather. Loved being near the ocean. Don't know much about the job market there yet. Wasn't sure about the culture there. Limited exposure to it, but felt like bunch of partying, surfer types and then military types. And I read that real estate is very expensive.
Have not been to Albuquerque yet. I read that it has 4 seasons and is close to skiing and hiking. Laid back culture. Low cost of living and more affordable real estate. Seems a lot like a smaller Denver to me.
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
10,749 posts, read 23,813,296 times
Reputation: 14665
Living in Albuquerque is pretty good, but it's batting a zero when compared with San Diego. It's not really like Denver either, it's more like El Paso or Tucson, medium sized Southwestern metro and college town, though I'd venture to say that Tucson has more of a college town feel. Albuquerque has a very affordable cost of living, very good access to outdoor recreation, and a good base for roadtrips to places like the CO Rockies, the Grand Canyon, plus NM's high desert and mountains.
ABQ has enough services to satisfy the basics. Its an interesting cultural blend of Anglo/Hispanic/Native American and it's definitely a friendly place with good food. The politics are pretty much center left here. It's a four season high desert climate with 300+ sunny days a year milder winters though subject to periodic cold swings and about a 5 month long summer/pool weather. But San Diego is in a superlative category of its own that ABQ can't match besides affordability. If one is craving a metro area that has the bigger league amenities both Denver and Phoenix are about a 6-7 hour drive from ABQ.
Last edited by Champ le monstre du lac; 12-24-2013 at 04:39 PM..
I know a lot of people love ABQ, but I feel like San Diego offers more, and definitely has better weather (I know you want 4 seasons, but cooler weather is in the mountains just a short drive away: beautiful falls in Julian and snow in Big Bear). The beaches and subtropical flora, and the hills and coastal marshes...just breathtaking.
I know a lot of people love ABQ, but I feel like San Diego offers more, and definitely has better weather (I know you want 4 seasons, but cooler weather is in the mountains just a short drive away: beautiful falls in Julian and snow in Big Bear). The beaches and subtropical flora, and the hills and coastal marshes...just breathtaking.
Big Bear is pretty far from SD.
I prefer ABQ. Smaller, easier to get around.
It has 4 seasons, tons of sunshine, and the Sandias are right there.
I pulled some stats for size comparison (from wikipedia).
Portland - city 583,776 / metro 2,289,800
SanDiego - city 1,307,402 / metro 3,095,313
Denver - city 634,265 / metro 2,900,000
Albuquerque - city 557,417 /metro 901,700
San Diego and Albuqerque both have sun, which is the main draw.
Albuquerque is small, and a bit off the beaten path, in state that doesn't have a large populaion an is pretty poor. It seems a lot like Portland, OR in that way. The size of Portland hasn't bothered me that much. everyhting ou need without a lot of the hassle of a bigger city.
San Diego is a lot bigger and has the ocean. Hmmm.... Does the larger size actually offer more? More culture, job opportunities, things to do? Or does it just mean more traffic and more expensive housing? Having the ocean is definitely nice.
San Diego and Albuqerque both have sun, which is the main draw.
Albuquerque is small, and a bit off the beaten path, in state that doesn't have a large populaion an is pretty poor. It seems a lot like Portland, OR in that way. The size of Portland hasn't bothered me that much. everyhting ou need without a lot of the hassle of a bigger city.
San Diego is a lot bigger and has the ocean. Hmmm.... Does the larger size actually offer more? More culture, job opportunities, things to do? Or does it just mean more traffic and more expensive housing? Having the ocean is definitely nice.
San Diego has not just the ocean but more culture, more job opportunities, and many more things to do. I know -- I lived there for many years. While I find NM absolutely gorgeous, and I do like the fact that it doesn't have even as many people as San Diego -- NM has 2/3 of just San Diego! -- I'm moving back to SD this spring. I really miss all the culture and all the things to do -- and especially the ocean.
Oh -- you're going to have more traffic and more expensive housing in SD.
You know -- if you want a more laid back life and are an outdoors person, NM may be for you. I'd just wait until this drought is over, whenever that will be.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
