Favorite Town Or City In New Mexico And Why (Albuquerque: apartments, crime)

[Crackerjack]

I am making a thread about posting your favorite town or city in New Mexico and why. I am just wanting to see what places people like in New Mexico. Tell us why you think it is your favorite, anything special about the place and so forth. I am asking that on this thread, everybody respect what each person lists as their favorite. We are all different and what is trash to one is a treasure to another; so please no cutting down their choices.Thanks!

[kaforeman]

Originally Posted by Crackerjack

I am making a thread about posting your favorite town or city in New Mexico and why. I am just wanting to see what places people like in New Mexico. Tell us why you think it is your favorite, anything special about the place and so forth. I am asking that on this thread, everybody respect what each person lists as their favorite. We are all different and what is trash to one is a treasure to another; so please no cutting down their choices.Thanks!

Our favorite place is Albuquerque. The reason is that it has the friendliness and slowness of pace of a small town but many of the amenities of a big city. It has some wonderful, first-class museums and other attractions, for one thing. Not to mention the beautiful parks and open spaces such as the Rio Grande Nature Center. Add an aquarium, a zoo, and botanic gardens and there's more to see here than anywhere around where we live now in Southern California. We also love the Old Town area despite the touristy parts. The city's natural setting is wonderful, with the mountains making a beautiful backdrop and with easy access for hiking. The Sandia Tram lets you go for a breathtaking ride up to the peak, where you can hike around in the higher elevations.

The old Route 66 strip along Central Ave. has some really nifty, funky stores and other buildings (Kimo theatre and old ABQ High School apartments, for example) and the Rapid Ride provides easy transportation along the street. Also, we think the UNM campus in ABQ is one of the prettiest college campuses we've seen anywhere, not to mention its friendliness and openness. Great restaurants, too, including the famous Frontier as well as hundreds of lesser known but equally delicious places. For those who don't mind big, crowded events there is the Balloon Fiesta, and the State Fair (going on right now). The city is affordable to most people, unlike the expensive and trendy Santa Fe. The architecture is eclectic, with a happy mix of adobe, glass-and-steel, stucco, brick, and any other building materials and styles you can name. Some people complain about crowded freeways and lots of traffic, but they've obviously never driven in Southern California which is a million times worse. Finally, we like Albuquerque because it fits our lifestyle (slow-paced but enjoying things like museums and zoos occasionally), which is why we would like to retire there someday unless it just grows way too big in the meantime. I could go on and on but I think I've hit the main points.

[catman]

It's very hard for me to narrow down to one place. For one thing, I haven't been to all the places in New Mexico that I would like to. Albuquerque is my favorite place of its size, but it isn't my favorite size. Of all the place in NM I've been, I'd have to say it's Red River. It's in a beautiful area. That being said, I don't know that I'd want to live there 12 months of the year; it has severe winters and few amenities. Ruidoso is also a favorite place...I just can't narrow it down to one place. Sorry.

[Crackerjack]

That is my problem too Catman! There are so many great places in NM I can't list one! I like all the things Kaforeman mentioned about ABQ and since I have lived there in the area, know all the great things to do there. I love Red River too and Cimarron where I can just about hear the guns of old gun fire going off from the cowboys of yesteryear, or the quietness of the Gila Wilderness Area, or the stars at night that twinkle by the millions up in the NM mountains. That crisp cool air in the winter as you walk out in fresh fallen snow and hear the wind creaking gently the pines and rustling of the aspens. How about the awesome dunes of White Sands? Hiking in a volcano at Mt. Capulin, or skiing on some great powder at Taos, or the fly-fishing on the Cimarron or the awe inspiring Carlsbad Caverns.... Oh on and on and on! I just can't pick one!

[hiking7]

My company and work takes me to either Albuquerque NM or Tucson/Green Valley AZ from my present place in Mt. Vernon, WA (between Seattle and Vancouver BC).
It can be arranged to stay put, but I'm very tempted to go toward the sun and warmth leaving the rain and overcast.
Any input from those from western Washington that have become desert dwellers?

[Sarahsez]

I would love to live in Cloudcroft. The houses always look so neat tucked away in the mountains. It's green there and it isn't far from the White Sands. I'd love to live in Farmington, Silver City, Taos and Santa Fe too. I'd always feel like I was on vacation.

[EnjoyEP]

Albuquerque! (Although Las Cruces is great too...just a little too small for me still) -

The pros in Albuquerque:

-The weather: It is cooler than Phoenix or southeast Texas, which is a good thing. The sun shines over 310 days a year, there is rarely a day without sun. It is a desert, so the air is very dry (very few mosquitoes!). Days are often very hot in the summer, but usually top out only at 95-to-101 degrees at most. Springs and falls here are just about the best weather you could imagine - 70s or 80 in the day, and cool, crisp, clear nights. Winters get very cool at night - 20s and 30s are common once the sun sets - but days generally bring 50s, and even some stretches of 60s. Golf is truly year-round here, but it is true you can still a few times see some snow.

-The natural beauty: Yes, it is brown, but isn't that a given in a desert? Las Vegas and Phoenix are much, much browner! On the east of the city - only a few minutes from much of the eastern portion of the city - are the beautiful Sandia Mountains - (peak is 11,000 feet). On the west is the West Mesa, a very scenic elevated desert area, which includes some dormant volcanoes. Through the middle runs the Rio Grande, which produces a greenish snake of huge green trees - Cottonwoods and the like - that runs through the middle of the city called the bosque - it is truly an oasis in the desert, and is beautiful in late autumn. And often times the first freeze here doesn't come until November, so while there isn't as much "green" as Chicago, per se, the green that is here lasts much longer into fall, and develops again much earlier the next spring again.

-Culture: There is more culture in Albuquerque than most areas! There is a huge blend of Mexican, Native American, Spanish, and Anglo cultures here, and as such, you find much more of a NATURAL rich culture than you do in many areas.

Crime statistics show Albuquerque kind of "below average" for safety in the U.S. for sure, but it is a far safer place statistically than places like Phoenix or L.A. And you know what? I have spent much time in Phoenix and L.A., and never for a minute felt threatened there. The vast majority of areas of the city are safe.

Albuquerque LEADS the country's major cities in percentage of the city covered by parks - with over 25% of the city covered by the beautiful parks here. It is a tremendous city for spending time outdoors.

The sunsets here will take your breath away...almost every night.

The Balloon Fiesta for 2 weeks in October is great. Roasting chile every year from August through early November brings tremendous smells to the air every day.

Old Town is a wonderful area for shopping and historical sight-seeing (there are not many places like Old Town in other major US cities).

We are only 45 minutes away from historical Santa Fe.

Our International Sunport (airport...you can tell by the name how sunny it is here year-round) is a perfect size - tons of flights, but not nearly the hassles of airports like Atlanta, Chicago, Phoenix, etc.

The Mexican and New Mexican food here is superb (and cheap!). But there are many tremendous Chinese, Thai, Italian, Mediterranean, etc., restaurants as well.

The architecture is beautiful, and so distinctively unique to New Mexico! The pueblo, adobe styles give you a feeling of living somewhere unique in the nation, and the brown against the beautiful blue skies are a wonderful contrast.

Albuquerque Isotopes baseball and the beautiful Isotopes’ Stadium. The Pit and UNM sports. Just fun (and affordable) sports options.

I could go on and on...and already have.

Oh...I forgot...the size of the city...
Albuquerque is a great city to live – big enough to have all of the big city “amenities” but small enough to not feel overly-bloated like Phoenix, DFW, etc.

Albuquerque is a great city, one of my faves in the country, and in my opinion my favorite in NM!

[ryflem]

I think the best place is Silver City, but that's just because I grew up there. I also like Las Cruses alot because the Hispanic culture is so thick there, especially in Mesilla. The Hispanic culture is my favorite culture to get lost in. I've been living in Minnesota for six years now, and I hope one day to get back to Silver City.

[Towanda]

My favorite town/city in New Mexico is Santa Fe, although I love many other towns in NM too.

I felt at home in Santa Fe the first time I stayed there 37 years ago, and I have returned many times and my feelings for the city only get stronger. My husband and I knew many years ago that we wanted to retire in Santa Fe someday, and that dream is going to become a reality later this year.

I am very blessed that my dream is coming true.

[Julia2sf]

Originally Posted by EnjoyEP

Albuquerque! (Although Las Cruces is great too...just a little too small for me still) -

The pros in Albuquerque:


Albuquerque is a great city, one of my faves in the country, and in my opinion my favorite in NM!

You've convinced me! Gotta do more to discover ABQ.