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Oh no!!!! I will be stupid to even contemplate comparing ABQ with those metros. I was of the frame of mind that ABQ has a chance of beginning now to lay the foundation to eventually have the something close to economy of those places.
Just look at Atlanta now and Atlanta 35 years ago. It was rural and not a world class city but now it's.Those areas are saturated and places like ABQ can serve as the new places for the next phase.
Who do you find that futuristic scenario desirable? If you want a world class city, why not move to one? There are plenty of them out there, complete with all the problems of world class cities that many people prefer to avoid.
Who do you find that futuristic scenario desirable? If you want a world class city, why not move to one? There are plenty of them out there, complete with all the problems of world class cities that many people prefer to avoid.
Cities and large metros are the engines of economies around the world. Just look around.And yes I currently live in one in Washington DC Suburb of Maryland.
There's nothing to be afraid of in cities unless you hate people, diversity, culture and enlightenment. Sure cities are expensive with housing but that's the price of nearness to desirable things that people want. Cities are big because people desire to live in them for various reasons. And don't fool yourself thinking that only poor people live in cities. No!
Yeah! you're afraid of crimes and guns but guess what, there more guns in the suburbs and rural areas than cities and guns kills more in suburbs and rural areas. Albuquerque with it's mid size has more crime and violence per capita that NYC or Atlanta or San Francisco.
There advantage and disadvantages in both ends though.
Albuquerque with it's mid size has more crime and violence per capita that NYC or Atlanta or San Francisco.
Not really. Albuquerque is on a par with other southwestern cities, and roughly the same as the cities you mention, with the exception of Atlanta which has a far higher violent crime rate per capita according to 2012 statistics found on Wikipedia.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ABQ1
There advantage and disadvantages in both ends though.
Here you are correct. You are also correct that cities, by and large, drive the economy. I will point out however, that we feed you people, at least until China fully takes over that honor.
That said, a lot of us rural people do not find cities to be the living end that you appear to. I've lived in cities and I've lived in rural areas, I know my neighbors better out here than I ever did in the city, and I find them to be friendlier and more interested in local community events. You can claim that rural people dislike cities because they dislike other people, but that just tells me that you don't know any of us.
Its not fear, it is rejection of the hectic pace and rather silly priorities that many city people seem to have. I'm sure its important, whatever it is that drives the manic pace of cities. But I prefer quiet nights and friendly neighbors. When I go visit family in a city, I can hardly sleep for the noise - cars, helicopters, sirens - mostly the result of people's unhappiness IMHO.
I can sympathize with people who live in Albuquerque and do not wish to see it grow excessively. Enjoy it as it is, while it is. If it gets too big for you, move out to Edgewood Some of the stuff that comes with growth is really nice - good shopping, cultural events, entertainment of various sorts. Soooo much easier to find a job, even if it isn't the thing that you always dreamed of doing.... enjoy those pluses, they really do go a long way to offset the stuff you don't like.
the question isn't if you grow. Growth is likely inevitable. It is how you grow. Hopefully ABQ can learn from the sprawling messes in Phoenix and other Sunbelt cities and improve upon them.
"Businesses have been unable to expand for decades and their employees, for the most part, remain stuck at minimum wage, or a little above that. Even those who rode the lucrative wave of the tech industry in New Mexico are scrambling now."
"However, if you bring this up as an issue, our local spoken media and our politicians begin to extol the beauty of our mountains and deserts and the excitement of the balloon fiesta. The average New Mexican will stick his head in the sand when New Mexico’s economic deficiencies are mentioned. Some, as I found out, will get downright mad at you for thinking that we have problems. No one, however, will say, “What do we do to fix it?”
"That is why this state is emptying itself of businesses and employees and of college grads who catch the first train out of here they can get a ticket on. The rest of you, who don’t have to make a living, can sit on your patios and gawk at the mountains and wait for the balloon fiesta to roll around."
"Forbes magazine said a couple of years ago that New Mexico was a state in a death spiral. New Mexicans laughed and scoffed. But Forbes was right. All that is left to do with New Mexico’s economy, unless we wake up and get busy, is to throw the dirt in over it and plant the headstone."
"There is an election coming up. I will vote for the person who can show me how they are going to fix this and how they are going to get New Mexicans involved in fixing it. Either we dig in or we get buried – or we catch that train outta town."
Also the Abq business journal pointed out that New Mexico was one of only 2 states to actually lose NET jobs between May of 2013 and May of 2014. And Abq has also 8% less people employed statewide then it did in 2007. The U.S. as a whole already recovered all the jobs lost during the great recession, but NM still has 8% less. It amazes me that people want to live in denial despite all the reems of data that say otherwise.
I personally love the state of NM and think it has a ton of great attributes, I just hate to see it struggle so much economically. Especially being a property owner in the state.
Being #50 in the U.S. in job growth means there is a serious issue. Not #48 or #49, #50! That is insane, being behind places like Mississippi and rust belt places like Ohio and MI in job growth. The Governor should be in crises mode right now working 24/7 on a plan to get the state back on track. A massive brainstorm of why the state is in this situation and the plan going forward to get it out. I know Governor Martinez was recently meeting with the Utah governor getting some pointers. Utah now has 3.6% unemployment rate! That is amazing!
"New Mexico lost 1,000 jobs in the 12 months that ended May 31, making it and New Jersey the only states that suffered year-over-year job losses, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said Friday."
"On a month-to-month basis, the jobs picture looked better for New Mexico. In May, the state added 4,900 jobs."
.....the second quote above from this Abq Journal article gives me hope that things may be turning? NM unemployment rate also dropped from 6.8% to 6.5%. But many will say that this drop is not indicative of job improvements, it due to more people leaving the workforce or giving up looking for work (as it has been in the U.S as a whole).
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Some of the stuff that comes with growth is really nice - good shopping, cultural events, entertainment of various sorts. Soooo much easier to find a job, even if it isn't the thing that you always dreamed of doing.... enjoy those pluses, they really do go a long way to offset the stuff you don't like.
wrong w NM
