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.
As a lifelong New Yorker, I'm used to being close to the city, having easy access to JFK/LGA and being able to fly out of here to any place in the world with ease.
The taxes on my property are killing me and I have to get out. It's a horrible financial strain, and the tax bills prevent me from maintaining my house properly. I'm also sick of it here, and the humidity, cold weather, congested roads, etc. I hardly go to NYC anymore, and would enjoy a different SW vibe.
I thought I'd rent my house for a year or two, fix it up as it needs to be fixed with the rental $, and then possibly sell it. I could get two or three houses in ABQ for the selling price of this one.
I work online, so job hunting and commuting isn't an issue. At least I save $300 a month not taking the LIRR.
I like to travel, and part of my reason for considering NM is the opportunity to really see the American west.
I'm a big fan of Turkey, and want to live there part of the year eventually. ABQ looks okay but not really great for somebody who is used to living 6 miles from JFK.
Any advice for me? I realize my query is vague.
Edited to add: I hate snakes and bugs. We have no snakes here, but lots of bugs. How bad is it in NM? It can't be as buggy as Fla.
Last edited by manekeniko; 07-03-2014 at 01:36 PM..
Forget it being anything like being near NYC here. That is what I like about it. It is a complete change from what you're used to so you will have to be open to change. I never liked NY except for some of the beaches. ABQ is very suburban like most of Long Island.
Bugs and snakes, it all depends on where you are. Newer developments near open space or mountains will tend to have snakes, scorpions, centipedes, mice, packrats, prairie dogs, etc. Older, more established neighborhoods do not have them. It is not really an issue. Mosquitos are rare except near water. Roaches are a common pest in some areas. For the last month we've had a grasshopper invasion, but they're kind of cute and are harmless. I remember a gypsy moth invasion on LI in 1980 which was gross. At night you could hear the caterpillars chewing everything and their poop falling through the leaves.
How often do you fly from JFK or LGA versus all the time you spend living in New York?
It's a short flight from here to Phoenix or Dallas, with both of those airports having access to the world. Not in JFK/LGA's league but not bad as getaway airports.
I work online, too. I get paid well by a company headquartered in another state but my disposable income goes a lot further here due to the lower cost of living. That plus ABQ's great weather makes this place near ideal for us (my wife and me).
Congestion here is so much less as to be almost laughable, I smirk every time I hear someone complain about the traffic. ABQ is a whole different type of world than the one you're currently living in. You really should visit and see if it's a good fit for you.
Flying things are much less than other places where we've lived. The lack of humidity translates into a lot fewer of those critters. We have no ticks that I know of, if they are here they're very sparse. We've been here almost 5 years and I've only seen 2 snakes, and I go hiking in the mountains and along other local/nearby trails.
Thanks a lot for the comments and feedback. I'm reading and thinking about what's been posted here.
I was vague because it was hard to put into words my anxieties about moving and hatred of change. I've been a NY'er all of my life. I'm used to a particular lifestyle, and was wondering how difficult it would be to adjust. I know that people in the west are accustomed to driving long distances to anywhere, and I'd have to adjust to that because so much in my area is walkable. That said, no road in NM can be half as bad as Old Country Road off Roosevelt Field at 5:10 PM.
I don't actually fly out of here all that much (haven't the money). I do want to leave NY, although bristling at being shoved out faster due to financial concerns.
The NM Municipal League has been trying to get the Legislature to reimpose a food tax (there was one until about 10 years ago); see http://www.thinknewmexico.org/foodtax.html. But they have not been successful so far.
Thanks, rwjoyak. I've been reading your other NM posts, and you're a very informative poster.
I have a question that I hope people won't take the wrong way. What's the religion sitch in NM? I'm agnostic, and don't want to live in an area swarming with bible thumpers of any stripe. This is partly why I will steer clear of the south (in addition to the heat, humidity, skeeters, and so on).
I am attracted to Hispanic culture, in addition to Turkish as I said earlier. I love Dia de los Muertos events in particular. (Funny that I'm neither Hispanic nor Turkish.) Yesterday I was checking out the ABQ scene, and veered back and forth from I hate it to I love it. Reading here is helping me to understand the lifestyle, and I am getting a better a sense of what I'm getting into.
Catholicism is strong here due to the church's historic influence on the Hispanic and Pueblo populations. But there's a bunch of other faiths as well plus plenty of agnostics and atheists. Bible thumpers are not prevalent at all. NM is very much a live and let live place, and that includes on religion.
I think most people do either love or hate this area, not all that many who could just take it or leave it. It's so different from Normalville, USA, and some folks thrive on that kind of diversity. Others find it outside their comfort zone and have trouble adapting. It's also a place where you don't want to move to and then try to tell locals how they should change things to make it better. Most of us like that it's different and appreciate those differences, we don't want it to be like where we came from. And those locals who have roots here that are hundreds of years old particularly don't want to be told how they should change.
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.
