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I love the Southwest. I currently work at a popular grocery chain that has several locations throughout the Southwest, including in New Mexico. This company is expanding quickly and though retail, has great benefits. I originally thought about moving here a few years ago after a road trip with family. I like both, Santa Fe and Albuquerque (store is located in both cities) but would like to know what is more affordable for a single person, no kids, 2 cats and 1 dog.
I am thinking ahead about a year. I'll be moving with about 15,000 in savings. I'll be making between 17-1800 a month..not a lot, but with a decent savings account could dip a bit if needed. Ideally want to live closer to the city but don't mind an offbeat suburb if more affordable.
I'd like to hear more from locals..
Things that matter to me:
Crime rates per capita, public transportation( I have my own car but wouldn't mind not using it asoften as possible)..parks and recreation, dog parks, shopping, coffeehouses(I know there's starbucks everywhere but wouldn't mind supporting local business)..I ultimately would like to live closer to the city but there are more locations where I work throughout NM.
I like both, Santa Fe and Albuquerque (store is located in both cities) but would like to know what is more affordable for a single person, no kids, 2 cats and 1 dog.
Ideally want to live closer to the city but don't mind an offbeat suburb if more affordable.
I'd like to hear more from locals..
Things that matter to me:
Crime rates per capita, public transportation( I have my own car but wouldn't mind not using it asoften as possible)..parks and recreation, dog parks, shopping, coffeehouses(I know there's starbucks everywhere but wouldn't mind supporting local business)..
Albuquerque is more affordable than Santa Fe, and I believe more suited for singles (YMMV).
Crime rates per capita are higher in ABQ. Lower in Rio Rancho.
More parks, recreation, dog parks and shopping in ABQ. I've been shying away from some dog parks recently (Been here 17+ years)
Offbeat Suburb? Not sure what that really means, "differing from the usual or expected; unconventional"? Look at Rio Rancho. I'm always been surprised to encounter singles living in a retirement city. It is on the north border of ABQ, so, depending on where you work, there may be an advantage. (YMMV)
YMMV - Your Mileage May Vary...
Last edited by Poncho_NM; 10-13-2016 at 11:52 AM..
Rio Rancho is probably not "offbeat" in the way you are thinking. I think Albuquerque is more "offbeat" than Rio Rancho. Sandia Peak is closer to Albuquerque than Rio Rancho. Lots of options for local coffeehouses in Albuquerque:
Thanks so much, Aries, I am seriously thinking more about moving there day by day..I'm going to be moving with two cats and a dog so that should be interesting!
We are seriously considering moving to NM soon; it would be in the southern area near Alamogordo because we have a house there that was my fiance's parent's home and they've offered it to us. It's lovely, in a remote area (technically in La Luz). I am currently in Virginia (Norfolk area) and the crime here is just rampant. Last week two passengers in a car were shot on the highway and no one even knows who fired the gun. There are literally shootings here in multiple areas every night. The area is too crowded, and the place has simply lost its culture over the last few decades. Yet property taxes have skyrocketed. Oh, and traffic is HORRIFIC here no matter what the time of day or year is. Just HORRIFIC. New Mexico traffic? Non existent. I love that about it.
I've been to New Mexico before and we are actually going back the 13th for a week to spend more time there so I can really decide if it's the place for me. I think my biggest hestitations are my aging parents and missing my friends, and that the house in kind of at the top of a mountain, so it's quite a drive on gravel roads into town. BUT - the area is just stunning. Stark and desert like in one area, and rich with green trees in the next. It moves, it breathes, it just seems to have such a mysterious, magical feel to it like no other place I've been. My fiance is in love with it and is determined for us to sell our house and pull up stakes. I am nervous but excited to see what the future holds; it's definitely culture shock but yet I really do like the newness and difference of it.
My cousin lived in ABQ for a long time and didn't seem to be a fan of the state, however I am not planning on living in the city so I think my experience will be a little different...
Your description of your place sounds like our description of our place when we bought it. Having lived in a good sized university town, New York City, and Boston, New Mexico is a different planet. After six years we are no less seduced by it. Magical, mysterious, stunning, yup.
Your description of your place sounds like our description of our place when we bought it. Having lived in a good sized university town, New York City, and Boston, New Mexico is a different planet. After six years we are no less seduced by it. Magical, mysterious, stunning, yup.
Are you in NM now? What area? How do you like it? I hear so many complaints from natives about how poor it is, how bad the education and roads are, lack of work... but then I also hear wonderful things from other people. I have no children and work from home, so jobs/education are not a factor for me, however I can see how it still affects the overall culture, attitudes, and crime rates which can be a concern...
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