Just out of curiosity, those you DON'T like NM/Albuquerque, how old are you? (Rio Rancho: fit in)

[linearity]

It seems as though it's younger people who are bashing Albuquerque. However, even if you're not, I'd like to share my experience of the area for others in an effort to give potential transplants a better idea of hte place. I agree that statistically ABQ has a very high crime rate and the public schools are usually at the bottom of the list, but beyond that, it's not a horrible place to live. Now, before you jump on that previous sentence (I know that crime and education are both very important factors), READ ON.

I came here from Pennsylvania over a decade ago and my husband and I are actually looking to relocate away from Albuquerque, partially BECAUSE of hte crime and schools (now that we have children), but that's only PART of hte reason, the other part is that I'd like to get back to the East coast and family. HOWEVER, people on this board are blowing things way out of proportion and making Albuquerque sound like it's a third world country.

I think that Albuquerque is a city and because it's a big city, there are areas that are nicer and have good schools nad less crime and then there are areas with really bad schools and horrible crime. I think the suburb of Rio Rancho is a great place to raise a family. It's just as safe (based on city-data's statistics) and the population is just as educated as many of hte surrounding suburbs we're looking at on the East Coast. I've heard the school system in Rio Rancho is pretty good.

There is a ton of crime along Central and in the S/SW in general, but if you're looking to raise a family, most of these people who are transplanting would probably not choose that as their first choice to live anyway. They'd probably choose Rio Rancho or the NE Heights, which are still quite affordable BTW compared to other areas of the country.

I hope all the people who are coming to this board for insider's info. on ABQ will find this helpful. Oh, and as for hte people here not being friendly. I'm sure that depends on which area of town you're living in as well, but for me and where I live, most of the people I run into are VERY VERY friendly. I've been all up and down the east coast where lots of people (especially in New England area and hte really big cities) are used to a fast pace and don't have time for small talk (just a different way of life, not bashing it) and I don't find that here. I find myself chatting with people in line at the grocery store, with the lady at the dry cleaners, etc. I live in the NE and most of the people in this area are very very friendly. However, I do agree there is a lot of reverse racism in Albuquerque in the workplace and schools. But not enough of a problem to bother me. HTH

[Mark S.]

To answer your question: I'm in my mid-30s. I grew up in New Mexico. Even though I fled the state, most of my family is still there. My brother lives in Rio Rancho, in fact.

I would not recommend anyone with kids moving to the Albuquerque area --- or pretty most anywhere in New Mexico.

[Disenchanted]

I am 48. I have lived in New Mexico since I was 4 months old. I remember when Juan Tabo in Albuquerque was a dirt road. I remember riding the bus down town with my sister to see a movie at the Kimo when I was 7. My mother wrote a note to the bus driver so he would know where to let us off. No one in their right mind would do that today.

So, NM has change a lot in almost a half a century. Albuquerque has grown enormously. The crime has grown. As you point out: more people = more crime. Some on this site say that housing is affordable. Only if you have a good paying job, and NM does not pay employees well. I think housing is way overpriced for the income. Yes, crime is heavier in ABQ in the south and along Central Ave. But, it is creeping north.

What I keep trying (unsuccessfully) to say, it that there is a meanness to NM that didn't used to be there. NM is not friendly. Yes, you will find wonderful, warm-hearted folks, but in the balance it is mean. It is mean in tone, and attitude. NM is poor. NM is dirty. NM is undereducated. NM is racially divided in ways that can astound open minded people. There is an undercurrent of fear (maybe its unfounded) that runs just below the surface. There is a threat that seems to hang in the air. It is not simply a matter of which part of town you are in, or even which town you are in.

[Disenchanted]

I just want much more out of my life than a breath-taking vista and a margarita.

[MrCoffee]

Originally Posted by Disenchanted

I am 48. I have lived in New Mexico since I was 4 months old. I remember when Juan Tabo in Albuquerque was a dirt road. I remember riding the bus down town with my sister to see a movie at the Kimo when I was 7. My mother wrote a note to the bus driver so he would know where to let us off. No one in their right mind would do that today.

I was in Albuquerque around 1983, and that vicinity wasn't very well developed. It was really growing back when I left, however.

So, NM has change a lot in almost a half a century. Albuquerque has grown enormously. The crime has grown. As you point out: more people = more crime. Some on this site say that housing is affordable. Only if you have a good paying job, and NM does not pay employees well. I think housing is way overpriced for the income. Yes, crime is heavier in ABQ in the south and along Central Ave. But, it is creeping north.

I have seen houses selling in Albuquerque for around $110,000.00 back in 1989. It would be a bit hard to imagine how much those houses would sell for now.

What I keep trying (unsuccessfully) to say, it that there is a meanness to NM that didn't used to be there. NM is not friendly. Yes, you will find wonderful, warm-hearted folks, but in the balance it is mean. It is mean in tone, and attitude. NM is poor. NM is dirty. NM is undereducated. NM is racially divided in ways that can astound open minded people. There is an undercurrent of fear (maybe its unfounded) that runs just below the surface. There is a threat that seems to hang in the air. It is not simply a matter of which part of town you are in, or even which town you are in.

That meanness you're describing was evident clear back around 1990, if not earlier. Some of it is related to race. New Mexico has a low tolerance for those who don't "fit the mold". As far back as 1992, I would get threats from other drivers just because I looked at them "the wrong way". In fact, I was driving North on San Mateo Drive, and was being tailgated by a man driving a small Toyota pickup truck. He passed me on the right, and pulled out what appeared to be a gun, and aimed it at me. Fortunately, I didn't get shot at. Since the weather was very hot that day, it may have been a factor.

I lived on Central Avenue, close to the Frontier restaurant across from the University of New Mexico. While living in that neighborhood, it was fairly easy to get drawn into the wrong crowd. Friends can have an influence, either negative or positive. With a diverse population with many homeless people, partaking in a violent culture can be quite easy. This is especially true when a need for survival is paramount. That, and the "meanness" described earlier just tends to rub off on you.

In Albuquerque, it takes a great deal of money to associate with more desirable groups. Housing in quieter, nicer neighborhoods sells at a premium, and there are some gated communities. From what I remember, apartments are readily available as long as the prospective tenant has a good credit and rental history. Again, income needs to be high if one wishes to live in the more desirable areas.

A part of the reason for leaving Albuquerque had to do with finances. I just didn't seem to make enough to be a real part of my support network. And yes, there is such as thing as social discrimination against poor people, even in the churches there. No matter what skills you may offer to some social group, no matter how good you are at performing a function the group needs, being poor will get you passed up for someone else. If you are a janitor in Albuquerque, you hang with other janitors and that's about it (based on my experience).

In summary, I would make a go at it if I had enough money and an influential job. There is plenty of skiing in the Sandias, yet one can also play tennis the same day due to the warmer weather in lower elevations. Evenings are wonderful and the climate is quite temperate. I got a lot of joy out of riding my motorcycle by the Rio Grande valley, visiting some of the shops and local vendors. Old Town had a lot to offer too, and I especially liked their rattlesnake museum. The trouble is, I didn't fit in and eventually lost a support network that I spent over 10 years developing. I no longer have any ties in New Mexico. I'll keep Michigan, in spite of its higher unemployment rate, thank you very much.

MrCoffee

[wildfan]

Originally Posted by Disenchanted

What I keep trying (unsuccessfully) to say, it that there is a meanness to NM that didn't used to be there. NM is not friendly. Yes, you will find wonderful, warm-hearted folks, but in the balance it is mean. It is mean in tone, and attitude. NM is poor. NM is dirty. NM is undereducated. NM is racially divided in ways that can astound open minded people. There is an undercurrent of fear (maybe its unfounded) that runs just below the surface. There is a threat that seems to hang in the air. It is not simply a matter of which part of town you are in, or even which town you are in.

I'd agree we moved here in Nov. 05 to Farmington for wifes JOB starting for BLM Bureau of Land Management. We moved from Minneapolis,MN very diverse city and living here is CRAP, I'm 35, wife 29 daughter almost 5 and boy 3. yes I believe folks are genuinely mean hearted here if they have been here all there life, when I meet someone that moved here and start chatting with them they feel the same exact way I do. The professionalism in farmington anyway is like 3rd world, people here in general have NO IDEA of what decent manners are.

My wife has already applied to some other BLM and Govt. jobs out of NM patiently waiting...so we can move!

PS. If you don't have a newer chevy pickup and a mobile home your not a new mexican lmfao!

-Bob

[Disenchanted]

I'd agree we moved here in Nov. 05 to Farmington for wifes JOB starting for BLM Bureau of Land Management. We moved from Minneapolis,MN very diverse city and living here is CRAP, I'm 35, wife 29 daughter almost 5 and boy 3. yes I believe folks are genuinely mean hearted here if they have been here all there life, when I meet someone that moved here and start chatting with them they feel the same exact way I do. The professionalism in farmington anyway is like 3rd world, people here in general have NO IDEA of what decent manners are.

My wife has already applied to some other BLM and Govt. jobs out of NM patiently waiting...so we can move!

PS. If you don't have a newer chevy pickup and a mobile home your not a new mexican lmfao!

-Bob

Sorry its such a bummer, Bob. But I think I understand. Yes. No professionalism. The land of Manana just says: "That's good enough" and walks off. And sorry that the BLM in New Mexico is a manical governmental behemoth that tramples the rights of the citizens. (Sorry Informer. THAT is a fact.) And Bob, you are correct. Manners are sadly lacking in the citizenry of NM. I'm not sure about the Chevy, tho. In same places you gotta have a Ford.
And to others reading this post, there really are an incredible number of mobile homes in NM. Huge tracks of land get subdivided and sold for mobile home spaces. Mobile home dealers advertise "Home/Land packages." Part of why housing seems inexpensive is the number of mobile homes. In NM, if you put a mobile home on a foundation so it is no longer "mobile" it counts as a "real" house. Think about it, especially if you are house-hunting long distance and via the internet.
Good luck, Bob. Hug your family.

[wildfan]

on the BLM job I believe she has a pretty good one she is in Environmental Compliance. She makes sure all the well companies put back NATURE as it was before drilling...don't know on the other aspects of the BLM.