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After being a lifelong (born and raised) Philly resident, it was time to go. It's a great city, but I got tired of the winters and general aggressiveness/stress (eagles fans.. wtf?). I've been in Albuquerque for a year now and love almost everything about it. If you don't mind loosing a bit of the big city, and appreciate all things outdoors.. you will love it. The people are among the friendliest I've ever encountered. Making friends is easy. Gone is the sarcasm and hipster culture.. the depressing weather, the city corruption. Welcome the sunny blue skies with incredible views of the mountains everyday on the way to work. I feel much healthier here, spending more time outdoors and eating better. Most people are into some kind of combination of outdoor activities. The city is actually more liberal than Philly, with the state as a whole being less conservative than PA. My wife and I had excellent, high paying jobs in healthcare waiting for us upon arrival. The cost of living is much lower compared to Philly. The food here is absolutely amazing, although lacking the diversity found in Philly. There is a wonderful tri-cultural influence on the state. The poverty in much of the rural areas does lend itself to all of the problems associated with poverty, and much of the state is rural. People complain about crime and traffic here, but if they spent one night in North Philly or attempted 76 at any time of day or night, they would probably reconsider that opinion. The public education system appears to be lacking, although there are plenty of high-quality private schools. Childcare is half the cost of what it was back east. The hiking, biking, camping, climbing etc.. are all unbelievable. When friends visit from back east they are all amazed at the beauty here. It might be one of the most under-rated places in the US. Don't get me wrong, Philly is an awesome city filled with some great people, but it just didn't fit for me anymore.
After being a lifelong (born and raised) Philly resident, it was time to go. It's a great city, but I got tired of the winters and general aggressiveness/stress (eagles fans.. wtf?). I've been in Albuquerque for a year now and love almost everything about it. If you don't mind loosing a bit of the big city, and appreciate all things outdoors.. you will love it. The people are among the friendliest I've ever encountered. Making friends is easy. Gone is the sarcasm and hipster culture.. the depressing weather, the city corruption. Welcome the sunny blue skies with incredible views of the mountains everyday on the way to work. I feel much healthier here, spending more time outdoors and eating better. Most people are into some kind of combination of outdoor activities. The city is actually more liberal than Philly, with the state as a whole being less conservative than PA. My wife and I had excellent, high paying jobs in healthcare waiting for us upon arrival. The cost of living is much lower compared to Philly. The food here is absolutely amazing, although lacking the diversity found in Philly. There is a wonderful tri-cultural influence on the state. The poverty in much of the rural areas does lend itself to all of the problems associated with poverty, and much of the state is rural. People complain about crime and traffic here, but if they spent one night in North Philly or attempted 76 at any time of day or night, they would probably reconsider that opinion. The public education system appears to be lacking, although there are plenty of high-quality private schools. Childcare is half the cost of what it was back east. The hiking, biking, camping, climbing etc.. are all unbelievable. When friends visit from back east they are all amazed at the beauty here. It might be one of the most under-rated places in the US. Don't get me wrong, Philly is an awesome city filled with some great people, but it just didn't fit for me anymore.
505, Thanks for that post. I have given out too much reputation in the last 24 hours, so I will have to wait until tomorrow to rep you. ABQ is my "dream city" for retirement, for a lot of reasons (like the SUN!!!). But I have heard a lot about gang violence within the city limits. Is that true? And does it spill over into the local 'burbs of ABQ, if you have any info about them?
I would highly recommend Albuquerque for retirement! As far as gang activity - and crime in general, it seems to be vastly overstated by the people who live here. The actual crime rate is lower in Albuquerque than Philadelphia. There are certain sections of town, especially closer to Central Ave and Downtown that have increased crime rates. It is primarily non-violent in nature - property crime/theft.. etc. The suburbs are very safe, and beautiful. Many areas include having access to the mountains which are essentially connected to your backyard. Look at the Northeast Heights or High Desert neighborhoods. Ridgecrest is also a great suburban neighborhood. For more of the city feel, look into Nob Hill or Edo. I would also consider Santa Fe or Taos.
Good luck!
I would highly recommend Albuquerque for retirement! As far as gang activity - and crime in general, it seems to be vastly overstated by the people who live here. The actual crime rate is lower in Albuquerque than Philadelphia. There are certain sections of town, especially closer to Central Ave and Downtown that have increased crime rates. It is primarily non-violent in nature - property crime/theft.. etc. The suburbs are very safe, and beautiful. Many areas include having access to the mountains which are essentially connected to your backyard. Look at the Northeast Heights or High Desert neighborhoods. Ridgecrest is also a great suburban neighborhood. For more of the city feel, look into Nob Hill or Edo. I would also consider Santa Fe or Taos.
Good luck!
Any Philly folks move to or live part time in ABQ? Thinking of moving there. Visited several times and the weather and desert have grown on me. Any experience? Thanks.
Not ABQ. But I have friends who moved from University City to Tucson a decade ago. They love it there. I've been there. It was okay but the vibe/lifestyle was not for me.
Not ABQ. But I have friends who moved from University City to Tucson a decade ago. They love it there. I've been there. It was okay but the vibe/lifestyle was not for me.
What about the vibe/lifestyle was not for you? Was it the politics? The pace of life? General attitudes? I do worry about being an Easterner and moving West, so I have a lot of thinking, visiting and exploring to do before I take the plunge at retirement.
What about the vibe/lifestyle was not for you? Was it the politics? The pace of life? General attitudes? I do worry about being an Easterner and moving West, so I have a lot of thinking, visiting and exploring to do before I take the plunge at retirement.
The pace of life more than politics. And the fact that you have to drive everywhere. I gave up my car this past summer because, since retirement, I rarely used it.
I hate hot weather so the SW would never work for me.
The pace of life more than politics. And the fact that you have to drive everywhere. I gave up my car this past summer because, since retirement, I rarely used it.
I hate hot weather so the SW would never work for me.
Thanks for your perspective. I detest cold weather -- well snow and ice more specifically -- hence a lot of the appeal of the SW to me.
I moved from Philadelphia to Albuquerque for health reasons, several years back. I did escape grass mold allergy hell, but I still have major allergy issues, plus some additional perplexing sinus problems that probably aren't allergy related. At any rate, I have not recovered my life as I was hoping to, so I can't compare living a full life in Albuquerque to living a full life in Philadelphia. In a sense I still find myself thinking Albuquerque could be a nice place to live (if only I could fully regain my health).
Overall, there is much less free-floating hostility in Albuquerque than in Philadelphia. While there are divides and conflicts (mostly along Hispanic/Native/"Anglo" lines), these tend to be expressed with more subtlety than black-white or black-almost-every-other-group conflict in Philadelphia. (If you guessed I am white, you guessed correctly.)
People seem a little more focused on family and other small, long-term social circles.
I am still not entirely used to the slower pace and I doubt I ever will fully adjust to it. I think I am too culturally too BosWash corridor urban. I sometimes have to make an effort to chill out at least a little.
I work in a cultural institution similar to the one I worked for in Philadelphia. I find that my co-workers, who are at least as formally educated as my previous co-workers, are less sophisticated about government and mainstream media propaganda than the people I worked with in Philadelphia. Not that this is something that comes up a lot (and no, I am not the guy who always brings up politics), but it's been striking how little critical thinking I see in relation to what comes out of the State Department or CNN or the BBC or the NYT. On a related note, I think people here don't feel as strong a connection to the larger world. There is a bit of a bubble effect. In general, New Mexico lends itself to creating your own generally sun-drenched fantasy land. I also suspect that New Mexico's heavy dependence on the military-industrial complex for its economic well-being discourages people here from thinking as critically about military/intelligence related political issues. If your husband is employed at Sandia Labs or at Kirtland AFB, maybe it's easier not to ask too many questions about foreign policy?
I find my co-workers' cultural reference points less diverse, as well. Perhaps they are just different from mine. But where I generally could find a half dozen people (among my co-workers) to talk to about many of my interests, in Philadelphia, here there is often no one.
I want to emphasize, incidentally, that many of these co-workers are also transplants.
If my health allowed me to have an active social life, I am pretty sure I could find more people with shared interests and perspectives.
*
There is some good food here, but obviously much less variety than in Philadelphia. New Mexican cuisine itself is fairly narrow, although it can be quite good. I love chile, but there aren't too many other vegetables involved beyond that. It's not the same as the sort of Italian-American/Italian continuum in Philadelphia, where you have cheese steaks and hoagies, but you also have roasted pork sandwiches with broccoli rabe, and you also have lots of gourmet places to get pasta salad or grilled eggplant, or things of that sort. You might think Mexican Mexican food would make up for the relative lack of variety in New Mexican cooking, but it is not as ubiquitous here as you might suspect. There are lots of good Vietnamese restaurants here. I wish I liked Vietnamese food (and especially pho) a bit more. Good Chinese is much more of a challenge, but there is some around if you do some digging. My picks, and there are still some promising places I haven't tried, would be: Chopstix, Budai, and the pop up dumpling house at Talin Market.
*
I live in a "bad" neighborhood because of what my rent buys me there. I don't think it's as bad as it's made out to be, but yes, there is drug dealing and prostitution here and there. I wouldn't want to walk very far at all from my place, after dark. During the day though, it is generally pretty comfortable. There are not toughs hanging around on the corners looking threatening, or anything of that sort. It's generally pretty quiet. Hispanic women pushing strollers, black children playing outside their homes, elderly Vietnamese men taking their afternoon constitutional. If low income people of color are scary to you, then I guess it could be scary. I have not run into any serious problems in the area. I have not experienced any break-ins.
There are generally a lot more guys with neck and face tattoos (not just in my neighborhood, but throughout the city) than I'm used to from Philadelphia, but my advice is not to stare and just get on with what you're doing. Still, the excessive tolerance of gang culture is unappealing.
*
I would prefer a colder climate, overall. I find the typically unrelenting brightness a bit too much. I have sometimes walked out of my apartment and thought, oh, I need to put my sunglasses on, only to realize I was already wearing them. But that's high desert living, of course. Nothing unexpected.
*
I feel that I am giving short shrift to the people here. Overall, I do feel a fondness for New Mexicans. There is humility and often a gentleness, though combined with a rough edge as well, if that makes any sense. (Maybe think Holly Holm?)
I moved from Philadelphia to Albuquerque for health reasons, several years back. I did escape grass mold allergy hell, but I still have major allergy issues, plus some additional perplexing sinus problems that probably aren't allergy related. At any rate, I have not recovered my life as I was hoping to, so I can't compare living a full life in Albuquerque to living a full life in Philadelphia. In a sense I still find myself thinking Albuquerque could be a nice place to live (if only I could fully regain my health).
Overall, there is much less free-floating hostility in Albuquerque than in Philadelphia. While there are divides and conflicts (mostly along Hispanic/Native/"Anglo" lines), these tend to be expressed with more subtlety than black-white or black-almost-every-other-group conflict in Philadelphia. (If you guessed I am white, you guessed correctly.)
People seem a little more focused on family and other small, long-term social circles.
I am still not entirely used to the slower pace and I doubt I ever will fully adjust to it. I think I am too culturally too BosWash corridor urban. I sometimes have to make an effort to chill out at least a little.
I work in a cultural institution similar to the one I worked for in Philadelphia. I find that my co-workers, who are at least as formally educated as my previous co-workers, are less sophisticated about government and mainstream media propaganda than the people I worked with in Philadelphia. Not that this is something that comes up a lot (and no, I am not the guy who always brings up politics), but it's been striking how little critical thinking I see in relation to what comes out of the State Department or CNN or the BBC or the NYT. On a related note, I think people here don't feel as strong a connection to the larger world. There is a bit of a bubble effect. In general, New Mexico lends itself to creating your own generally sun-drenched fantasy land. I also suspect that New Mexico's heavy dependence on the military-industrial complex for its economic well-being discourages people here from thinking as critically about military/intelligence related political issues. If your husband is employed at Sandia Labs or at Kirtland AFB, maybe it's easier not to ask too many questions about foreign policy?
I find my co-workers' cultural reference points less diverse, as well. Perhaps they are just different from mine. But where I generally could find a half dozen people (among my co-workers) to talk to about many of my interests, in Philadelphia, here there is often no one.
I want to emphasize, incidentally, that many of these co-workers are also transplants.
If my health allowed me to have an active social life, I am pretty sure I could find more people with shared interests and perspectives.
*
There is some good food here, but obviously much less variety than in Philadelphia. New Mexican cuisine itself is fairly narrow, although it can be quite good. I love chile, but there aren't too many other vegetables involved beyond that. It's not the same as the sort of Italian-American/Italian continuum in Philadelphia, where you have cheese steaks and hoagies, but you also have roasted pork sandwiches with broccoli rabe, and you also have lots of gourmet places to get pasta salad or grilled eggplant, or things of that sort. You might think Mexican Mexican food would make up for the relative lack of variety in New Mexican cooking, but it is not as ubiquitous here as you might suspect. There are lots of good Vietnamese restaurants here. I wish I liked Vietnamese food (and especially pho) a bit more. Good Chinese is much more of a challenge, but there is some around if you do some digging. My picks, and there are still some promising places I haven't tried, would be: Chopstix, Budai, and the pop up dumpling house at Talin Market.
*
I live in a "bad" neighborhood because of what my rent buys me there. I don't think it's as bad as it's made out to be, but yes, there is drug dealing and prostitution here and there. I wouldn't want to walk very far at all from my place, after dark. During the day though, it is generally pretty comfortable. There are not toughs hanging around on the corners looking threatening, or anything of that sort. It's generally pretty quiet. Hispanic women pushing strollers, black children playing outside their homes, elderly Vietnamese men taking their afternoon constitutional. If low income people of color are scary to you, then I guess it could be scary. I have not run into any serious problems in the area. I have not experienced any break-ins.
There are generally a lot more guys with neck and face tattoos (not just in my neighborhood, but throughout the city) than I'm used to from Philadelphia, but my advice is not to stare and just get on with what you're doing. Still, the excessive tolerance of gang culture is unappealing.
*
I would prefer a colder climate, overall. I find the typically unrelenting brightness a bit too much. I have sometimes walked out of my apartment and thought, oh, I need to put my sunglasses on, only to realize I was already wearing them. But that's high desert living, of course. Nothing unexpected.
*
I feel that I am giving short shrift to the people here. Overall, I do feel a fondness for New Mexicans. There is humility and often a gentleness, though combined with a rough edge as well, if that makes any sense. (Maybe think Holly Holm?)
Nice to see an objective post that doesn't slam Philadelphia at the same time. The blue cloudless skies do look gorgeous out there, but I don't think I could take the dryness. Every time I've been in a desert climate, my skin gets so dry and my throat is constantly parched. I don't know what that type of climate would do for my (bad) allergies, but it doesn't sound like it would clear them up. I'm in FL now and actually appreciate the moist coastal air....although at this time of year, my allergies still kick in. I don't know if there's anywhere that I could get away from them.
Anyway, I appreciate your post -- it can be hard to describe the culture shock of moving out West but you've done a nice job, and to me, that's one of the things that people forget to consider when they're relocating.
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so I will have to wait until tomorrow to rep you. ABQ is my "dream city" for retirement, for a lot of reasons (like the SUN!!!). But I have heard a lot about gang violence within the city limits. Is that true? And does it spill over into the local 'burbs of ABQ, if you have any info about them?
Some rambling comparisons
