Let's talk about Albuquerque
 

Well, I see there's a discussion going on about Phoenix....

I have a very good possibility of moving to New Mexico for a new job. I'll preface this with the fact that I love desert, enjoy sun, and I'm tired of really unpredictable Indiana weather.

I've done research into cost of living comparisons, taxes, laws, etc...

But does anybody live in albuquerque or surrounding areas, and can chime in?

I use to work out there in the early 90's and really enjoyed it.

good:
Nice people, good food, cheap real estate (relative term), and good looking women. Close to Taos and Santa Fe..

bad:
boring city in general (if you are well traveled or are use to big cities), not much to do since the Balloon festival was the greatest event of the year.

I would do it for a few years...

+1 I just visited for a week (work). BTW, did you know that is the only place where you can get a McDonalds double cheeseburger with Stack green chilies on it? Sounds bad but it was actually quite good, especially considering it's McDonalds.

I've just done overnights there but it seems like a nice city. I personally like the weather, they get just enough snow to be interesting but it doesn't hang out for long periods. You can get flights almost anywhere if you need a break.

Oh and according to my informal survey of passengers you'll need to grow a ponytail and wear sandals with socks. jk!

Great place, I don't do the city's much. Back roads are fantastic and the sunsets:http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1228070580.jpg

FWIW, The Unser clan is based there...

Two great reason to live there: Green Chile!!! Sopapillas!!

Green chili is enough reason.

I have been through once and it looked beautiful. I have spent lots of time in northern NM and would consider moving to ABQ just to be closer to that area. It all looks beautiful and the weather seems so much better there.

Very true.

I like Santa Fe a bit more since it has more of a 'mountain' feel to it and is closer to more outdoor activities (mtn biking/skiing/hiking).

While there are some culture/city things to do, most of them are associated with either the UNM college crowd or the Santa Fe/Taos rich art-centric tourist bunch. Both scenes are entertaining, but there really aren't the kind of things to do that you'd find in a large metropolis.

If you like the outdoors, NM is your place. Absolutely the most scenic place I've been -- every time things suck at work or elsewhere, I just have to look around and it gets better again. The biking is incredible. When it snows the skiing is great, and when it doesn't, SLC is a short flight away. Camping is stunning and people pay huge $$$ to hunt here.

Very government-based economy, what with a few Air Force bases, two DOE laboratories and all of their support businesses. That can be good or bad (everyone in my household is mired in the nuclear weapons industrial complex).

Interesting place though. It took us a few years to adjust after we arrived from Denver...

Good weather. Roasted green chilies are great..got a freezer full...and eat them an almost everything. NM food is good...but some of the restraurants/foods you would enjoy elsewhere just are not quite as good.

Nothing exciting really within reasonable driving distance...Las Vegas is about 8-9 hrs away...through lots of mountains (via Flagstaff, Az). Denver is about 7 hrs...through a few less mountains. The climate is very dry. It is very dry and there are really no watersports to speak of. No pro sports..or even really good college teams. AAA baseball is not too bad though.

There is a big disparity between the haves and have-nots. There are a lot of good Govt jobs...mostly in engineering/Science. Those pay quite well. Not a huge amount of industry otherwise.

Great airport. Very nice and new. Small and very easy/quick to get in and out of. Ticket prices seem a bit higher than to most destinations...a lot of carriers do not have nonstops to Abq and you have to go through Denver or Dallas.

Housing prices are pretty good compared to CA or the north east..but not really cheap. They are a lot more reasonable on the West side of town/the Rio Grande River..but the traffic is terrible if you work on the east side. There are only a few places where the roads go east/ west crossing the Rio Grande and the Petroglyphs..so huge bottlenecks occur during rush hour. In other words...if you are employed on the east side..live there....even if prices are a little higher. Traffic is realy pretty thin/easy otherwise. I can go just about anywhere in 30 min or less.

Most of the K-12 schools are pretty poor, but there are a couple that are not too bad. I personally do not much care for the University of NM...but if your kids graduate with a "B" average, they will get their tuition free from any of the state sponsored schools (funded by the state lottery). If they are reasonably smart, they will qualify for a Presidential or Regent's scholarship which pays enough to cover room and board and books.

If you like to ski, there is a small ski area just ouside of town...but some years there is not enough snow there. Taos is pretty close and Vail or Aspen are about a day's drive.

The popular style of home here is stucco (adobe look or Sante Fe style). Not too much trees or grass though.

Not a lot of Porsches...enthusiast events, etc...but I see a lot more of them on the road than I did a few years ago.

My former Senior Chief Petty Officer from the USN moved to Alberquerque when he retired from the Navy and works at the VA hospital there. He's lived there about 20 years and absolutely loves it!

Lot's of great info, guys. Fintstone, thanks for the great post. I'm pretty excited about this opportunity. It would be a government job in ABQ.

If anything, it would be a great experience for a few years.

Has anyone mentioned the green chile yet ? :D

I have a freezer full, in-fact just had some homemade Hatch green chile stew tonite.

'Querque is a pretty cool place. Lots to do, great food, hispanic & native american culture, adobe architecture, 300 days of sunshine a year, close to many different areas...Santa Fe, Taos, Colorado. Great Porsche roads & a pretty active PCA group. Ohh & you can go to Dave Stinchcomb's Corrales Round-up in August. Porsche's among the cottonwood's.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/237222-sunday-porsche-pics.html

Durango & some of the best Porsche roads in the country are a quick 3 hrs north. What are you waiting for ? SmileWavy

Bad: A dirty, dusty Los Angeles, CA "wantta be". City will become less green as future water restrictions "bite". In and near the "juniper belt" in terms of allergies aggravated by all the pollen producing vegetation planted by people trying to pretend they're living in Indiana. Basically an ugly city visually saved only by the back drop scenery often seen through a brown cloud of air pollution. Brown cloud caused by a natural tendency toward an inversion trapping wood burning stove and fireplace smoke (there's lots of people in the city heating their homes with wood) in the winter compounded by the emissions of vehicles. Dust storms and wind in the fall and spring. Incredibly bad traffic for a city of its size; the developers were allowed to "run wild" without regard to urban planning. At least one urban planner gave up and quit in disgust. City is now caught in the "do loop" of road building upgrades and traffic growth - there always seems to be major arteries affected by construction and resulting in slowdowns. No ring road; I25 and I40 traffic goes through the middle of the city. Bad drivers; if there is a city that needs red light cameras it is Albuquerque (it has a few cameras). Drunk driving is fairly common (also in the balance of New Mexico). Numerous uninsured drivers. Poor public transportation. Few direct flights; most of the time one will have to make a stop if you're flying any distance such as to the East Coast. Average to poor retail shopping; anything unusual you'll have to order. Defense, R&D and government dependent economy (can be great or bad) - might be entering a bad cycle with the new federal administration and the loss of senate representative seniority (Pete Domenici is retiring). Kirtland Air Force Base is perennially on the base closure list. Public schools average to poor but highly dependent on location in city. Noticeable gang violence. Porsche dealership doesn't do well with older 911's; only one good Porsche shop in the metro area. No significant night life compared to big urban areas. Dining is okay (dominated by national chains) but the waits to be seated are often ridiculously long; much of the population is obese like the rest of the country. Most voters are democrats

Good: Beautiful, empty country once you get out of the city or off the nearby interstates. Exception is I-40; it often retains the "unit train" effect of semi-tractor trailer traffic border to border (might be improving now that the economy is slowing). Outdoor sports and activities. Albuquerque Academy for high school if your children can gain admission and you can afford the tuition.
Mostly avoided (so far) the housing bubble and foreclosure driven real estate price declines. Realtors and local banks are patting themselves on the back saying it was their good lending practices; more likely it was all the stable government and government contractor jobs. Santa Fe is near for some types of art and culture. There is a tri-cultural heritage (Native American, Hispanic and Anglo) that is interesting and stimulating if you respectfully partake of it. Most voters are democrats.

I'm a New Mexico native; five generations of my family have lived here.

The 4 corners area is full of cool things to do particularly if you like to do outdoor things. The list of things to do within a couple hours drive of ABQ are almost infinite.

The one thing that has always bothered me about Albuquerque is that EVERYTHING in town is Brown. Roads, bridges, houses, sidewalks, buses, the airport, you name it, it is one shade of brown or another. If they could get away with it they would have stop signs painted brown.

I left out what Rich said. If you like Brown, let's call it Sepia you will be fine

I have only lived in ABQ for a little over a year, but here are some of my views:

Housing costs are not bad right now. There are 5 bedroom homes going for under $80 sq/ft that are about 4 yrs old on the Westside, it is a little cheaper over here. Traffic has not been a problem for me. I drive 20mi each way to work and make in about 30min. I do leave both times before rush hour hits which helps.

The climate is awesome IMHO. I hate the damp and do not miss rain. It can be extremely windy at times though. You do get 4 seasons, well not like up north, but it does change.

Can’t comment much on the night life or other exciting things around here. Plenty of outdoor activities for the family. There are plenty for the kids to get involved with, if that applies.
The brown grows on you. I think green is highly overrated now.

Kirby

so far i haven't heard anything about snakes and scorpions. how about spiders?