Albuquerque

[fatelk]

Anyone here from Albuquerque, New Mexico? Anything you can tell me about the area? Pros and cons?

Considering a move, if worst comes to worst. We REALLY don't want to move, but sometimes life just sucks.

[popper]

Liberal.

[shdwlkr]

MS 13, police on edge all the time, liberal, I lived in NM for 5 years and the people are nice but there are some issues there.

[Wag]

Been here for 12 years and absolutely love it here. However, I don't live in Albuquerque proper. I'm in Rio Rancho, just outside ABQ. We're close to the desert, 15 minutes from the gun range out in the middle of practically nowhere. If you have the option, RR is a great place to be. Lower housing prices, too.

The town is liberal, to be sure, but liberal NM is still far more conservative than CA, NY, DC, Chicago, et al.

Bummer that you're having difficulties. Hope you can get that all ironed out.

Look me up when you get here and we'll go shooting.

--Wag--

[Char-Gar]

I have lived in New Mexico two times and have spent considerble time in ABQ. It is a large place and has all the problems that go with size. On the whole, it would be a good place to live. There will be liberals and conservatives, good people and bad.

[jmort]

I never "got" New Mexico
Seems flooded with illegals and people who do not share my values.
I will always recommend the Ozarks
Good luck regardless of where you end up.

[fatelk]

Thanks guys. That’s about what I’ve heard otherwise too. My friend there lives in Rio Rancho also, says it’s the place to be.

I’ve also heard that Albuquerque crime is out of control, one of the worst in the nation, and that opportunity is limited. I have four young kids and my priority is raising my family, not sure that’s the best place for us.

[jmort]

With children, you need a place for them, not you. If you don't mind, where are you now???
I was in So Cal and that was bad to an extreme
Does New Mexico provide opportunity and safety for your family???
I am outside of Springfield Missouri.
Would not live in Springfield, but it has jobs and a number of colleges.
Land and houses are inexpensive
Still a part of the Bible belt, and if that does not matter, plenty of sin to go around.
Best State for Second Amendment freedom
Nice people.

[popper]

The university is one of the problems. Used to visit there on business. Downtown, sirens all the time. One trip airport had to wait on Hiliary's plane to leave. hat was 15 yrs ago, not gotten any better. IIRC, RR is out where the IBM/Intel factory was, across the river.

[Idz]

New Mexico is a land of contrasts. Snow capped mountains and scorching deserts. Ultra-conservative ranchers and ultra-liberal Santa Feans. Hi-tech National laboratories and illiterate college graduates. It has some of the wealthiest and poorest towns in the USA. Some of the safest and most crime ridden towns. Freedom loving 2nd amendment patriots and crazy gun-grabbing democrats easily bought by Soros & Bloomberg.
Abq and state government wavers between republican and democrat administrations. If you're not in a gang Abq is pretty safe. Climate is great. Cost of living reasonable. If you're educated, motivated, and drug free pay at the hi-tech jobs is good.
With only 2 million people in the whole state (most in Abq area) there is plenty of open space.
Its generally a nice place.

[ShooterAZ]

I was born in ABQ, and spent most of my childhood years there. I still have a lot of family there. There are some good neighborhoods, and some really bad ones...Same as anywhere else pretty much. Hot summers, cool winters, plenty of stuff to do there.

[LynC2]

I was hoping some native residents or long time residents would chime in( like Nobade).
I moved here in 2000 for a job with Intel. Yes there is a crime problem here as most cities. The statistics are per capita and as previously mentioned it is mostly located to some bad sections of the city as most places are. Yes the city is mostly liberal, but the rural areas are conservative as are many other states. Too **** many liberals from NY and Cal. moved here. However if you like to hunt and fish, it's a great place to be. Also there are a lot of interesting, scenic and historic attractions nearby. There are also 4 outdoor ranges closeby, an indoor range plus the Whittington Center is only a few hours away. Great place to shoot or rent a cabin with the family to see the great outdoors and nature. Lots of deer, antilope and elk around, not to mention the huge number of hummingbirds during the summer there!

[marlin39a]

I spent a lot of time in Albuquerque in 2003-2004. I hated the city. Full of drugs, crimes, and illegal aliens. Was there again in 2016. Nothing has changed. I traveled all of New Mexico. If I were to relocate there, I'd look at Las Cruces.

[fatelk]

The job is at the National Labs and is better paying than the one I have now, but only marginally better, not enough to really get excited about. If we stay here things will be tight financially but I’m not convinced it would be worth uprooting everything to move.

I know I’ve mentioned this before about moving. Some people like to move around, and some like putting down roots a mile deep. I’ll move if we have to because I know we’ll figure things out and get along ok wherever we end up, but I hate it. I hate the whole thing. I hate selling and buying a house. I hate the year of your life you lose in the process. I hate that my wife is in tears when I even bring it up. Just yesterday we scheduled another difficult surgery for her foot, so she’s having a tough time.

I’m also a little irked that there’s this great job just waiting for me, and I’m being actively recruited for it. Part of me wishes they’d hurry up and hire someone else already.

[Char-Gar]

New Mexico entitles itself "The Land of Enchantment" and for many that is true. If New Mexico can be summed up, it would be the word "diverse". There is diverse geography and diverse cultures. New Mexico has a large Anglo population, a large Hispanic population and a large Native American population and neither has been able to establish itself as dominate.

If you are a person who thrives on diversity, then you will truly think NM is the Land of Enchantment. If you can't tolerate folks different from you, then it is the wrong place for you to live and/or be.

[fatelk]

I wouldn't say I thrive on diversity, necessarily, but I have no problem with it either. Every culture has it's own positives and negatives, and I try my best to understand and appreciate them for the best.

I'm just south of Portland, Oregon right now, if's that's any indication of what we're used to. We live in a nice town in a rural, agricultural county. We love it here and would strongly prefer to never move again as long as we live. On the other hand, I miss the old Oregon. There's always been the rural/urban, conservative/liberal divide historically with some balance, but in recent years the urban radicals have steamrolled everyone else politically, and we are rapidly becoming California. If they reelect the current lunatic-fringe radical left governor here in a couple weeks, I may just leave out of principal.

[Char-Gar]

I wouldn't say I thrive on diversity, necessarily, but I have no problem with it either. Every culture has it's own positives and negatives, and I try my best to understand and appreciate them for the best.

I'm just south of Portland, Oregon right now, if's that's any indication of what we're used to. We live in a nice town in a rural, agricultural county. We love it here and would strongly prefer to never move again as long as we live. On the other hand, I miss the old Oregon. There's always been the rural/urban, conservative/liberal divide historically with some balance, but in recent years the urban radicals have steamrolled everyone else politically, and we are rapidly becoming California. If they reelect the current lunatic-fringe radical left governor here in a couple weeks, I may just leave out of principal.

I have never learned anything from people that thought just like me.

[tja6435]

There is a reason 'Breaking Bad' was set in Albuquerque

[fatelk]

I have never learned anything from people that thought just like me.

I'm around people who think nothing like me on a daily basis. Believe me, I'll take Native American and Hispanic culture over self-righteous progressive white culture any day of the week.

[waksupi]

I would look at the Raton or Taos areas.