Thinking of moving to NM

[tinymontgomery]

Any info on what the ALBUQUERQUE area is like? Have done some research online but looking for DU info for the true info. Thanks

[marybourg]

1. Visit, preferably several times. I found

it to be very different from the rest of the U.S., but that was a quarter century ago, and I'm sure there's been a lot of homogenization since.

[oldhippydude]

2. great place to be this time of year... balloon feista first week end in October

tri cultural..not too expensive to live..

[HubertHeaver]

3. It is truly "The land of enchantment."

[Lint Head]

4. I've been there a few times. It's beautiful and I could actually breath. I live in TN now.

[left-of-center2012]

5. I live in Albuquerque

I love Albuquerque. I've lived/worked from Maine to Florida to California and points in between, in the nursing profession. When I retired on S.S. I returned to Albuquerque. First you've got the weather, and four seasons. Maybe not as noticeable as New England, but we have the warm summers with highs in the upper 80's and a month of 90's. And we have a cool or cold winter with lows in the 30's but highs in the 50's. Extremely low humidity; no sweaty summers.

Great public transit and a lower than national average cost of living. And I'll toss in the friendliness, which I credit to the sizable Hispanic population here. I think it's cultural; the friendliest place I've lived in the USA. It's a large city that doesn't feel like it.

And we have a GOP Mayor and Governor, both of whom I (as a progressive liberal) can agree with 80% of the time.

I can't really speak for the rest of the state other than I've traveled around it and enjoyed it and the people.
Albuquerque is a 'high desert', a mile high, so not HOT like Phoenix.

You might check City Data online for more info on Albuquerque and go the
Best Places for a good city to city comparison.

Feel free to ask me any questions.

[tinymontgomery]

6. Thanks for all the input

Thanks for all the input. We'll see what happens. Thanks for the links "Left of center".

[geckosfeet]

7. Hello tiny. I am having the same thoughts. Hope to be visiting Nov./Dec. timeframe.

Not sure where. Maybe just rent a car and travel.

Does anyone from NM have any travel thoughts for a visiting yankee?

[left-of-center2012]

8. What are your interests ?

New Mexico is a 'varied' state, from low deserts along the Mexican border to mile high Albuquerque and on up to forested mountains along the Colorado state line.

I'd suggest you figure out what you'd like to see first. Lots of native-American sites, both current and ancient. From ballooning to hunting & fishing. Casinos to mountain trails.

Start here and then move onto Googling 'tourism info on New Mexico'.
I love the state.

Go New Mexico Travel Guide and Vacation Planner

[geckosfeet]

9. Thanks. I am leaning towards mountain trails.

Maybe native American history and some sightseeing and photography.


Definitely not hunting.

[SheilaT]

10. Albuquerque has all of the advantages of a large city,

says this woman who lives in Santa Fe, as well as the disadvantages.

And there are many excellent and good things about large cities.

Five years ago, when divorce was in my immediate future, and I had decided I would move to New Mexico (from Kansas), any number of people said to me, "Oh, move to Albuquerque. It's cheaper and there are more jobs there." So in my exploratory trip to NM the year before I actually moved, I went to Albuquerque. I drove around the city, talked to some placement agencies, looked at a couple of apartment complexes. As I was driving across the city to check out another location, I suddenly realized that ABQ was just like any other large city in the southwest. I've already lived in Phoenix and Tucson, and you couldn't pay me to move back to either one. So I got on I25 and drove north to Santa Fe, and I've never looked back.

Now definitely, Albuquerque has all the advantages and good points of a large city. And the various drawbacks thereof. But living in NM is just wonderful. I love the climate. Keep in mind I'm in Santa Fe, a thousand feet higher than ABQ, so cooler in the summer to the point that I can live without air conditioning, and if you knew me, you'd know how much I hate hot weather and so this would be quite meaningful. It sort of gets more snow, but it almost always melts off by 10 am. I understand that the one snow plow this city owns wasn't purchased until about 10 years ago.

If you want to take a look at Santa Fe, please do so. It has a reputation for being terribly expensive, but that's only because the locals have never lived in a truly expensive city, like NYC or San Francisco, just to name two. Personally, I like how small it is. Nothing is more than fifteen minutes away. But if you have children who will be in school, the local school system leaves a lot to be desired. Actually, the entire state-wide school system leaves a lot to be desired, but that's a separate topic. I happen to live on the unpopular south side of Santa Fe (and PM me if you want to for more details) and I like it here.

There is a level of corruption, both locally in Santa Fe and in the state as a whole that I find astonishing. It tends to show up on the Democratic side a lot, mainly because the Dems are mostly in power. But we do have a Republican governor, who in my opinion herself leaves a lot to be desired.

The climate is wonderful. The sunsets are incredible. If you are outside the one big city (Albuquerque) the night sky is amazing. As I have found true everywhere, people are friendly and welcoming. There is a vibrant culture at all levels. Lots of novels take place in this wonderful state. The presence of people who originated in Spain, as well as the original inhabitants give this state a unique and fascinating quality.

It won't hurt for you to brush up on your Spanish, but you don't have to.

Please move here. It's a great place to be.

The entire state has great places to visit, a lot of cultural stuff. No matter where you wind up here, spend plenty of time visiting the entire state. It's fantastic!

[tinymontgomery]

11. Love cultural stuff and site seeing

again, thanks to everyone. I'll see what develops. Have to convince my wife to make the big change.

[whathehell]

16. Hi Sheila...How would youn compare Santa Fe to Taos in terms of living?

[SheilaT]

17. I'd say that Taos would be much more isolated than Santa Fe.

Depending on your preferences, that may be a good or a bad thing.

I'm only 45 minutes from Albuquerque. Taos is more like three hours from the big city.

It is a much smaller city, less than a tenth in size in population, just under 6,000, compared to about 70,000. Its economy seems to be even more dependent on tourism. The Taos Ski Valley, around 20 miles north of the city, is a better developed ski area than the one here in Santa Fe. Recently some billionaire bought the ski valley and is in the process of installing new lifts and in general upgrading the entire facility.

Taos itself is less than a thousand feet higher than Santa Fe, but up in the ski valley you're at 10,000 feet plus. In either case altitude should be taken into account, especially if you have any reason to think it will be a problem. I spent two weeks in the Taos Ski Valley in July (science fiction writing workshop) and I could clearly tell the difference in altitude. And I love living at 7,000 feet, as I do here. Because of the higher altitude, they get a lot more snow in winter than we do here in Santa Fe. And up in the mountains, in the ski valley, it rains a great deal more than in the summer. It's understandably cooler year-round. Either place there is no air pollution to speak of.

They do have a hospital there, but it is much smaller and many people, if anything serious goes wrong, come to Santa Fe or all the way to Albuquerque.

In general, if you like small town living you would like Taos. But it's a significant drive to Albuquerque. However, the scenery there is even more spectacular than I have, and their night skies are significantly darker, meaning you'll see even more stars there than I do. And I love my night skies here.

If you are giving serious thought to any of New Mexico, try very hard to come out for at least a month and check out different places. While staying in a hotel is not quite like being in an apartment or home, you'd still figure out a lot about where you'd like to be. For me, Santa Fe is perfect. It's close enough to Albuquerque for whatever big-city things I need, and far enough away, with open desert between, that we are not just a satellite of ABQ. Taos is even more so a separate place.

Santa Fe has a reputation for being terribly expensive. In my opinion it's not that expensive, but I've lived in other parts of the country, unlike so many here in NM who've barely ever been out of the state. Both places have their share of movie stars. Julia Roberts lives part time in Taos, I understand. Santa Fe has Ali McGraw (whom I've met and is incredibly nice), Gene Hackman (whose wife owns a restaurant on the north side of town), and Shirley McLean (whom no one says anything nice about). We also have a thriving movie and TV industry, which means often many more such are spotted. The series Longmire has been filmed here, and will continue to be if some other network picks it up. Breaking Bad was filmed in Albuquerque.

A surprising number of s-f writers live all over the state. George RR Martin is in Santa Fe, as well as some others you may not have heard of: S. M. Stirling, Melinda Snodgrass, and Ian Tregellis. A couple of years ago George (and everyone calls him that) bought the Jean Cocteau Cinema here, refurbished it, and it now shows all sorts of interesting movies and hosts special events. A bunch of other s-f writers live more in the Albuquerque area. Stephen Gould, Walter Jon Williams, Daniel Abraham, and others whose names don't immediately come to mind. Oh, and while I have no idea if George is on DU, at the beginning of this week he did an event with Senator Tom Udall who is running for re-election this year. I've met Tom several times and he's a very nice guy.

If you are an s-f person Bubonicon is held in August, usually the third weekend of the month.

[whathehell]

18. Thank you for all your good advice, Sheila..

Really, I appreciate it.

[ABQ]

12. Don't do it!!!!

Hey - Don't move here.....it totally sucks.

Things I HATE about living here:

1) Cannot find ANY decent housing. Tried renting at first while we were looking for a home to buy. Bought a home after ou realtor, inspector, et. al. confirmed it was a good home. After sinking $30,000 into a $300,000 home in 13 months we sold it and built a brand new home from ABRAZO HOMES, LLC. This place is a piece of shit. WE've had to hire an attorney just to get them to give us the upgrades we paid for 3 months ago.

2) EVERYONE here will tell you it is IMPOSSIBLE to find ANY contractor to do ANYTHING correctly. Whetehr it be yard maintenance, plumbing, electrical, etc. they ALL suck. Some wont' even return your call. Others come by take down the info and tell you they will email you an estimate. Only to never be heard from again. This is so perplexing as I grew up in Wisconsin, spent 22 years in Seattle and throughout 50 years of living in those two places I NEVER, EVER saw so many screw-ups in my life!

3) Grocery stores suck! They have only one or two choices of any given item. The produce here is rotten by the time you get it home...which is perplexing b/c they grow this shit around here! My bet is that they'are just as lazy as all the other workers around here and they let the shit sit on the truck just until it's ready to go rotten and then they drop it off at the store. Also, you can go to the same corporate store in two different locations and those two stores, even though they are both Smith's, will have different products, the store will be laid out completely different and they discontinue anything good to eat. Not to ,mention how expensive groceries are here. Get this......$3.49 for a loaf of crappy bread! $3,19 for a quart of half and half

4) People here are lazy and are liars. They'll screw around all day so they can tell you they don't have time to do what they already promised you they'd do.

5) Local music scene SUCKS!....REALLY sucks!

6) We are run by a Republican Gov who screwed up the following:
a) Cut the tax rebates we WERE giving to Hollywood in order to entice them to shoot movies here. They were given a great tax break to shoot here IF they hired their extras and crew from NM. Well, Martinez did away with that....Hollywood is looking elsewhere now to film.

b) Rail Runner (passenger train that runs from ABQ to Santa Fe) she wanted to cut weekend trips....she was stopped b/c of her bad timing on this issue right before the election. She got re-elected......guess what sh'e gonna' do with the Rail Runner now?

c) We have the worst public schools in the nation. And we have all the hoodlums to prove it!

If you're a person of morals and values and know how things should be done.....then stay away from this place.

I regret moving here 100% - wish I never would have heard of this place.......

[SheilaT]

15. Where in NM are you that there is absolutely NO decent housing

and your grocery stores have only one or two choices of any given item? And rotten produce?

I believe the tax breaks to the movie and TV industry have been reinstated.

Yes, the public schools aren't very good, unless you move to Los Alamos and those are among the best in the nation, thanks to the quality of the parents there.

The level of political corruption is appalling.

And Martinez has not yet been re-elected. She probably will be, which is unfortunate, but unless you've time-travelled here from next November, she's still in her first term.

I seriously doubt the RailRunner will eliminate Saturdays service, but I could prove to be wrong on that.

And if you hate it that much here, you really should relocate. It is simply not worthwhile to stay in a place you despise, no matter who else likes it.

I've now been here nearly six years, and while I'm glad I don't have kids in the public schools here, I'm very glad this is where I currently live.

[ABQ]

23. LOL! Typical New Mexican BS

YES, ROTTEN PRODUCE - do you know what the fuck that is? It's because it's all from Mexico instead of CA. The tax breaks have NOT been reinstated, Martinez IS in her second term and IF I could make enough cash to recoup the thousands this shit hole of a fucking state cost me I'd be out of here in a fucking heartbeat asshole! Ask ANYONE who lives here about shitty contractors. For example: In this shit hole state one does not have to even take a test to become an electrician! That's right! If your Daddy was an electrician and he dies - you get to inherit his license - even though you've no education or experience in electricity! How fucking nice of a state to allow dumb fucking New Mexicans to install electrical work in your home without ANY testing or proof of proficiency in your field. I hate New Mexico and its dumb fucking residents but with the wages in this shit hole state and the lack of opportunity I'm afraid I'm stuck here for a while.....not by choice. Fro anyone else - Google: "New Mexico Sucks" and you'll get all kinds of people who disdain this hell on Earth.

[SheilaT]

24. All I can say is I've never seen rotten produce in the stores here.

Makes me wonder where you actually shop.

Yeah, Susana la Tejana is in her second term, no credit at all to the state.

Oddly enough, I've never had any problems with contractors, not that I've needed many of them, lucky me.

And if you hate it so much just leave. Leave and don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out. We don't need -- no state needs -- people like you to stick around. Just get out on I40, stick your thumb out and hop in the first car that slows down.

[womanofthehills]

14. I love New Mexico and Albuquerque has fantastic grocery stores

Coming originally from NJ, when I hit Albuquerque I knew this was the place for me. After many yrs of living in Albuquerque, I moved to a small rural town in the center of NM with an amazing view of the Manzano Mountains. I travel once a week to Albuquerque for groceries - We have Whole Foods, Vitamin Cottage, La Montanita Co-Op and Sunflower Market - with wonderful organic vegetables and fruits. New Mexico also has many farmers markets - the Santa Fe Farmers Market is an amazing experience. Even my little town of 2000 has a farmers market in the summer and homemade bread every Friday.

New Mexico has so many beautiful places for day trips and hikes.

[Yve55]

19. Too hot and humid for me in Puerto Rico

I, too, am doing research about the possibility of living in New Mexico. I moved to Puerto Rico 2 years ago from California. I would love to return to CA but it has gotten too expensive. The weather here is too hot and humid and I can't stand it. Good luck on your search.

[uppityperson]

20. Rather like summer in, say, Chicago?

[Yve55]

21. If Chicago is like PR

If it's too hot, muggy and uncomfortable...then yessssssss...hate it.

[PasadenaTrudy]

22. Me too...

I usually stay in Santa Fe, but I'll be in ABQ next month for a bit to check it out. I plan to do a long stay in NM next year sometime, like for a month or two. Not sure where yet. I'm sick of big city traffic of SoCal, so I'm sure ABQ will seem mellow even. I do love SF, I like being in the mts where it is cooler.

[jomin41]

25. I've lived here since the sixties when

I was stationed in Roswell. I've always loved this state. Albuquerque metro is composed of some very different areas. I personally prefer the valley area, near the river. Theres a north and a south valley area, different from each other. ( I've lived in both). There's the areas closer to the Sandia Mts, called "the heights" where the majority of people live. (again a northeast and a southeast "heights&quot . There is the University area . Theres the "west mesa" which is ,naturally enough, west of the river. Extinct volcanoes on the horizon. Indian petroglyphs within the city limits! Sunshine! Tumbleweeds! Mexican food! Hippies! Casinos! Native Americans! Nuclear weapons!
And even more when you get away from Albuquerque. Wild hot springs (and tame), ghost towns, Chaco Canyon and other archeological sites, National forests, State parks, primitive areas, wildlife sanctuaries, Blue skies, far horizons, open vistas...
BUT...Low wages, poverty, low rankings in some important categories.
I'm retired now but I mostly worked for myself and did ok. For the most part my kids did ok education-wise, but don't know about schools now. Location important, as usual.

If anyone has any questions about NM you can pm me.

[PasadenaTrudy]

26. I love

the Sandia Heights up off of Tramway. So peaceful. I've never been down to the south valley by the river, only the Bosque by downtown. I'll be there in May, will have to check that area out. I think my heart still belongs to Santa Fe, though, especially the historic Eastside