From a native New Mexican who has lived elsewhere
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6/8/2016
I have lived in Albuquerque for the past 13 years (originally from Santa Fe), and I love it here!
I have traveled extensively and lived out of state, so I have seen many other places, and Albuquerque has so much to offer!
Pros:
- Amazing climate! Not too hot, not too cold. Four distinct seasons.
- Natural beauty you will be hard pressed to find in any other state. So many day trips to national parks, monuments, and forests. And our parks aren't overcrowded! You can actually get some solitude outdoors here.
- Incredible outdoor recreation opportunities in your backyard: hiking, mountain biking, fishing, camping, climbing, hunting, skydiving, paragliding off the Sandia Mountains! World-class skiing is only 1-2 hours away! You don't have to make a three day schlep to Colorado and shell out a ton of money in order to get in some good skiing. And our slopes are not crowded.
- Affordability! Home ownership is within reach. Many charming historic homes.
- No traffic, compared to cities of similar size. You can get anywhere in 15 minutes.
- Strong local restaurant scene. If you can't stand chain restaurants, this is a great city! And an incredible diversity of ethnic foods, too.
- Green chile! Need I say more?
- Strong local small business scene in general. An abundance of farmer's markets, small businesses, boutique shops. And many within the realm of affordability - not just a bunch of cutesy chi-chi high end boutiques. Lots of organic food available. Lots of local food available. The urban chicken (backyard chicken) movement started early on here. Strong support for local business start ups.
- If you love gardening, the growing season here is long and wonderful.
- Rebounding economy and strong tech start up scene. Strong entrepreneurial scene and a great place to get in on the ground floor for young people and entrepreneurs. Many networking events and groups have popped up in the past couple of years, Innovate ABQ and the innovation district is starting up soon - check it out!
- Lots of bike paths and outdoor recreation opportunities in the middle of the city, not just in the adjacent Sandia Mountains.
- A variety of small towns all in one city! You can live urban, suburban, in a small-town-feeling charming neighborhood, in the country with livestock - all in city limits. We live by the university, in a charming neighborhood with front porches on all the homes.
- Lots of diversity, very little segregation. Neighborhoods are pretty mixed up, socioeconomically, races are pretty mixed up. I think this is a pro (as I am mixed race myself), but if it makes you nervous, then this is probably not the place for you.
- Local sports! We have a great AAA baseball team, and an awesome development league soccer team. No pro sports, but families can actually afford the tickets to minor league games.
- We're getting a major rapid transit bus system, starting this year. That should help with more urban-like development.
The cons:
- Crime. It's high, but I will say that the only thing that has ever happened to me (or most people I know) is cars getting broken into. And 99% of the time, it's because someone did something very stupid, like leave their laptop on the front seat of their car overnight. I do know a couple of people who have been robbed in their homes - one left the front door unlocked all the time, the other one it was a random robbery. It happens. We have an alarm system and two big dogs, and so far we have been fine. If you have a very nice car (Escalade, Tesla), buy a house with a garage. The most common crime seems to be property crime. I have a neighbor with two nice Porsches out in a carport though, and no one has ever messed with his cars.
- The public schools mostly suck. Like many places, you need to live in a good school neighborhood if you have kids. There are many private schools here, though, and also an incredibly strong homeschooling network with their own sports leagues, etc. And the charter school system, which is paid for with public money, is really strong and many people I know have their kids in charter schools, and the kids are thriving.
If you want to live in a place where everyone is exactly the same, or the majority is white, or exotic cuisine means extra salt on your food at Applebees, this is not the place for you. There is a great diversity here: of thought, of art, of lifestyle, of cuisine, of people. Something for everyone. People are friendly, inviting, open.
If you want to live somewhere super-urban, this isn't the place for you either. You can get around here with a bicycle on the bike paths, but it isn't an urban city. It's more of a base camp for us outdoorsy types, and you generally do need a car to get to shopping, etc., outside of downtown (if you choose to live downtown to try to get an urban feel).
It's dry here. Some people love it, some hate it. Very low humidity. The dryness means that lawns don't just grow on their own, and you have to make an effort to landscape your property. Which means there are a lot of yards that are just dirt, as not everyone is into gardening.
For everyone on this site that has complained that people here aren't friendly- you get back what you put out in the world! If you aren't friendly, you can expect people to reciprocate that. And that can happen anywhere. The grass is greener right where you water it.
Nancy | Albuquerque, NM