Living in Albuquerque
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10/4/2005
Albuquerque has the reputation of low wages, high crime, poor schools, etc. This is not an accurate representation of the city or the state as a whole. New Mexico has the best weather I've ever lived in, I can play golf all year round, ski in the winter, hike, bike, backpack in the spring, summer and fall. Several of the city schools are top quality (La Cueva, Eldorado and Sandia school districts) as they have heavy parental involvement in the schools. The private schools rank among some of the best around (Albuquerque Academy, St. Pius, Sandia Prep) with many students attending Ivy League schools.
The city has one of the highest percentage of PhD's in the country, due to Sandia National Labs. The University of New Mexico, Intel, Sandia, Lovelace Health Systems and Presbyterian Hospitals make up the core of the local economy, supplemented by many locally owned businesses.
New Mexico is one of the oldest European settled regions in North America, as the Spanish settled many towns within the area in the late 1500's. Albuquerque is celebrating it's 300th birthday this year, demonstrating a longevity and resilience over the centuries. This longevity also goes a long way in explaining the "New Mexico" way of doing things that seems to exasperate many newcomers. Give it a chance, and you can come to love living in this city of blue skies, beautiful mountains (10,600 foot Sandia is at the edge of the city) Cottonwood bosque (river forest) and friendly people.
William | Albuquerque, NM