Objective Views
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7/14/2014
The Pro's:
Nice mountains, scenery, I personally thought there were a lot of friendly people there. A lot of nice weather. Winters aren't bad. Summers are hot, but not like Phoenix or Las Vegas. UNM is a nice university. There is a lot of entrepreneurial spirit (but see below). Intel is there as is the university and an F.A.A. air-traffic center.
The Cons:
It's a city that has seen better days and is behind the times. The neighborhoods are crumbling. Even the famous "Northeast Heights" have gone downhill. So many of the homes are crappy, unaesthetic little doll-houses built after WWII and are now in poor repair. It's a transient city like Vegas and Phoenix.
The pay is awful. They think it's preposterous if you want more than $15/hr. Even people with degrees are poorly paid. There is an oversupply of unskilled labor so it keeps the pay down. Poverty is rampant. Lots of welfare and illegitimacy. The educational level is low. Some neighborhoods look positively third world.
There is an old boys network here. They call it the "padron system". You need connections with the old boys (and not just white boys)for a decent job. As it's been explained to me: There's a poverty mentality that prevails.
There is a ton of crime. Drugs are RAMPANT!!! Vato/Cholo gangs are prevalent. That being said there is some unbelievable white trash, the likes of which I didn't even encounter in Phoenix. The crime is mostly property crime. There are murders and robberies but larceny, burglary and vandalism are the leaders. Lock your cars and homes! It's best to live in Rio Rancho or Taylor Ranch. There's actually some nice houses there. I would rather be here than Phoenix, but that ain't saying much.
Dew | Houston, TX