Opinions on moving to Albuquerque

In My Humble Opinion
1

It feels like I do a thread like this every couple of months. (In fact, I did one 3 months ago asking about the Hampton Roads area, but I didn’t get that job.) So,here we go again:

What are people’s opinions about relocating to/living in the Albuquerque area?

For some reason, my wife’s tolerance of low temperatures has completely changed over the past year. (It’s not hormones or anything else we have checked.) We used to have the house set to 68 degrees all year long; now we keep it around 75 and she still gets cold at times.) But, she has MS, so very hot, humid weather is also problematic.

We currently live in the Kansas City area, which has some issues that surprised us. (For example, taxes around here are the highest we’ve dealt with - both property and sales tax. There are other issues as well, but that one blindsided us since KC has a reputation as a very affordable area.) Prior to here, we lived in Denver, where we liked the weather (even though it gets cold, the high amount of sunshine and low humidity made it nice, as did the low humidity in the summer.) So we know high desert can be a workable climate. We moved because a) I hated my job, and b) the high housing prices forced us to live in a house that wasn’t handicap-friendly - and housing prices have gone up even further since we moved away in 2016. ABQ seems to be much, much more affordable.

My main concerns/questions:

Overall, how are medical facilities there?
I know the crime rates appear high - would that be an issue, assuming we lived in a suburban part of the area?
How’s commuter traffic?
How’s shopping? I’ve heard Rio Rancho is too far from stores; what about other areas/suburbs? (I’ve also heard Rio Rancho is a surprisingly Republican-dominated city, which is another negative. But I have no idea if it’s true.)
Other than lower snowfall amounts, how else does the ABQ climate compare to Denver?

Feel free to add anything you think we should also know about/be asking.

2

Climate. I’ve lived in Denver for a long time, and I lived in ABQ for a short time. I think the climates are very similar. As I recall, it’s hotter, longer, in Albuquerque, but still usually cool at night except in the middle of the summer, and not very humid. I am not a cold-tolerant person and I think Denver is always too cold, and the winters last too long. But whenever I visit Albuquerque, which is usually a couple of times a year, it seems like whatever’s happening there is a bit warmer but very similar to whatever was happening in Denver when I left, in terms of climate. Like, if it’s 60-degree spring weather in Denver, it’s 65-degree spring weather in ABQ and the trees and flowers are a little further along, even if I had to drive through a blizzard on the way there. (Which has happened. Raton Pass.)

Also, five hours closer to the nearest beach!

I lived there long, long ago, in an older part of town. From what I’ve seen, everything is way different these days. It’s much bigger today. There’s a lot you don’t know when you only go to visit. We do not experience crime or worry about it on visits but we take the usual travelers’ precautions (lock car, don’t leave valuables inside, etc.).

3

I lived in Albuquerque for 15 months from 1990-91. Yeah, that was 30 years ago, and I’ve not set foot in the place this century, so I’m not up on things. But I absolutely loved living there. Loved it, loved it, loved it. If I had not been accepted to graduate school in Hawaii, I might still be there.

My 15 months covered two summers. They were rather mild, and long-term residents told me that was normal. It hit close to 100 degrees for a week and a half in June, then backed off for the rest of the season. A dry heat too. The winter of 1990-91 was very cold, but I heard later it was an unusually cold one.

I remember people were poor in general, or poorer than elsewhere, with even skilled labor being paid low. That may account for part of the crime problem. I remember crime seemed rather bad when I was there, but it never affected me personally. I lived near the university, just north of it, on the corner of University and Indian School. A nice neighborhood, at least at that time. I’d walk near the university along the Central strip. Friends would talk about how dangerous that area was, and when I said I never had a problem, they said, “Yeah, well look at your size.” I am a rather large individual, but I never thought myself intimidating to muggers.

The countryside is great. Lots of Native American culture to explore. Santa Fe an hour away on the interstate, or 90 minutes if you take the old scenic highway. Taos a little after that.

I never went to Rio Rancho, too far away, and I had no car, but it had a reputation even then as a wealthy Republican enclave. The one person I worked with who lived in Rio Rancho definitely fit that profile.

But that was all 30 years ago. Fond memories of the place to this day. I’d live there again.

4

Oh, and you asked about medical facilities. I remember the medical facilities were good. But I was early 30s and did not need them very much.

5

Never lived there, only visited relatives there (MIL/BIL).

Said relatives are leaving Albuquerque for Boise Idaho (slight Covid delay but will be gone soon). One has accepted a new position with their current company in ID, and the other intends to find work once the move is complete.

They gave one reason and one reason only: Crime. They liked their jobs, their house and the weather, but told us they’d been getting more and more worried about crime/gangs. They finally reached a breaking point and declared “enough”.

Sorry I don’t know any details (if anything in particular happened to them/neighbors). This is what they told my wife over the phone a month ago.

6

I haven’t driven very much on surface roads during rush hour, but the handful of times I’ve done so on I-40 or 25 south of the city there hasn’t been any major backups. But there is always at least some traffic on 25 north of the city as people drive between ABQ and Santa Fe, regardless of rush hour. (Then again I can only firmly remember driving in ABQ 5 or so times, but I thought I’d jump in because no one else had yet.)

7

We visited about four years ago. IIRC it was a Saturday night and there were cops everywhere downtown. They were in patrol cars with the flashing lights on, but we didn’t really know why. New Mexico is a very poor state, which probably explains the high crime. There’s some nifty architecture…

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/new-mexico/articles/2019-10-02/albuquerque-mayor-crime-figures-show-need-for-state-help

8

There’s a reddit forum for every city on the planet, I think.
(And probably for other planets, too. :slight_smile: )
They vary widely, but are often pretty useful.

9

Check out Weird Al Yankovic’s song “Albuquerque” for more info on the city.

10

Having seen Weird Al 6 times in concert, I am VERY aware of it.
I. HATE. SAUERKRAUT!
:smiley:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JE37e1eK2mY

11

Pretty sure there’s an important left turn there. You wouldn’t want to miss it, Doc…

12

I worked closely with some people at Sandia National Labs for a while, and they all liked the place. Too hot and too desert for me, but not bad.

And if you want a cheap place to live, I inherited a bit of land from my father. Ir’s in Rio Ranchos - the corner or cactus and cactus. We’ll be giving it to one of our kids, and maybe it will be worth something when my grandkids are old enough.

BTW one of their high schools is named after Tony Hillerman, which is pretty awesome.

13

Albuquerque is an okay city. If you had to move there for your job or something, it would be fine. But I wouldn’t move there as a destination city. There are many other high-mountain cities which will be nicer, have more charm, have more stuff to do, etc. If the critical factors you are looking for are climate and housing costs, you can definitely find better cities which match those attributes and have more to offer.

14

Which ones? I’m not being sarcastic - I would definitely consider other options. Santa Fe looks like the housing options are pricier and scarcer. I’ve heard good things about Flagstaff, but think work options (I’m a Federal employee) will be very limited.

15

Santa Fe is nice if you have a lot of money. Housing is expensive. It’s about 2000 feet higher than Albuquerque, so the winters will be colder and get more snow. But snow in NM tends to be dry and airy and will often melt off the roads in a few days, so it’s not really too much of a concern.

It sounds like you do have concerns about employment. Albuquerque, being the largest city, might be your best choice for that if you have your heart set on NM. The Los Alamos area might be a good choice if you don’t mind living in a little city with a bunch of scientists.

If I didn’t have to worry about a job or money, I would consider these cities:

CO: Colorado Springs, Pueblo
AZ: Flagstaff, Sedona
NM: Santa Fe
UT: Provo
OR: Bend

Compared to Denver, Albuquerque will feel like a small town. Although it may take up the space of a big city, it will lack many of the amenities and cultural attractions you’d find in a metropolis like Denver. The food landscape will be more limited. Parts of the city does have bad crime, but most people don’t have anything to worry about. There’s nothing really terrible, but there’s not a whole lot that you’ll fall in love with. If you’re looking for just a simple place for a day-to-day life, it might work out. Definitely go there for a long visit before making any decisions.

16

I’ve lived in Rio Rancho for 20 years, never actually lived in Albuquerque. I love it here and have no intention of ever moving. I’ll try to address the questions in the OP as best I can.

Medical facilities- Frankly, they aren’t rated very high. I’ve never had a problem myself the few times I’ve been a patient but they don’t have a great reputation.

Crime- Albuquerque does not have a low crime rate but most of the crime is concentrated in specific areas. Rio Rancho (and the west side of ABQ) has a much lower crime rate.

Commute- Awful, if you’re driving from Rio Rancho or anywhere on the west side into Albuquerque. You have to cross the Rio Grande and every bridge gets backed up with rush hour traffic. I always worked in Rio Rancho so it never affected me. (I’m making it sound great so far, aren’t I?)

Shopping- Not much in Rio Rancho. Grocery stores, Walmarts, & Target but not much else. Cottonwood Mall is on the west side, not more than 15 minutes from most of Rio Rancho. I haven’t been there in well over 5 years.

Albuquerque vs. Denver weather- Denver is usually 5-7 degrees cooler than Albuquerque. Denver gets a lot more snow- 4" more on avg. in December, January and February but in March Denver averages 9 inches of snow and in April almost 5". Albuquerque averages 1.3" and 0.6" in those months.

Rio Rancho political climate- Yes, there are a lot of Republicans. It has never bothered me or really had any impact on my life, but I rarely discuss politics with people. And I am a registered Democrat.

If there’s anything I didn’t cover or if you have any other questions just ask.

17

My son moved there two years ago and I have visited him many time. ALbuquerque is lovely. The weather is mild, not too hot or cold,. The landscape is lovely, being surrounded by mountains that are great for hiking or bird watching.

The medical facilities are quite good, being the center of everything for hundreds of miles. There is higher crime, but like any city, it all depends on where you live, and there are very safe neighborhoods. And the food is great!

18

I agree with pretty much everything Palo Verde said. After I posted I realized that I said I loved it here but never said why- and my answers to the OP’s questions did not sound encouraging. The landscape is indeed lovely. The mountains are beautiful. I do a lot of camping and hiking, and bird watching as well. We have 300 days of sunshine a year but it rarely gets above 100 in the summer and the low humidity makes it very tolerable. And I love New Mexican cuisine!

I said I’ve never had a problem with the medical facilities and that’s true. But some of the hospitals rate fairly low (going by Google ratings). Presbyterian Hospital rates 3.1 out of 5 stars. Lovelace Medical Center rates 2.2, UNM Hospital rates 3.0, Lovelace Westside Hospital rates 2.9 while in Rio Rancho the Rust Medical Center rates 2.5 and Sandoval Regional Medical Center rates 3.4 stars. Family members and I have all had first rate treatment and between us we’ve used most of those facilities.

Rio Rancho is a bedroom community with no real downtown so not much shopping, but that’s not something that bothers me. I can find what I need and I don’t have to go into Albuquerque most of the time. Oh, and something else- Albuquerque has a lot of craft breweries that make very good beer, and most of them serve excellent food as well.