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Thanks Rich. I will check out those threads. I'm sure moving to Abq will be a bit of culture shock and I appreciate your description of what was meant by 'real' southwestern town. I have visited once about 5 years ago for two days during an interview my dh had at the university and liked it. The food was fantastic and the area is beautiful. I'm really looking forward to gazing up at the big star filled sky. I don't think I've seen a star for the past 5 years.
Last night I was studying googlemaps to get an idea of what other neighborhoods are in the surrounding area and to see if they were considered safe. I guess I want to find out how far away we could live from unm north and still be within 15mins on regular roads. We are more fans of the urban areas than the surburan areas but honestly safety is at the top of the ladder. I am attracted to the large size of the Arroyo Del Oso Park. Is that too far out? Can anyone give me a good perimeter to work from?
Arroyo Del Oso is a great area, slightly older houses with a community style feel about them. Osuna though is quite a busy road and San Mateo is one of the busy non highway roads. If I were going to use a scooter I would try and avoid those roads. Commute will be over 15 minutes though, especially on a scooter.
If I were in your position I would look around UNM South, concentrate on the north-south streets between Girard & Carlisle, I've seen nice little 2 bed rentals for $700-$900 there. They are very convenient for UNM and your dh?(what does dh mean?) can ride a scooter or even a bicycle with ease to work and you are in walking distance of some great shops and a nice little park or two to the south.
One thing about UNM south though is that private landlords tend to put signs outside their properties rather than advertise in the paper or online, so you might have to do some driving around to find a place.
They are very convenient for UNM and your dh?(what does dh mean?)
Dearest Husband. Damn thing drove me crazy for so long I thought there were just a bunch of people who were married to men who had the initials dh. If I ever caught my wife calling me that there be some fightin.
But on topic, definitely give the scooter a try. My family right now does the one car, one scooter thing but my commute runs 15 - 25 minutes and it works 99% of the time. Being in the University/Central area it will be even easier. The cost savings are great.
Downtown-area has some decent apartments in that range and you'd be about 5 minutes from UNM. Check out the Alvarado Apartments down on Lead Avenue. There are also a lot of great little houses and stuff for rent in that area - I live in one for about $650. But make sure you visit the neighborhood you want to live in before signing up. I wouldn't advise any sight-unseen decisions when it comes to apartment hunting in Albuquerque - even in the NE Heights.
Downtown-area has some decent apartments in that range and you'd be about 5 minutes from UNM. Check out the Alvarado Apartments down on Lead Avenue. There are also a lot of great little houses and stuff for rent in that area - I live in one for about $650. But make sure you visit the neighborhood you want to live in before signing up. I wouldn't advise any sight-unseen decisions when it comes to apartment hunting in Albuquerque - even in the NE Heights.
Side note: If you're planning on riding a bicycle to UNM, living downtown might be a challenge. You'd be looking at some serious hill climbing to get up there everyday.
You could walk around with a Cowboy hat, jeans and boots and would not be considered out of place.
While you wouldn't get stared at, I go weeks without seeing anyone in cowboy hats or boots. Actually, in Albuquerque, most people I see in western wear are Mexican nationals. The best place to guarantee a Stetson sighting is Pro's Ranch Market or El Mesquite (Mexican supermarkets). Rural, anglo and Hispanic New Mexican do wear western wear, especially in eastern NM.
I see a lot more people in tank tops and tattoos. Then again I live in the Ghetto which is anything south and east of Montgomery and Tramway ;-) Just kidding.
berncohomes: Thanks for the location advice. I will look at that area you mentioned. The location would be very handy and I like the looks of the neighborhood from what I've seen in pictures.
We are planning to visit and apt hunt a month before our move date. I'm thinking that we will park and walk through a large part the area around the university. Is securing an apt for the coming month doable in say three days? I want to maximize our time by planning a solid strategy. Is there a preferable time of the month for hunting?
cornflakes: I did have a hope that we could reliably secure an apartment or home without being in town. After reading in this forum and learning more about Albuquerque I realize that is not a good idea, at all!
abqconvict: I didn't realize that there are mexican supermarkets. It just never occurred to me. We will definitely be going to one.
I see cowboy hats as well as tattoos a lot... But I guess maybe your right about more people in tank tops and tattoos, I just am not atuned to them. I seem to go to events which attract them both.
Well UNM ends May 12th next year, so I would expect by two to three weeks after that most of the land lords should have their signs up and their tenants out. So that last week in May would sound like a good time look in the area for a June/July move.
I think you should be able to do something in 3 days, however could be very stressful especially with a toddler in tow. However you could probably look at properties and make your decision after you leave and mail a security deposit in to the landlord if you needed time to think.
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. I have visited once about 5 years ago for two days during an interview my dh had at the university and liked it. The food was fantastic and the area is beautiful. I'm really looking forward to gazing up at the big star filled sky. I don't think I've seen a star for the past 5 years.
