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Hello all.
We are a mid 40s couple with a toddler and are moving to the Albuquerque area from SoCal. Can you give general advice on the areas to look? We Want to rent for a while to gauge the neighborhoods, and we enjoy swim lessons, parks, walking, museums, the arts, and general family activities. We obviously don't enjoy areas with crime, etc...
Rio Rancho was recommended as suburbs. Other areas? I'm working downtown, but don't mind a little commute - since it's probably better than SoCal.
I read there's a lot of water issues. Are the park lawns kept - for family visits? From the photos, it looks as if lawns just aren't done there.
The neighborhood question is a tricky one. There are nice neighborhoods all over Albuquerque, so it just depends on your preference. You can easily find a nice neighborhood in or near downtown. The only suggestion I usually give people is that it is worth living on the same side of the river that you work on. Crossing the bridges during rush hour is an unnecessary waste of time IMO.
There are nice, older neighborhoods around downtown and UNM, some of which have a more urban feel and are walking distance to great restaurants and other amenities. The West side and Rio Rancho have a more suburban sprawl feel to them. The NE heights is easy to navigate with lots of nice neighborhoods. The foothills are great if you want views of the city and to be in walking distance to hiking trails. The North valley is more lush and green. There are also places such as Corrales...which have a smaller/village/community feel.
You are right about traffic and commuting...it's not bad here at all.
I would say the two places in Albuquerque that have the most museums are Old Town and UNM. In Old Town they have an art museum (The Albuquerque Museum), a Natural History museum (NM Museum of Natural History and Science), and a science museum (Explora!). At UNM, there is the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, a Meteorite Museum in Northrop Hall, and a Greenhouse Conservatory right near that in Castetter Hall. There is also a museum dedicated to the history of the Pueblos in at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, located on 12th Street and Menaul. In addition, there is the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History, located on Eubank and Southern near Kirtland Air Force Base.
Like others have said, it depends on where you work, but when we lived in NM we lived on the West side in a community called Ventana Ranch. They have a good elementary school and nice parks and community pool.
I work downtown and find that my commute from the NE area of town is only 20 minutes so you don't have to be too restricted in terms of your radius. (Rio Rancho is much further though, especially with traffic crossing the river). I like my area of town for its good schools, safe neighborhoods, and quiet.
I just know I'm gonna take heat for this, but I have 2 young children and I'm gonna get the heck out of NM ASAP. I moved here 2 years ago and purchased a house in Los Lunas which is about a 15 minute drive to ABQ. I work in the South Valley and I have to say..STAY OUT OF THE SOUTH VALLEY. I'm not a huge fan of ABQ in general, especially since I have children. There are are so many drug and crime issues here. Drunk Driving is a massive problem. It seems like there is fatal DUI/DWI accident every day. The schools are horrible and the graduation rate is like 55%. If you want better schools move to the NE heights or Rio Rancho. The drive from Rio is bad, especially during rush our. The weather is not too hot (95-100 degrees) in summer. Winter is nice (this past winter got pretty cold). I wish I knew these things before I moved here. I know that every City has it's problems but this one has more than I want.
This site City-Data was here before you moved out here. The problems you talked about were discussed and made a matter of public knowledge. We had a DUI problem here long before you came out. Maybe you did not do your due diligence...
Anyway, I hope your next move is more enjoyable, and of course City-Data probably has a forum about where you want to go...
If you're looking for a SoCal vibe (sort of), I'd check out the neighborhoods just to the south of UNM - specifically the hilly area around Hyder Park. Depending on where you work and how much you make, Sandia Heights is also pretty California-esque.
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