Thinking of Moving to Albuquerque (Las Cruces, Santa Fe: sale, apartment complexes, for rent)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
The schools that serve the base do not rank very highly or have great reputations. Here's a link to the state ratings database for Albuquerque schools... they're all ranked A to F based on test scores, academic achievement of the students, etc.
Just select Albuquerque as the district and you can view a map of all of the schools and their grades. Or you can search by name. Highland gets a B (this is compared to all of the high schools in the NE section of the city that get As.). Van Buren gets a C (again, the middles further North generally get Bs). This is not to say your children couldn't get great educations at Van Buren and Highland... but those are probably not the schools that locals would recommend as the best.
Last edited by cynanthus; 03-17-2014 at 06:20 PM..
Unfortunately, almost all of the high schools in Albuquerque are large and the drug problems among some groups of students seem to be unavoidable. It's easier to avoid the gangs. I've heard from teachers that West Mesa and Rio Grande have gang influences.
I used to live across the street from Highland High School. It's a weird school district--on the west side of San Mateo (a street in Albuquerque ) you have quaint neighborhoods inhabited by the more affluent people who work at the hospitals or at UNM. On the east side of San Mateo (where Van Buren is, I think) there is a lot of poverty. People are drawn in there by the cheap apartments requiring no down payments, etc. This is where many of the immigrants live and have their businesses--excellent Vietnamese and Mexican restaurants, shops, etc. These areas are bordered by Central (where drug addicts and prostitutes hang out) and Gibson, where there seems to be a lot of pawn shops and armed robbery. It was not unusual for us to come home in the evening and find a drunk person staggering down the road (or passed out on the sidewalk). This was probably due to the fact that the closest neighborhood grocery store sold cheap 40 ounce beers and minis. At any given time, there would be at least two people approaching shoppers in the parking lot for "bus fare". And sadly, it's not unheard of for children to find used needles in the parks around that part of town.
That said, I've never heard anything bad about Highland. I have heard that Van Buren is rough. (And on that note, resist the urge to live that close to the base. In my opinion, it's not a safe area for kids to be walking around.)
La Cueva High School and Desert Ridge MS are probably the best in Albuquerque. The rent is expensive there, but if you get a housing allowance it might not be too bad. I think it's worth living in a smaller house. I've also heard good things about Sandia High School, and it is closer to the base than La Cueva. Volcano Vista is a new high school in West Albuquerque. The students I've talked to seem to like it there, and the neighborhood seems very family-oriented.
Charter schools are a good option if you want something smaller, but the enrollment window for some of them has already passed. Also, you have to be careful because they vary in quality. My son goes to Cottonwood Classical Prep School (grades 6-12), and it is small and excellent. They already had their lottery, so you may have to wait a year to get in. They have buses that go to various places throughout the city, so you don't have to live nearby.
The Albuquerque Public Schools "Schools of Choice" are accepting applicants for the lottery until April 11. These are smaller schools with a specific focus. [url=http://www.aps.edu/schools/schools-of-choice]Schools of Choice — Albuquerque Public Schools[/url] A teacher friend of mine went to NextGen's open house, and she was very impressed with the building and the teachers.
We are planning a move to Albuquerque, New Mexico in 2014. It will probably be the middle of the year like in June but most likely July or August. We have our home in Fort Worth Texas we have to sell first, then we will be ready to take the leap! We are considered by our ages of 55 and 59 senior citizens, however, we don't consider ourselves to be senior citizens. What would you want to tell folks of our age about Albuquerque. We want to live in a high rise apartment downtown Albuquerque. How many choices will we have? I have heard that Albuquerque doesn't have high rises but only mid-rise apartments. Is this true? What are some of the things people who are around our age and our do for recreation in Albuquerque? Truly anything we can find out will be so helpful for us. Give us your thoughts.. Thank you so much!
In general, there aren't many "nice" or luxury apartments in central Albuquerque. Not even sure about downtown except for the converted Albuquerque High School condos and lofts. Not sure why you would want to live downtown unless for a job, but you say you are retired. I did not look myself but I think there are nicer apartments in the 'suburbs' like Rio Rancho if you are set on apt living and want something a little nicer.
I am moving there next month and will be renting a nice home near UNM. That is a very nice area of town. There may be some "senior" apartments but I did not look for any nor did I notice any. Check Indian School Road - there is a nice looking mid-rise apt building on Indian School just east of Carlisle - that is a great area, could walk to Whole Foods from there.
Plenty of nice buildings downtown, though most are condos, so check craigslist to rent from an owner. I used to live in the Silver Lofts at 8th/Silver. I loved the location and the people in the complex were awesome. Everyone was friendly and welcoming. People from all over of all ages.
Downtown, some of the nicer buildings are:
100 Gold - mid rise
Silver Lofts - low
Banque Lofts - mid rise
Not sure if the Anasazi is finished yet, but that is probably nice as well.
If you want walkable living. Also look in Nob Hill.
Plenty of nice buildings downtown, though most are condos, so check craigslist to rent from an owner. I used to live in the Silver Lofts at 8th/Silver. I loved the location and the people in the complex were awesome. Everyone was friendly and welcoming. People from all over of all ages.
Downtown, some of the nicer buildings are:
100 Gold - mid rise
Silver Lofts - low
Banque Lofts - mid rise
Not sure if the Anasazi is finished yet, but that is probably nice as well.
If you want walkable living. Also look in Nob Hill.
The Anasazi Downtown is indeed finished, and selling lofts. There's also the building across the street, although the name escapes me at the moment. You might also consider the Place in Nob Hill. And yeah, not really any high-rise apartments here. The Banque Lofts come closest.
I lived at The Crossroads at 4th and Central for a short time. They are nice lofts, but it's a very young clientele and lots of pot smoking going on in the building. The walls were stick thin and you could hear everything, including everyday conversations. Also, Maloney's bar is right underneath you, so if you get an apartment there, make sure the one you choose is not on top of the bar. I would recommend checking out the converted Albuquerque High School lofts and Silver Lofts.
I did not like living downtown and it wasn't for me, but you may like it. Lots of homeless people, and every Sunday they have a soup line at the 4th Street Mall and hundreds of homeless people will be downtown.
Take a look around Albuquerque and make sure downtown is where you want to be. Make sure to spend some time downtown Saturday evening and see what the vibe is. You might also try finding a nice duplex in Nob Hill.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Moving to albuquerque new mexico!
