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If you follow city-data's trends here and here, that may no longer be true. In 1999, Atlanta had crime that was 62% worse. In 2009, Atlanta had crime that was 22% worse. Albuquerque's crime rate is only slowly improving while Atlanta's has been falling like a rock for several years in a row. For 2011, I would not be surprised if the two cities had comparable crime rates
I'm not going to try and guess what 2011 figures will be...
"In 2009, Atlanta had crime that was 22% worse." I do not see that in your reference. And I really don't care what the crime was in 1999. I am concerned about the most recent reliable data available which appears to be 2009.
In your latest figures City-data.com crime index (higher means more crime, U.S. average = 319.2) for 2009 was 633.0 for Atlanta, and 516.8 for Albuquerque. This means to me, in 2009, the latest figures, that Atlanta had a higher crime rate than Albuquerque.
Those rates are obviously inaccurate since it's been shown that Atlanta's estimated population for that year was way off. Atlanta ended up having a population of 420,003 in last year's census. That's a negative difference of 132,898 from that 2009 estimate. Albuquerque's estimate was less inaccurate since it ended up with a population of 545,852 last year, for a positive difference of 15,216.
It wouldn't then be unreasonable to extrapolate that Atlanta had an even worse crime rate compared to Albuquerque in 2009. I also would think that the inaccurate estimates throughout the last decade would account for any trend of Atlanta's crime rate dropping in comparison to Albuquerque's over the last ten years.
The only fairly reliable and accurate crime rates would come from using 2010 census numbers along with 2010 crime numbers, so those are the ones I'd be interested in seeing.
*There was more complete coverage by different agencies (For instance, RR is listed as having zero crime anywhere; while I'll agree it's probably got less crime, it's misleading to have no data share the same space as no crime).
*There was some normalizing factor for population. Downtown, Central, and the malls look like hotbeds of crime, and while they have large numbers reported, there are high concentrations of people in those neighborhoods. There are plenty of "green" areas that are sparse enough with high enough crime rates that they ought not be green, IMO.
There was another crime map that I looked at before moving here, which was an excellent resource for me in deciding where in Albuquerque to live (can't remember where I found it though). I think these types of things are great sources of information, but this one only shows one month so you would have to check it often to get a good feel of the area.
Bardsbrood...really, don't be dissuaded from attending UNM if that is what your plans are. It is a good university and if you live fairly close to UNM or in the NE Heights you should be fine. The rents are a little high near UNM since demand for rentals in that area is always high. When I attended UNM I lived west of University at Ash & Grand Ave. (since renamed MLK Blvd.) and so many Univ students live in that area that it is pretty safe. It was on the north side of Central Ave. I, along with fellow students walked to campus every day and crossed University. I am female also, btw. We were advised not to walk around on campus after dark, but I really don't recall anything bad ever happening to anyone in that area. One thing that should concern you if you plan to stay in Albuquerque long-term is the school district your kids will be in. In general, the better the area the better the schools. It stems from higher parental expectations = better students, less negative peer influence, etc. I have visited Spokane and have relatives up there, and you will find a noticeable difference in the overall attitude and culture of the people in Albuquerque. As nice as Spokane is, I know it has it's seedy areas too, just like most other cities. It's hard to put your finger on what is different about Albuquerque, I think it's that most Albuquerqueans are almost too tolerant and accepting of different people and cultures and tend to turn a blind eye to the criminal element. They don't see it as a community problem that they should be alarmed about. They don't seem to see it as degrading their quality of life. They (in general) have a live-and-let-live attitude that allows the criminals and thugs to run loose. The area is very liberal and not very tough on crime, so the result is more of it. I still don't think Albuquerque is a very good place to raise kids, but it is a liveable city and you will love the nearby mountains and all the outdoor recreation they provide. Hope this helps.
I'm gonna say you guys are all right, you paid attention to what I was saying really listened and didn't start shooting me up for my typos, which are often legendary. Yes, Spokane does have seedy areas, certainly. It was harder to know what these were when I first moved here from San Diego because even the worst neighborhoods looked cleaner and nicer than what I would think of as a typical bad neighborhood in my hometown. It was harder to spot, for sure. I don't want my kids to have a bad attitude about learning, and I know how hard it can be to be smart around a bunch of kids that haven't been taught to care and get peer pressured into bad grades. I hear what you're saying about being liberal on crime and so on, and the are certainly has beautiful hiking which I love to hike and I love nature. I would probably be the annoying, cheerful Californian who decided to get people together to pick up trash.
I am looking forward to visiting and funding out if it's as vibrant as it seems and the people too.
I am drawn tot he area because I am interested in Native American Archaeology, especially of the Southwest. I feel drawn there. I have loved the desert since I was a child. The University of Tuscon is pretty competitive though cheaper living places than UNM.
I also like that I'll only be a 12 hour visit away from my hometown and can finally visit family at least once a year.
Thanks for your input everyone, those stats are really something to think about.
The opinions in this thread do not accurately represent the 500,000+ population of Albuquerque or the 800,000, almost 900,000 people in the metro area.
This is the internet. Where bogus bogies are the way of life in many cases...
No, this is not a New Mexico attitude unless you yourself wish to believe it.
Unfortunately, this thread does not really reflect the vibrancy of the area. Some people never see it...
But I hope you come here with an open clear mind, and enjoy...
Rich
Good info! I think the only way to tell is to visit and get a good look. All I know is, it looks gorgeous.
All that being said. Here are a few areas with rent that looked ok that seemed out of the crime zone. How do I know if they're in ok school zones? Those school stats never seem to be erm, a good judge. Of course I hope to try for the family single parent dorm housing, which would be most economical. loc: 510 Hazeldine SW ABQ NM US - Google Maps
This one looks utilitarian 70s maybe? But clean. IS this soemthing y'all would be like ewwwwww
Welcome to Vista Grande.... (http://albuquerque.craigslist.org/apa/2432024776.html - broken link)
Then my next question is, really, What about cockroaches? I so do not miss "bug problems" that come with warmer climate living. Seriously I'd be ready to live in Antartica if it meant never seeing another goddamn cockroach for as long as I lived. I know they can be in the nicest homes, the creeps. But what are the real bug probs in the area? What should I expect as normal? Flying critters? Giant spiders?
It depends where you live. Downtown, and from what I hear most of the older parts of town, have cockroaches. I put out some traps and now its pretty rare to see them inside. Though i come across them walking outside occasionally. Very, very few flying bugs, or really anything else besides the occasional spider, which is really nice. Especially coming from the east coast, where gnats, flies, mosquitoes, and now stink bugs are everywhere!
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ABQ Crime Map
