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.
You refer to Meadow Lakes as a "bedroom community"? This would imply that it is a sleepy, peaceful, quiet area.
First off, you're not even spelling the place right; second, that's not what "bedroom community" means or implies to anyone I've ever talked to. Bedroom communities often turn into high-crime areas, as they have no local employment base.
In my experience those areas are on par with the neighborhoods that I've been talking about in Albuquerque. There are a lot of rough neighborhoods in Albuquerque. A lot of rough people. In my opinion they are all about the same level of dangerousness / day-to-day crime / daily experiences.
Quote:
Guys, I've lived in a bunch of different places, have a lot of experience. I'm not just making comments for the sake of it.
1. what do mean by crime victim, what exactly happened?
2. what are doing walking there if you don't belong there?
3. Are you Hispanic? Have you ever lived in a Chicano neighborhood or a ghetto? Do you know what these environments are like as someone who was born and raised in such a place?
I was staying there (as I had for multiple weeks prior), and there was seven of them, so they didn't need a gun to get what I had on me. It was a combination of bad luck and bad decisions, but when you're working 70-hour weeks in downtown SF, bad decisions come easier than one might think.
I really don't get the hispanic insinuation, and I'm in Barelas frequently.
You know what I'm talking about when I say the North Valley. I'm talking about the places that are north of Central, along Broadway, north 4th street, all those areas. I'm not talking about the plush areas that are much farther up than that.
Actually, the "plush areas" IS the North Valley. 4th/Broadway/Central is downtown.
The problem with your posts is that for the most part, you're using very large areas and damning the whole area.
You say Los Padillas is not part of Albuquerque, then for the street addresses in Los Padillas, why is the city listed as "Albuquerque" ?
You say you are in Barelas "frequently". What does this mean, you go there for lunch during the weekday? But you don't live there, right? Which part of Albuquerque do you live in?
Quote:
Originally Posted by yukon
Actually, the "plush areas" IS the North Valley. 4th/Broadway/Central is downtown.
When I was growing up we never referred to that area as downtown. It was either North Valley or South Valley depending on what side of Central you were on.
Quote:
The problem with your posts is that for the most part, you're using very large areas and damning the whole area.
I will concede this. But to say that problematic areas in Albuquerque are limited only to a few small neighborhoods is not correct. To dismiss or make light of the amount and type of crime that occurs is not accurate.
One thing I will say is that most of the crime that occurs in Albuquerque, does not get reported on the news or in the newspaper. So if you are living in the quieter parts of the city, then you truly might be unaware of the amount of crime.
Quote:
Originally Posted by aries63
And this applies to any city you want to move to.
I contend that the crime, particularly violent crime, and the chances of being exposed to it are greater in Albuquerque than a lot of other similar sized or even larger cities, particularly when you are in the areas I listed.
You say Los Padillas is not part of Albuquerque, then for the street addresses in Los Padillas, why is the city listed as "Albuquerque" ?
Because that's the closest post office. It's common practice for outlying communities and properties to follow this convention. For instance, in your general area, the Lehigh Permanente Quarry has Los Altos in its street address but it is well out of the city limits of Los Altos.
Quote:
You say you are in Barelas "frequently". What does this mean, you go there for lunch during the weekday? But you don't live there, right? Which part of Albuquerque do you live in?
Awfully nosy for someone who doesn't answer similar questions about himself.
You say Los Padillas is not part of Albuquerque, then for the street addresses in Los Padillas, why is the city listed as "Albuquerque" ?
"Los Padillas (GNIS FID: 898817) is a populated place LOCATED WITHIN the South Valley CDP. In turn, the South Valley CDP is located within Bernalillo County.
Note: CDP = Census Designated Place. A CDP is a statistical area delineated locally specifically for the tabulation of Census Bureau data"
Los Padillas and South Valley and North Valley ARE NOT LOCATED WITHIN ALBUQUERQUE, THEY ARE NOT PART OF THE CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE, but they may share some services.
"South Valley is a census-designated place (CDP) and town in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 40,976 at the 2010 Census.[1] It is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area. The U.S. Postal Service uses "Albuquerque" for all South Valley addresses (ZIP code 87105)."
One thing I will say is that most of the crime that occurs in Albuquerque, does not get reported on the news or in the newspaper. So if you are living in the quieter parts of the city, then you truly might be unaware of the amount of crime.
I contend that the crime, particularly violent crime, and the chances of being exposed to it are greater in Albuquerque than a lot of other similar sized or even larger cities, particularly when you are in the areas I listed.
I don't know what basis you have for any of these statements. Sounds like you grew up in a bad situation here and that colors your view of the whole area. All I can say is that lots of crime goes unreported in other places as well. Personally, I was assaulted walking down the street in Cambridge, Mass. but didn't bother to report it. I've never been assaulted in Albuquerque, living here 26 years vs. only 4 in the Boston metro.
In fact one reason I moved to Albuquerque was so that I could enjoy a better quality of life than in Boston, where I was forced to live in some pretty squalid neighborhoods because of my income, with trash lining the stairwells of the apartment buildings and mice running across the bed. My situation improved greatly here in ABQ, but I know that people who are in lower income brackets here (again, like anywhere else) don't have it so good.
Quote:
Originally Posted by yukon
I'm a relative newcomer, only here since 2007. However, I've been working off of 4th/Broadway/Central the entire time I've been here and it's been considered downtown by anyone we give directions to. Likewise, according to my coworkers at one office (who live in the "south valley"), the "north valley" tends to start as far south as Menaul, or as north as Griegos, for a 'starting point'. They're all lifelong natives. They consider central up to Menaul as downtown.
These kinds of conversations end up with spitting hairs but I know people in Los Duranes (Indian School/Rio Grande Blvd. area) and even a little south of I-40 and west of Rio Grande Blvd. (north and west of Old Town) who consider it "North Valley", not Downtown.
The South Valley to me has always been Albuquerque, it's got Abq street addresses and it is a continuous set of neighborhoods and it borders the downtown.
Let's get back on track and talk about crime, because this is the OP's question. I was born and raised in the South Valley and spent more than half my life there. My parents still live there. Most of the west side of Albuquerque, including the South Valley and North Valley, are Hispanic neigbhorhoods and these have always had a substantial amount of crime including violence. Living in those neighborhoods your chances of being exposed to or victim of crime is high, particularly if you are a young Hispanic male as I was, and even if you keep your nose out of trouble, as I did. It still finds you, regardless of what you do. It affects either yourself personally or your family and friends. I'm not talking about a single incident of getting mugged once in your life or something like this, that can happen to anyone anywhere and is just random chance. But I'm talking about a much more pervasive thing, something that is part of the culture, something that is an ongoing thing in large parts of Albq.
To say Albuquerque is a rough city is an understatement. It is truly a rough city. The reason for this is because there are a lot of people in New Mexico who have had tough lives. They are jaded as a result of it. Not only that, but the culture of machismo and fighting and growing up on the streets is very prevalent, and produces a lot of people who are tough. Of all the places I've lived, I have to say that New Mexicans are most likely to get physical during altercations.
After having left NM I have lived in a bunch of places, including Austin, the D.C. metro area, New York City, Colorado, Honolulu, and now the Bay Area. So I have a good basis of comparison. And I feel that the pervasive undercurrent of crime and violence in New Mexico is unusually high.
If you are a white person living in the middle class non-Hispanic neigborhoods then your chances of experiencing crime are less, but I still feel it is more than other cities in the country. (Of course if you live and spend most of your time in affluent neighborhoods then the chances are even less.) If you are a woman your chances are less. If you are older, your chances are less. If you spend all your time inside your house, your chances are less.
But your chances start going up once you get outside, spend time in public places, in parks, especially in the neigborhoods mentioned.
The physical altercations and the brutality is especially is the thing that separates NM from other places. Guys in NM have a hairline trigger - it doesn't take much to ignite. A lot of guys there are tough, they're accustomed to a rough life and a lot of them go around looking for trouble.
It's interesting because when I tell people I am from Albuquerque, one of the first things people sometimes mention is how they, or someone they knew, had problems there. For example, a coworker said his mom had gotten mugged while visiting Albuquerque. Another said his friend went there for college and was having problems with gang members harassing him. Etc. I'm not saying this is a day-to-day thing, but it's a more common theme than you otherwise would expect.
That's the reality of things, especially if you live in the Spanish neighborhoods and especially if you are male. And don't forget that those elements are spread throughout Albq and throughout New Mexico. So for the OP, if you want to minimize your exposure to crime, then don't live in the areas I mentioned.
It's really best to study the crime maps yourself, like Trulia.com, and compare them to where you live right now.
Yes that site has great info on crime stats in the area and up to date as well. I'm on that site often looking for a couple years down the road and leaning more and more toward the newer homes on micro lots. I'm finding myself dreadfully sacrificing the larger lots I am used to in exchange for a home that is not outdated inside and needs a ton of work. Done that a couple times.
My kid has lived up near Paseo and Louisiana for years now. Not crime ridden by any means but I do seem to find that NM/Albuquerque excels in those 'petty' PITA crimes. Stolen hubcaps, broken car windows, smash and grabs. The quick ten buck pawn shop garbage probably to help feed a drug/booze habit. I think too many people quick to defend are thinking crimes in terms of felonies. Rapes, murders, armed robbery, etc. It does not have to be those types of crimes to make ones life hell. It's the constant drip, drip, drip of petty stuff that can wear on you.
One thing I will say is that most of the crime that occurs in Albuquerque, does not get reported on the news or in the newspaper. So if you are living in the quieter parts of the city, then you truly might be unaware of the amount of crime.
Are you even real? Crime is about the only thing the media even reports on, particularly the local news stations.
After having left NM I have lived in a bunch of places, including Austin, the D.C. metro area, New York City, Colorado, Honolulu, and now the Bay Area. So I have a good basis of comparison. And I feel that the pervasive undercurrent of crime and violence in New Mexico is unusually high.
And where did you live in those cities? Did you go straight for the worst neighborhoods to hang out with criminals like the ones you grew up with? If not, then there is no basis for you to make any kind of comparison due to your experience.
Furthermore, violent crime and property crime have dropped considerably in ABQ in the past 20 years, as they have in much of the country. So comparing one city when crime nationwide is high to another city later when crime nationwide is lower doesn't tell you much. Two cities with identical crime rates that decreased over the years would appear to be vastly different when you're comparing different time periods.
I'm not saying ABQ doesn't have more crime than it should, but you instructing people to avoid large swaths of the city is crazy.
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.
