have questions about moving to Albuquerque (South Valley: apartment complexes, to rent, loft)
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I live in cleveland and want to move to albuquerque this fall. I have been to Albuquerque 3 times. what are the best areas to rent? Also, I am a restaurant manager, and wondered about the availability of restaurant jobs, as I will be moving out there without a job. Thanks.
I don't think you will have any problem finding work in the restaurant business in ABQ. Lots of Mom and Pop establishments as well as the big chains. ABQ is growing rapidly which means more restaurants will be popping up all over the city.
As for housing, I like the Far NE heights the best for apartments. I lived at La Mirage and there were several nice apartment complexes in that area. You will need a car but you can get anywhere in ABQ in 20-30min. The Northwest side of town near cottonwood Mall is nice too, but traffic is more of a pain from the west side of the river.
Anyway, good luck with the move!
The NE area, especially apartments on Eubank NE or in the Wyoming/Academy/Osuna area, are probably the best ones to consider if you're going to be renting from afar, sight unseen. There are some on Montgomery that aren't too bad, but Montgomery is a major traffic street, so that might be a minus. Then again, prices might be a little better on Montgomery than Eubank.
As for the job, if the economy stays like it is, finding one might a tad tough at first (but that would be anywhere, even if you stay in Ohio).
Albuquerque has a large restaurant scene for its size, i.e. lots of work here. Most of the fine dining, but by no means all, is located along the Central corridor from Old Town to Nob Hill. There is a large concentration of chain restaurants near I-40 and Montgomery and finally there are hundreds of little, local restaurants strung along all the large throughfares (everywhere).
I miss the 505 but had to move to TX due to family reasons. I rented a place at Academy & Wyoming (called the Northeast Heights....and after I lived there I found it was also called the Northeast Whites and White Heights. I suppose this may have been the case at one time but I saw a lot of ethnic diversity when I lived there...) Anyway it was a decent location if you want to be near coffee shops, grocery stores, dry cleaners, banks etc. I was told this was a low crime area when I moved there. However, within one year I had someone attempt to break into my apt at night (luckily a police substation was right around the corner) and had my car broken into. Also, when I moved there I was told negative things about the South Valley but I found it to be quite lovely. I have friends who live in the Nob Hill area and they love being able to walk to restaurants/bars etc. Of course, one of these friends was also hit by a car when she was walking across the street in that area. Old Town also has its charm, especially during Christmas when it the farolitos are lit, but I found it mostly cater to tourists. Downtown is gaining in popularity with some expensive loft living and also quite a few restaurants, yoga studios, etc...
Keep in mind that if you want to work on the east side of town, live on the east side of town. If you want to work across the Rio Grande on the west side of town (which is pretty much all new construction and chain restaurants), live over there. The traffic across the Rio Grande bridges can be a real pain during rush hour. Crossing from northwest to southeast during rush hour makes things exponentially worse...that commute can take an hour.
Bottom line...ABQ is wonderful, the crime can hit anywhere, drivers are crazy, and ABQ is still wonderful anyway. I'd move back in a heartbeat if I could. Good luck with your move and enjoy the green chile!
I found it was also called the Northeast Whites and White Heights. I suppose this may have been the case at one time but I saw a lot of ethnic diversity when I lived there...)
There is a lot of talk about the ethnic diversity in Albuquerque, and it exists, but when I first moved here in 1990, to the the SE Heights (i.e. not the "Whites"), my first impression was that it was the second most whitebread, middle-America place I'd ever seen, flat-roofs and stucco not withstanding. I mean there are McDonalds and big cars everywhere!
LOL ABQConvict! I promise, compared to where used to live (Baton Rouge) and where I currently live in the DFW metroplex, ABQ is much more diverse. I get what you mean though.
Everything here in DFW (and in BR) looks "cookie cutter" a Walmart next to a Panera Bread, next to an Office Max, next to a Petsmart.....then 3 miles of sprawling car dealerships. ABQ was such a refreshing change from all that. And I really liked being able to attend Feast Days at the Pueblos. Nothing like that here.
The main reason I recommended the NE area is it sounded like the OP was moving here and possibly renting SIGHT UNSEEN. If that's the case, there's a huge collection of apartments owned/managed by reputable regional and national property firms in the NE area, so to me it's the best spot to go into blindly.
However, I still think the best way is to get a hotel for a few days to a week and wander around, to find the part of town that fits YOU best.
Not really a reply - just a newbie having no clue how to post on blogs. Have followed the Abq blogs for a couple months now, my husband & I (early 50's) are considering up and leaving home/family/friends/grandbabies for a crazy desire to move and live out our lives in Abq. Have only been thru there once eons ago and recall brilliant sunsets. We have researched and totally love the weather factor as compared to here in Omaha. Will be visiting in a couple weeks and checking out the area. Of course, I as a female get hung up on the crime issues and reading all your blogs, you bring some comfort to me, however, I still worry. I particularly love the NE Hgts & Far NE for its older homes and tree lines streets as well as it's safety and mtn access. My husband is an avid bicyclist and is depressed if he can't ride the trails here in Omaha 25-30 miles each day. Weather tends to be a contributing factor here. He is in IT, I am an RN, so I feel pretty confident we could find something to help us pay the mortgage. It just seems to be a crazy thing we're are thinking. I really think Abq has alot of what we're looking for. Culture, festivals, restaurants, art, scenery, weather, wineries, mostly opportunities to get out and about on the trails, in the mtns, just chilling in the great outdoors. I love whitewater rafting, and would love to try snow tubing. He would find every bike trail known in NM. What more could you want to live out your lives? I appreciate all your responses in bolstering our crazy ideal of an Abq dream.
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