Albuquerque vs Las Vegas (living, cost, state, rates)
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Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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Which southwestern city is like to see more of a boom in the future? Las Vegas has grown exponentially and has almost double the MSA population of ABQ, but it’s also fair to say growth in Vegas has come to a screeching halt due to the recession and most notably home foreclosures. ABQ has some potential for steady growth. How would you compare these two southwestern cities based on the usual criteria but also future growth? I realize there may be some totally black and white responses to this, mainly towards Las Vegas' noteriety & tourism, and ABQ may have an edge on QOL of life for some.
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
10,745 posts, read 23,801,634 times
Reputation: 14650
Scenery: Both are nice. Both have strikingly beautiful mountains and wide open desert on the edge of the cities and are glorious at sunrise and sunset. A slight edge to Albuquerque for having the Rio Grande, the bosque woodlands, and more trees. Also the Sangre de Cristos north of the city are breathtaking. I find New Mexico to be a more beautiful state than Nevada with more diversity in topography. Also nearby cities and resorts like Santa Fe and Taos along with the many Native American pueblos add to the attraction. The only thing on the outskirts of Vegas that is remarkable is Zion National Park in Utah which is a good 3 hours away. Lake Mead is cool as is the Hoover Dam, but NM also has many dammed up lakes.
Cost of Living: Both are relatively affordable, Vegas had a home inflation spike but clearly that is falling fast.
Economy: Vegas and its high unemployment and largely tourism one industry dependent economy is pretty unstable. They ought to come up with something else if they want to sustain more or any growth. Albuquerque has the Sandia labs, some solar energy projects, milatary, and a huge Intel plant in Rio Rancho. Albuquerque doesn't have a hugely dynamic economy and does have quite a bit of poverty but certainly more diverse and stable than Las Vegas.
Schools: Both rank poorly to mediocre as local threads indicate. UNM and UNLV seem pretty middle of the road in the league of universities, however the UNM hospital does have a bit of notoriety.
Weather: Subjective. Both get hot in the summer, but Vegas is inferno hot for 3 months, Albuquerque is more tolerable. Albuquerque has a very desirable 4 season climate with cool but sometime blamy winters and fairly dry and pleasant the remainder of the year.
Culture: Vegas represents American greed and vice like no other. Casinos and vice are the substantial cultural trademarks there with not a whole lot else coming to mind, perhaps someone could correct me otherwise. Albuquerque certainly has local character. ABQ celebrates the arts, it's a very colorful city and it shows in murals and sculptures all around the city, particularly Nob Hill, the route 66 collegiate neighborhood. Even the highways in ABQ and throughout NM have beautification projects from flyover bridges painted with pink and blue hues to the wildlife murals on the highways around Santa Fe. ABQ has a nice blend of western Anglo/Hispanic/Native American cultures all of which are celebrated there.
Vibe: Albuquerque is a slower paced laid back city, very western frontier and artistic vibe. Vegas has a vibe that really needs no introduction but a seedy/24 hour/indulgent vibe
Food: Vegas obviously has fabulous food with world famous chefs and restaurants. Food selection runs the whole gamut from bargain buffets, deep fried twinkies to high brow seven course meals. Albuquerque has a more localized cuisine with plenty of green and red chiles (they can't get enough of them chiles) sopapillas, enchiladas, and is a big enough city to find many other creative joints like the Standard Diner and plenty of greasy spoons.
Diversity: Albuquerque has a dominant tri cultural element of Anglo, Hispanic, and Native American and seemingly very little else. Las Vegas is such a super transient city that it's not hard to find multi cultural offerings like Asian supermarkets, sushi joints, or fine Italian dining.
Future Growth: Both are poised for more growth as more and more people are leaving expensive areas like California and the Northeast and attracted to sunbelt cities like ABQ & LV. I don't see a reason for Albuquerque to have as much exponential growth as Phoenix or Las Vegas recently had suddenly doubling in size. But Albuquerque certainly has appeal and quality of life that will not go un-noticed, I'm sure it will pop up more on those Forbes slideshows (yes I know Forbes..gag). Las Vegas will likely slow down as it already has, as gambling and tourism is not limitlessly sustainable as recently indicated with the recession. Both cities will still attract more retirees.
Last edited by Champ le monstre du lac; 03-26-2011 at 07:28 PM..
Culture: Vegas represents American greed and vice like no other. Casinos and vice are the substantial cultural trademarks there with not a whole lot else coming to mind, perhaps someone could correct me otherwise.
I am intrigued by some of the international performers Vegas attracts. How many other U.S. cities draw major Arab singers such as Fairouz, Sabah Fakhri and Nour Mhanna? Not many, as far as I can tell. When I lived in Philadelphia, I would have loved a chance to see these performers in my city. I don't know if Vegas attracts other types of international acts, but I suspect it does.
Culture: Vegas represents American greed and vice like no other. Casinos and vice are the substantial cultural trademarks there with not a whole lot else coming to mind, perhaps someone could correct me otherwise. Albuquerque certainly has local character. ABQ celebrates the arts, it's a very colorful city and it shows in murals and sculptures all around the city, particularly Nob Hill, the route 66 collegiate neighborhood. Even the highways in ABQ and throughout NM have beautification projects from flyover bridges painted with pink and blue hues to the wildlife murals on the highways around Santa Fe. ABQ has a nice blend of western Anglo/Hispanic/Native American cultures all of which are celebrated there.
When I have more time I would like to address your post point by point but had to address this now.
I think Las Vegas gets a bad rap- especially form people who do not live here, or who have not lived here for at least a few years. I have lived here about 10 now and the bolded part simply is not representative of the city as a whole.
The Strip, in general, is not for the people who live here...it's for tourists...we are a city that makes money off of tourism. Many people live pretty normal lives and rarely partake of the glitzy image of Las Vegas.
When I see Las Vegas? I see the beautiful mountains that surround the entire valley, our amazing parks, hiking at Red Rock/Mt.Charleston. (Only 45 min away by the way.) Also only a half day trip from the Grand Canyon. Can't beat that!
Albuquerque has just about more culture than any city in the west.
There is nothing so extraordinary about Albuquerque that would warrant it having more culture than any other city in the west.
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