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Greetings, everyone. I have an excellent job opportunity which would bring me from Oklahoma to Gallup. Does anyone have any opinions on what it's like to live there? Of course, I've surveyed various websites, but it's difficult to tell much about the community itself. I know that the climate (and elevation!) will differ from what I'm used to, but what about the schools? Local government? Is it an attractive town? Any input would be appreciated.
It is not an attractive town when I'm driving through there. Quite small and unless you really, really enjoy the outdoors there is not much to do. ABQ is only 2 hours aways and Flagstaff, AZ only 3. The population is largely Hispanic and Native American with the city bordering the Navajo Nation (largest Native American reservation). So from a cultural standpoint not a bad place to be. I know several people who are from there and they love it, but personally I would not want to live there myself.
Greetings, everyone. I have an excellent job opportunity which would bring me from Oklahoma to Gallup. Does anyone have any opinions on what it's like to live there? Of course, I've surveyed various websites, but it's difficult to tell much about the community itself. I know that the climate (and elevation!) will differ from what I'm used to, but what about the schools? Local government? Is it an attractive town? Any input would be appreciated.
SOTM,
I have never lived in Gallup, but my wife grew up there. Not sure what part of OK you currently live in, but the weather may be fairly comparable, minus the humidity and tornadoes. Fairly warm summers and very cold winters (flat desert surroundings with no valleys or mountains to shield the town from inclement weather). And as was stated previously, it is not at all what I would call an attractive town.
It seems the schools used to be decent (back in the day), but now they are suffering like many smaller school districts in NM. Not much for kids to do either. Much of the city's activity/commerce is driven by its proximity to the nearby Indian reservations (the Navajo nation in particular). More than a few millionaires have been made in this town by selling/trading goods with the Navajo/Pueblo/Zuni population.
While the Native American culture surrounding the area is very rich, I think over time that I would be put off by the poverty and dreariness that tends to surround this general area. Additionally, the alchoholism/DWI rates on and around the nearby reservations are off the charts.
Bottom line: it may be a nice place to visit, but I don't know that I'd want to live there (especially if I had kids).
Lot of people traveling east on I-40 base there first impression of NM by what they see in gallup. Its never good.
I have read somewhere in the past that Gallup has quite a few millionaires.
There is a great deal of poverty there also. You will see quite a few locals roaming the streets in the AM sucking down whatever type of booze they could afford at that moment. It is a sad and depressing sight.
What the others posted is right on the money. Gallup has one of the worst crime rates in all of NM including ABQ! The drunk drivers are as common as coyotes there. I'd suggest going elsewhere. If you like the high desert like around Gallup, try Aztec. A much better town.
Well, I've been and am back. Other than the fact that the place is a bit touristy and I was the only white face in WalMart, it wasn't as bad as you guys led me to believe. I was a bit shocked that the cost of living was so ridiculously high there. And that they have a separate DWI holding facility.
I lived there a couple years and while the town disgusts me (just about everything about it), I'll share about the schools.....I was VERY close my sophmore year in high school to dropping out because there was absolutely no way I would go to the school every day. It was just my sister and I. SHE went back to the state we moved from to live with a friend and attend our old school.....I didn't have that option. I ended up going to the alternative high school...
It probably had something to do with me being blonde haired with blue eyes But I could seriously feel the hate (for whatever reason) and glaring eyes as soon as I walked through the high school.....I decided that day I'd rather be a drop out (and I VALUE education!).
That time in my life was also when I got real depressed (a lot having to do with moving there), hung around the wrong much older crowd, became a teen mother..... Not saying Gallup is to blame for my actions or problems, just that its a sucky place to be (at least if you are young or have children....childless couples would do fine I'm sure). I'm just two hours from Gallup now....thats about as close as I ever want to be again
The schools concern me because I have a nine-year-old stepson who might conceivably live with us at some point. However, more likely, he would live with his mother in Albuquerque. At least the first year, it would be myself and my husband. After that, we would probably have the option to move. But when we asked about the schools at the hotel where we stayed, the guy there said, "We have a couple of nice private schools. Public school is...well...public school. And there's always the option of homeschooling." Eesh.
I was always told by the locals in Northern NM that if I was in gallup I had better not go alone because my skin color (I am white).
If you look at the last 100 years and what has been done in regards to the Native American population, then look back at the Spanish American war in the late 1800's there has been a lot of turmoil in the area. And if you have ever gone into North Eastern Arizona/NorthWest NM and seen how the native americans live on the Navajo reservation you can understand where a little of the resentment comes from. We (figuratively speaking) took away some of the most beautiful land in the painted desert/Grand Canyon area and stuck those poor people out in the middle of nowhere with barely any means to support life. It is truely sad.
We took a trip out the back exit of the Grand Canyon and through the painted desert up to Tuba City and then back down through I-40 and it was a real eye opener. I would rather give my tourist $$ to those people than to the rich shop owners peddling their blankets for triple the cost.
Did you know that NM frequently leads the nation in drunk driving??? Interesting little stat I learned at a driver's ed class in NM....
As well as Bubonic Plague, I'm given to understand.
Well, we moved here. I guess I should change my screen name, since I no longer live in Oklahoma.
I'll share my initial opinions, in case anyone else is interested in this town.
The first couple of days here were hectic. We came without a place to live and stayed in a hotel. The newspapers, along with being poorly-written, were greatly lacking in any kind of classified ads. Between the four realty offices and property management offices in town, there were seven homes to rent, and only three of those were houses. We wanted a house, and we wanted to pay about $600-$700/month, which is $200-$300 more than we were paying for a nice, large apartment in Oklahoma.
The houses in that price range were, for the most part, hovels. Anything that we were even remotely willing to look at cost $1200+. We were fortunate to see a for-rent sign in the window of a house and hook up with the owner, who was asking $700 for a four-bedroom house that was, while older, at least clean and decent.
I have since been in a state of culture shock. As a European descendant, my skin is literally the palest I've seen here. The Wal-Mart on Saturday is an experience I'd rather never re-live. Ever see those tv shows/photos of a Mexican market that's overcrowded with chickens running around? Well, superimpose it over Wal-Mart's clean and wide aisles and friendly staff, and you get a picture of Gallup's Supercenter.
That said, I have yet to encounter an angry or impolite public servant. I've heard stories that the Navajo have it in for the Whites, but that does NOT seem to be the case. EVERYONE here seems very, very nice. Probably spawned by the tourist trade.
My biggest problem with Gallup: I can't seem to get any decent white gravy! I'm a Southerner! I NEED MY WHITE GRAVY! I need biscuits and gravy! Mashed potatoes and gravy!
I guess I'll just have to learn to cook!
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But I could seriously feel the hate (for whatever reason) and glaring eyes as soon as I walked through the high school.....I decided that day I'd rather be a drop out (and I VALUE education!).
