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Considering the very low population of the entire state of New Mexico the crime rates are skewed. The entire state has a population of under 2 million people. The major city I live in in California has double that (or more) in just this one city. You want to talk crime - gangs - traffic? Ü I also live part time in Taos and I admit there is a terrible problem in NM with drunk drivers - the state could really stand to do something more significant about curbing this problem. All in all I'd much rather be living in Taos than in southern CA.
I have moved from Chicago to Phoenix (Ahwatukee) to Albuquerque and I have to say it feels like I am downsizing my life. Developing a circle of like minded friends in a suburban city is always tough, especially so in your 30’s and if work is not a source. Albuquerque is no exception to this. I also live in the North East and have to say that it is great. I think some one suggested enjoying your favorite activities and the rest will come. That sounds like the best advice (though it takes a while, I have been here over a year and am just getting started…..).
MichelleAz.
What a laugh,riot you are.Million dollar homes,upscale.Come down to earth and read a book or something about the average American,trying to make it.
Life is not about high end,upscale,multimilliondollar homes.What is your story?Albuquerqe is a safe place,yes or no.I say yes,better than most places.
I love to visit my friends and stay in beautiful sunny,healthy,safe New Mexico.
I lived in New Mexico from birth (Las Vegas, NM) through College at NMSU in Las Cruces. I currently live in a suburb of Dallas (McKinney) and would NEVER move back to New Mexico under any circumstances. I lived in Roswell, Portales, Hatch and Deming during my younger years. I also lived in many places up north like Cimmaron, Raton, etc but I can't remember any of those.
I know it looks appealing with the cheap land prices and wide open spaces but it's is as close to a 3rd world country as you can get in the united states.
Fatcat4009 - when was the last time you were here? It sounds as if it has been sometime. To call the entire state a third world country is not only false, but terribly offensive to the many of us who live here and really enjoy it. I agree, NM is not for everyone, but to generalize the entire state that way is not fair. But I'll respect your personal experience however bad they may have been.
finmqa1 - I visited both my wife's parents and my parents over Christmas at the end of '06. I lived in Las Cruces until 2002 when I graduated College. Based on NM's slow growth and development I doubt much has changed in 5 years. My opinion is based on my personal experience but what I have seen recently with my own family and friends doesn't bode well for the NM long term.
My wife's family was life long ABQ residents. My wife's parents just moved to the Hill Country outside Austin, TX. My wife's sister left school at NMSU and now resides in Austin, TX. My wife's Aunt, Uncle and two cousins relocated to Florida over the '06 Christmas holiday. A family friend recently sold his business and moved to Texas as well.
My parents were not born in NM, but have lived there over 30 years. My sister recently move to the Dallas area. I moved to Dallas area 5 years ago. My parents who still live in NM are planning on moving when they retire in 4 years.
My 4 best friends from high school now live in New York, Austin, Kansas City and Pensecola. My two best friends from college live in Ohio and Colorado.
There is little to no opportunity for locals in NM. Not everyone wants to live in ABQ or eek out a meager life in one of the other various small towns. I want to raise a family, grow my career and have access to various activities that don't center around rural NM living.
ABQ might be the exception to all of this, but I'm not so sure. It has both it's good and bad sides.
Probably my biggest beef with the area is the lack of water and dry desert conditions. NM is not a sustainable area for a large, growing population. The majority of the water supply is pumped from aquifers and can only be replenished by rain water. Some areas of NM only get ~8 inches or rain per year. It's not enough. There has been may years the Rio Grande behind my parents house has run dry. We've walked our dogs along the bottom and watched fish struggle in inch deep pools of water.
I'm not sure why anyone would want to live there. I will concede that the northern mountains are nice, but unless you are independently wealthy there are not jobs, towns to live on.
Fatcat - Again, I totally respect your own opinion, and must admit I've never lived anywhere else in NM than ABQ. I do believe Las Cruces and ABQ have changed significantly in the last 5 years. ABQ's job growth is bringing more and more educated people to the area and things have definitely changed for the better. Las Cruces is a retirement hot bed right now, and some of the new developments are absolutely gorgeous!
Water will always be the state's biggest barrier to growth. However ABQ realized that draining the aquifer would do more harm than good, so beginning in 2008 we will no longer be getting our water from the aquifer. Our water will now come from the San Juan / Chama River Diversion Project, which will provide enough water for a city of 1.5 million. So no, we won't become a huge metroplex like Dallas / Ft. Worth, but not everyone is seeking that in the first place.
While you make some excellent points regarding some of the socio-economic issues we as a state deal with on a daily basis, I do think the state as a whole is in much better shape than we were in 2002. The city of ABQ is working dilligently with our developers to create a better mixed-use sustainable ABQ for future generations. And for that I believe it is a very exciting time to be here.
I'm glad Texas has provided you with the career opportunities, and quality of life you were seeking, just know there are many of us who have done the same right here in NM.
Based on NM's slow growth and development I doubt much has changed in 5 years. My opinion is based on my personal experience but what I have seen recently with my own family and friends doesn't bode well for the NM long term.
Check out the growth stats for three primary NM cities: 1) Albuquerque, 2) Rio Rancho, and 3) Las Cruces.
1 - Albuquerque: One of the fastest growing 500,000+ population cities in the entire U.S. Projects like Mesa del Sol will only continue to accelerate the growth. So maybe NM itself isn't growing tremendously (not sure that isn't a good thing) but its biggest city is by leaps and bounds.
2 - Rio Rancho: I believe the 2nd or 3rd fastest growing city in the U.S. Anticipated to go from its current 80,000 population (which was nearly zero 25 years ago for all intents and purposes) to 200,000+ in the next ten years.
Combined, the ABQ/Rio Rancho metro area is anticipated to be knocking on 1.5 million + in ten years...astronomically quick growth (currently the Albuquerque metro area is clocking in at 816,000...much bigger than even 5-years ago).
3 - Las Cruces: One of the fastest growing retirement hotbeds in the nation for retirees. Projected to combine with El Paso, TX in ten years approximately to form a metro area of 1-million+ (with Las Cruces projected to rise to at least 250,000+).
Quote:
Originally Posted by fatcat4009
There is little to no opportunity for locals in NM. Not everyone wants to live in ABQ or eek out a meager life in one of the other various small towns. I want to raise a family, grow my career and have access to various activities that don't center around rural NM living. ABQ might be the exception to all of this, but I'm not so sure. It has both it's good and bad sides.
You keep mentioning small towns. Yeah, really small places like Portales or Clovis aren't going to be bastions for career-minded folks in general. However, the above mentioned towns - especially the ABQ/Rio Rancho metro area - are booming for business and industry and there are more than adequate opportunities for people - locals or not. They most assuredly are an "exception." I am a non-local with just a good ol' Bachelor's Degree, nothing more, and have had little problems of finding great professional opportunities in Albuquerque.
Again folks, small towns are small towns. Doesn't matter if they are in New Mexico, Alaska, Florida, or Texas. Texas is also filled with small towns...I am not going to find much in the way of work in Shamrock, TX, Broom, TX, or the like. Like New Mexico...where commerce and jobs are centered in the big city...if you wish for commerce and jobs in Texas, you'd move to one of the big cities such as DFW, San Antonio, Houston, etc. Indeed, Texas has far more "big cities" than NM does...however, some might say that isn't such a bad thing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by fatcat4009
Probably my biggest beef with the area is the lack of water and dry desert conditions. NM is not a sustainable area for a large, growing population. The majority of the water supply is pumped from aquifers and can only be replenished by rain water. Some areas of NM only get ~8 inches or rain per year. It's not enough.
Actually, the "lack of water" worry for Albuquerque is a bit of a hyped up myth. As finmqa1 rightfully pointed out, with the conversion over to the San Juan - Chama project, Albuquerque is rather stable for water for the decades forthcoming. That isn't to say that water shouldn't be treated with care, caution, and concern here...of course it should...like any desert region, water is at a premium and should not be wasted.
However, for that to be your biggest beef is puzzling. What about Phoenix with a metro area of 4-million plus who averages the same amount of rainfall? Tucson - same amount of rain - nearly 1-million metro. Las Vegas, NV - even drier than ABQ - booming in population of a metro in millions and growing. El Paso, TX is a metro of about 750,000 with growth also with no more water.
People have been existing in desert regions in the world - off-and-on in huge populaces - for a long time. Water is surely a challenge and always will be, however, just like other regions have specific challenges, they are workable - with care and caution.
I just don't quite understand people in Albuquerque or in regard to Albuquerque cite water as a reason we could never grow to 1.5 million or so for metro. I am not saying if the growth is a good or bad thing - there is obviously a series of pros and cons with growth - however, if Phoenix could grow to 4+ million for metro (and they are far more callous in regard to water treatment than us) on 8-inches of rain, Albuquerque surely could make it work to double in size.
I know this isn't necessarily the most politically correct statement, but it is true. I am all for treating water down here as the precious resource it is and utilizing xeriscape, etc., but to act like the region just isn't sustainable for a decent sized populace due to water just isn't true.
Quote:
Originally Posted by fatcat4009
I'm not sure why anyone would want to live there.
Here are a few:
-Booming job and housing markets in Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Las Cruces
-The sunshine
-Sunsets / sunrises
-The open spaces (and yes, lack of a huge, congested, polluted sprawling pile of concrete after concrete)
-Low cost of living
-Beautiful mountains and vistas
-Unique culture
-It is distinct and not the cookie-cutter suburban hades that so much of the U.S. has morphed into
-Green / red chile; NM and Mexican cuisine
-Mild (Albuquerque)-to-warm (Las Cruces) winters; temperate year-round temps
-Low humidity
-Low property taxes
-Little snow - except for in the mountains - in the central and southern parts of the state
-Year round golf with world-class golf courses
-Historical, unique, beautiful sights (White Sands, Carlsbad Caverns, etc.)
Those are some...as in my posts before, I could post a whole lot more. But these are some great ones off bat.
Quote:
Originally Posted by fatcat4009
unless you are independently wealthy there are not jobs, towns to live on.
Just not true. Again, I am just a regular ol' Bachelor's Degreed guy (no MBA or PhD) who has held two different jobs here since moving here 3.5 years ago and have had little problem finding them. The wages are very competitive. Coupled with the relatively low cost of living / housing / property taxes, etc., the competitive wages go alot farther.
Same is true of my wife...just a Bachelor's Degree...she got a tremendous job, great pay, etc., without a huge amount of effort.
Sure, kids here can't just graduate from APS with a high school degree and expect to get a great job, but the same can be said in any major city / state. If you get to college or get a highly skilled trade, get a good education, etc, and work hard (and are ambitious) there are plenty of great jobs continually out there.
Check out the growth stats for three primary NM cities: 1) Albuquerque, 2) Rio Rancho, and 3) Las Cruces.
1 - Albuquerque: One of the fastest growing 500,000+ population cities in the entire U.S. Projects like Mesa del Sol will only continue to accelerate the growth. So maybe NM itself isn't growing tremendously (not sure that isn't a good thing) but its biggest city is by leaps and bounds.
2 - Rio Rancho: I believe the 2nd or 3rd fastest growing city in the U.S. Anticipated to go from its current 80,000 population (which was nearly zero 25 years ago for all intents and purposes) to 200,000+ in the next ten years.
Combined, the ABQ/Rio Rancho metro area is anticipated to be knocking on 1.5 million + in ten years...astronomically quick growth (currently the Albuquerque metro area is clocking in at 816,000...much bigger than even 5-years ago).
3 - Las Cruces: One of the fastest growing retirement hotbeds in the nation for retirees. Projected to combine with El Paso, TX in ten years approximately to form a metro area of 1-million+ (with Las Cruces projected to rise to at least 250,000+).
You keep mentioning small towns. Yeah, really small places like Portales or Clovis aren't going to be bastions for career-minded folks in general. However, the above mentioned towns - especially the ABQ/Rio Rancho metro area - are booming for business and industry and there are more than adequate opportunities for people - locals or not. They most assuredly are an "exception." I am a non-local with just a good ol' Bachelor's Degree, nothing more, and have had little problems of finding great professional opportunities in Albuquerque.
Again folks, small towns are small towns. Doesn't matter if they are in New Mexico, Alaska, Florida, or Texas. Texas is also filled with small towns...I am not going to find much in the way of work in Shamrock, TX, Broom, TX, or the like. Like New Mexico...where commerce and jobs are centered in the big city...if you wish for commerce and jobs in Texas, you'd move to one of the big cities such as DFW, San Antonio, Houston, etc. Indeed, Texas has far more "big cities" than NM does...however, some might say that isn't such a bad thing.
Actually, the "lack of water" worry for Albuquerque is a bit of a hyped up myth. As finmqa1 rightfully pointed out, with the conversion over to the San Juan - Chama project, Albuquerque is rather stable for water for the decades forthcoming. That isn't to say that water shouldn't be treated with care, caution, and concern here...of course it should...like any desert region, water is at a premium and should not be wasted.
However, for that to be your biggest beef is puzzling. What about Phoenix with a metro area of 4-million plus who averages the same amount of rainfall? Tucson - same amount of rain - nearly 1-million metro. Las Vegas, NV - even drier than ABQ - booming in population of a metro in millions and growing. El Paso, TX is a metro of about 750,000 with growth also with no more water.
People have been existing in desert regions in the world - off-and-on in huge populaces - for a long time. Water is surely a challenge and always will be, however, just like other regions have specific challenges, they are workable - with care and caution.
I just don't quite understand people in Albuquerque or in regard to Albuquerque cite water as a reason we could never grow to 1.5 million or so for metro. I am not saying if the growth is a good or bad thing - there is obviously a series of pros and cons with growth - however, if Phoenix could grow to 4+ million for metro (and they are far more callous in regard to water treatment than us) on 8-inches of rain, Albuquerque surely could make it work to double in size.
I know this isn't necessarily the most politically correct statement, but it is true. I am all for treating water down here as the precious resource it is and utilizing xeriscape, etc., but to act like the region just isn't sustainable for a decent sized populace due to water just isn't true.
Here are a few:
-Booming job and housing markets in Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Las Cruces
-The sunshine
-Sunsets / sunrises
-The open spaces (and yes, lack of a huge, congested, polluted sprawling pile of concrete after concrete)
-Low cost of living
-Beautiful mountains and vistas
-Unique culture
-It is distinct and not the cookie-cutter suburban hades that so much of the U.S. has morphed into
-Green / red chile; NM and Mexican cuisine
-Mild (Albuquerque)-to-warm (Las Cruces) winters; temperate year-round temps
-Low humidity
-Low property taxes
-Little snow - except for in the mountains - in the central and southern parts of the state
-Year round golf with world-class golf courses
-Historical, unique, beautiful sights (White Sands, Carlsbad Caverns, etc.)
Those are some...as in my posts before, I could post a whole lot more. But these are some great ones off bat.
Just not true. Again, I am just a regular ol' Bachelor's Degreed guy (no MBA or PhD) who has held two different jobs here since moving here 3.5 years ago and have had little problem finding them. The wages are very competitive. Coupled with the relatively low cost of living / housing / property taxes, etc., the competitive wages go alot farther.
Same is true of my wife...just a Bachelor's Degree...she got a tremendous job, great pay, etc., without a huge amount of effort.
Sure, kids here can't just graduate from APS with a high school degree and expect to get a great job, but the same can be said in any major city / state. If you get to college or get a highly skilled trade, get a good education, etc, and work hard (and are ambitious) there are plenty of great jobs continually out there.
All excellent points EnjoyEP......
I see in Inc magazine's ''Boomtowns 07'' lists Las Cruces is #8 in the nation of small communities lists Albuquerque #19 in the nation.
Forbes magazine's ''Best Places for Business and Careers'' has Las Cruces #9 and Albuquerque #6 in the nation in their respected categories.
As far as water woes go.....El Paso/Ft.Bliss just broke ground reciently on the largest Desalinization water plant in the United States and Senator Pete Domeneci secured funds to construct one in Alamogordo. Seems there's a 1,000 years of Brackish water underneath the Tularosa Basin desert to supply all the water we need for our desert region.
MichelleAz.
What a laugh,riot you are.Million dollar homes,upscale.Come down to earth and read a book or something about the average American,trying to make it.
Life is not about high end,upscale,multimilliondollar homes.What is your story?Albuquerqe is a safe place,yes or no.I say yes,better than most places.
I love to visit my friends and stay in beautiful sunny,healthy,safe New Mexico.
If you are writing a book, I will be happy to read it.
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ABQ is wonderfull and the NE is the best
