cdub7

I may be moving to Albuquerque this August and would appreciate some suggestions on areas of the town to live. I would work downtown near the intersection at Lomas Blvd. and Marble Ave. Where would be a nice place to rent an apartment that is relatively safe, and near restaurants/bars for spending a night out on the town? THANKS!!

waikikigirl

I didn't care much for Albuquerque. I thought it was hot, dirty, ugly, and that it had some crime issues.

Santa Fe is nice ...

LoveItaly

Hi cdub7, if you don't get answers here may I suggest that you call a few property management companies in Albuquerque for rental information. Also their Chamber of Commerce could send you information regarding restaurants etc. And in most communities you can get crime information from the Police Department. All of these resources should help you gather information so you can make a good decision. I haven't been to Albuquerque in years so I can't personally answer your questions. Best wishes on your move.

Wayne

When I lived in Albuquerque, the northeast section of town was considered the most desirable. However, there are some nice areas also toward the west side and toward the river (Rio Grande). The city expanded with new housing out to the northeast, where the land is pretty flat and the view of Sandia Mountain is very nice. As recommended by others, either contact a realtor by phone or get on one of the realty internet sites. Good luck.

ElendilPickle

You might want to try looking Downtown; it's nice to be able to walk to work, and there are a number of good restaurants and bars.

As Wayne mentioned, the Northeast Heights is safe and you'd have a lot of housing options. Your workplace is near both I-25 and I-40, so commuting should be simple.

There is no reason you'd want to live in Santa Fe and work in Albuquerque. Housing is very expensive there, not to mention the two hours a day you'd spend in your car.

Lee Ann

lovetherain

Mayor Martin Chavez and the city have done a great job of making downtown Albuquerque a nice, safe place to live, work, and play. There are new lofts and lofts renovated from old buildings going up all over down there. Some of which are for lease. There are some pretty good restaurants and cafes downtown and many bars, mostly along Central Ave. Our downtown isn't huge or anything so if you're wanting a super urban-feel, I don't think you're going to find that living downtown.

My favorite neighborhood is Nob Hill which is near the university. It's located from approximately Central to Garfield and Yale to Carlisle. There are many houses and some apartments for rent in that area since the University of New Mexico is so close. There are wonderful shops and restaurants within walking distance, mostly located along Central Ave. Also, Nob Hill is in close proximity to dowtown, only a few miles away.

The Northeast Heights is a huge area, but is a pretty nice area in general. That's where you'll find a ton of apartments, but it's just a huge neighborhood area that has many chain restaurants (minus the New Mexican restaurants)and I don't think it's what you're looking for as it's not close to any sort of night life to speak of. There are two malls in the NE Heights and a bar or two somewhere in there.

Also, you might check out just west of downtown sort of near Old Town. There may not be too many apartments down there. One that comes to mind is the Beach Apartments that seem pretty nice. That area is near the zoo and biologial park which could be cool.

Of course I would suggest visiting the area first to see what appeals to you. Good luck! You're off to a great start already--you can spell Albuqeurque!!!

fehgeddaboudit

I didn't care much for Waikiki. It was hot, dirty, ugly and had some crime issues. Albuquerque is nice...

Tandoori_Girl

waikikigirl, I'm on your side. Alb. is pedestrian.

lovetherain

How embarrassing! I spelled Albuquerque wrong after congratulating you on spelling it right and I've lived here for 7 years! Oh well, it happens to the best of us. LOL!

TripleSecDelay

I guess it simply appears better to those of us who own a few homes there. I got in before Intel arrived at 528 and Sara.

travelina

I currently live here and have lived in NW, NE and SE parts of town. It depends wht you are looking for. The "desirable" area is the FAR NE heights..but its expensive ..Theres alot of crime here....in every part of the city. The Nob hill area has more violent crimes but its "trendy". They are attempting to revitalize the downtown area but they need to deal with the crime. I personally wouldnt live there. THe foothills are nice also. That would be my first choice as there are some nice apartment communities and its convenient to just about everything.

TripleSecDelay

Yup. Unless a person is living in the Andes or Himalayas, a city begins building in the the valley along trade routes and is built out and up over time - - and, construction costs are higher in the hills. Add the demand for (A) the view (B) a dry basement during the winter (C) more space - - and soon we find a premium for the "best seats in the house".
Hate to make a blanket statement, but far and wide, it's true whether we're talking Bloomfield Hills, MI or Holmby Hills, CA.

annieladd

Someone told me once that over history town populations generally move south and west. Anyone know if that's true?

obxgirl

>Alb. is pedestrian.<

Only in so far as people walk there. What a silly comment.

Albuquerque is a great town. A person could do a whole lot worse.

The OP had a number of places to choose from and, hopefully has made the right choice for herself.

cdub7

Thank you all very much for your comments! This is really a tough decision because I hear so many conflicting opinions about the city. I really would like to live in the UNM/Nob Hill area, but I don't want to feel uncomfortable in my surroundings either. I'm generally not intimidated very easily, but I also make sure to be cautious about where I spend my time and with whom I spend it. (I'm from the south side of Chicago) Is the area so dangerous that I would be worried most of the time? Or, is it similar to many other cities that allow a vigilant woman like myself go about her business without being constantly anxious? Thanks again, I really appreciate your thoughts!

obxgirl

For an equal comparision of crime statistics, take a look at the numbers generated by the Relocation Crime Lab Index. Here's a description of the Index per a realtor's website:

"The Relocation Crime Lab Index gives the city's crime rate relative to the national average of all the cities in our database. A value of 100 means that the city is exactly average. A value of 200 means that the city has twice the crime rate as the average city. A value of 50 means that the city has half the crime rate of the average city."

(http://www.homefair.com/homefair/cal...e.html?type=to)

Chicago = 335
Albuquerque = 219
Santa Fe = 195
Austin = 107
Seattle = 157
Tacoma = 232

So, cdub7, it appears that all of the cities you've mentioned have lower index numbers than Chicago and are, statistically, "safer" places to live. Not slamming Chicago,mind you. I heart Chicago!

lovetherain

I feel a lot safer in Nob Hill than many other parts of the city. You are probably hearing that crime is high in that area because of the assaults that happen on or very near the UNM campus. There is crime everywhere, but I don't think you need to be overly worried about crime downtown, where you potentially may be working, or the other neighborhoods you are considering living. No I don't think you will be worried most of the time, but you should always be cautious and aware of your surroundings.

The foothills near the Sandia Mountains are nice and you might be able to score an apartment with great mountain views, but it is rather far from the night life you seem to be interested in.

I just like the feel of Nob Hill. There are intelligent people who live in the area. It is also a pretty liberal neighborhood. The neighborhood is old and established with lots of big green trees and the like. The houses are generally a bit smaller than those in the NE heights, but they are quaint and unique. It's just lovely and in my opinion, your best bet for meeting new people.

Good luck in your quest!

frchteaze

As far as crime goes, if you use common sense you're typically fine. Even downtown is relatively safe at night now. There are a lot of car break-ins in certain parts of the city, but I doubt any of the apartments in those areas would interest you.

Nob hill is a great area as others suggested; not sure how many apartments are around there though. If money is not too big of a concern, you should check into rental houses around Nob Hill/University. There are realators here who specialize in that and you may get the combination of rental/close proximity to night life/safety that you're looking for.

And for the person who said Albuquerque was a dirty city -- go to New Orleans or El Paso. We look very, very clean next to those. LOL!

cdub7

Hi, I have no idea if anyone still hangs around here anymore, but I thought I'd take a chance and write something. I'm sorry for taking so long to return to this site! Well, I posted the original message in July of 2005 when I was deciding where to move. I had a choice between Albuquerque, Austin, or Federal Way, and I ended up in....drumroll please....Albuquerque! Having lived there for a year, and since having moved back to Illinois, it's really interesting to look back at what everyone had to say about the city. Everyone was so helpful, and very opinionated! I like it! Anyway, I loved Albuquerque. I loved the work I did there most of all, because I got to work directly with so many of the wonderful people who inhabited the city. It was quite a change living near mountains, and it was really amazing. I miss it! So, thanks to all of you for replying to my post. Hopefully, someday I'll get to visit the cities that I passed up for Abq. THANK YOU ALL!

ronin

cdub - We're heading to ABQ for a week+ in June, and I read the thread to see the various opinions. My wife lived there for a few years back in the late 70's, and when I told her I'd got us a wonderful adobe near Old Town she almost recoiled... but that was based on her memory of the 'hood back then, and I'm wondering if she'll even recognize it now.

Having visited both Austin and New Orleans several times it seems like any burg with an active downtown nightlife scene will have a higher "crime rate", but it doesn't have to affect the time you spend there. The peanut gallery's opinions made me grin - my brother lived in Honolulu for several years and when I visited him he wouldn't even take me into certain parts of Waikiki or to the clubs with local slack-key music in Pearl City... and he doesn't scare easily ;-)

Thanks for the follow-up post and reflection, and would you mind giving your "best of" list to add to my collection of Debi's tips?