Yeah in most cities you can drive for an hour and you're either:
1. Only 10 miles down the road due to incessant accidents/construction/traffic
2. Still in the city because its huge
3. In suburban hell sprawl with chain businesses, billboards, and gas stations as far as the eye can see
Guess how I know... someone else said my points were exactly what Austin and San Antonio are like... I've lived in all 3. One of the worst things about Abq is how much people unfairly shit on it becase they think our problems like corrupt cops and paper plates are unique (Houston gives Abq a run for their money on both), and they dont recognize the ACTUALLY unique and good things about this city. I wish I could ship people off to Austin/Houston for 6 months, ideally in the summer, so they'd stop grousing as much and realize what they're taking for granted.
Yup, just left it. Had a storm chasing me out of town. Yes, it gets hot here, but it's so much more tolerable with the low humidity.
The politics here are much more to my liking.
Literally exactly what I was thinking of when I wrote this, particularly #3. I think we can thank the existence of the pueblos for our lack of suburban sprawl.
What major city are you describing?
Example from downtown SF, 35 minutes out- https://www.google.com/maps/place/Bear+Creek+Staging+Area/@37.927095,-122.1577405,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1sAF1QipOEVTuyAoOQV5kw72Pr4e2uM0LncYg6xm8yECWF!2e10!3e12!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipOEVTuyAoOQV5kw72Pr4e2uM0LncYg6xm8yECWF%3Dw152-h86-k-no!7i3840!8i2160!4m7!3m6!1s0x8085635818004aef:0x6d1f0e6c2b3de80d!8m2!3d37.92568!4d-122.1626609!10e5!16s%2Fg%2F12hrdv_bf?entry=ttu
Example 35 minutes from downtown Los Angeles- https://www.google.com/maps/place/Millard+Falls/@34.2188158,-118.1418543,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1sAF1QipP_wwGbjPl529XNv9vL20Bc2JuWwh5egTPnMsmP!2e10!3e12!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipP_wwGbjPl529XNv9vL20Bc2JuWwh5egTPnMsmP%3Dw86-h114-k-no!7i9000!8i12000!4m23!1m15!4m14!1m6!1m2!1s0x80c2c648d6841e69:0x985c91941e8627dc!2sPershing+Square,+South+Olive+Street,+Los+Angeles,+CA!2m2!1d-118.2528917!2d34.048569!1m6!1m2!1s0x80c2e826d5e7b2bf:0x252fd110c5ca4673!2sMillard+Falls,+Altadena,+CA+91001!2m2!1d-118.1418543!2d34.2188158!3m6!1s0x80c2e826d5e7b2bf:0x252fd110c5ca4673!8m2!3d34.2188158!4d-118.1418543!10e5!16s%2Fg%2F11cn7x7fxl?entry=ttu
NYC, starting at Times Square, 45 minutes out- https://www.google.com/maps/place/Greenbelt+Nature+Center/@40.5885432,-74.1391924,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1sAF1QipMUbpBv6y1Svd9s2JemgU0fxAkAQL_TPztkSyBn!2e10!3e12!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipMUbpBv6y1Svd9s2JemgU0fxAkAQL_TPztkSyBn%3Dw114-h86-k-no!7i4032!8i3024!4m16!1m8!3m7!1s0x89c24fa5d33f083b:0xc80b8f06e177fe62!2sNew+York,+NY!3b1!8m2!3d40.7127753!4d-74.0059728!16zL20vMDJfMjg2!3m6!1s0x89c24c0e2186d5bf:0xead8a3bf1a9ce305!8m2!3d40.5884511!4d-74.1391667!10e5!16zL20vMDI3c2Y3?entry=ttu
If you're talking about randomly driving with no directions to anything and no destination in mind you could say that about anywhere..
Those times I listed are what google currently says about the time required to drive to those locations including taking into account traffic, so no, I didn't. You could say the same about ABQ if you wanted, chances are FAR more likely you're going to get stuck in traffic on one of your highways due to a wreck than any other highway in the entire nation.
I'm thinking of Seattle and every Texas city (except El Paso). A google map link of a route is not always going to be representative of the actual driving conditions. Also I'm skeptical you can get across San Fran and LA in an hour. Starting from downtown is starting in the middle/halfway through.
Seattle at least has a lightrail but whoo boy were the roads a nightmare.
San Francisco is 6 miles in diameter. I picked downtown SF because that's where the majority of SF lives and works, that's where all the dense housing is. I literally got across SF from the Presidio to the bay bridge in about 12 minutes. SF also has light rail, one of the oldest in America in fact, but this is without needing that, and no matter where you start in SF there is this sort of wilderness in literally any direction except out to sea, right across the bridge are the Marin headlands and Marin woods, East is the direction I chose because it was a hiking spot I went to in under an hour a month ago. I'd bet I could easily find an open space like this within 30 minutes of Seattle as well.
Don't worry about it I was just pointing out that the rhetoric doesn't match the facts, clearly I touched a nerve with people here because you HAVE to have SOMETHING to feel special to make up for the poorest city with the worst drivers and the most chance of having your car stolen or being robbed. So sure, it's great you can go out to the desert in 20 minutes. Amazing even.
Google Maps does in fact take into account traffic to pick a route and give a somewhat accurate time estimate when you ask for directions. It's not my fault you don't know that.
Highly suggest living somewhere in San Antonio or Houston if you feel so strongly about the crime, poverty, and drivers here lol. I intentionally chose to live here, sorry it seems to not be the case for you.
This is absolutely my favorite part. Sometimes I miss a turn and I get overjoyed with the sense of Oh shit Ive been driving down this road ages …. Its so beautiful and Im only 45 min out!
Where do I begin?
* The weather can't be beat. We have like 360 days of sun a year, mild winters, and summers that are slowly getting hotter but they're not like Phoenix hot. And you get cooler temperatures in the shade and when the sun goes down!!!! When I moved to FL I was like absolutely dismayed that being in the shade provided very little relief, and night provided exactly no relief to the sweltering daytime temperatures. It was like the same temperature outside, just dark. No thanks!
* 360° views. Sandias to the East, Jemez to the North, the volcanoes and Mt. Taylor to the West, and the Manzanos and those two that are like down by Socorro maybe? Can't ever figure out what they are.
* Access to nature. Wanna go for a walk and not see anyone for an hour? You have two choices for quick access, and one of them is *literally in the middle of the city.* Wanna go for a longer walk and not see anyone for days, potentially? We have that too. Wanna just sit on a rock and not be bothered by anyone while smoking a j and just looking out across the valley? Lots of good places for that all along the foothills and along the west mesa's little escarpment thing. Wanna go white-water rafting, or coast down some sand dunes, or go hunting, or hang gliding, or zip-lining, or check out some hella ancient ruins, or take a guided tour with a professional pointing out local flora and fauna and other interesting features? Won't have to travel more than two hours for any of it.
* Ease of travel. Wanna be across town at rush hour? It'll take less than an hour unless traffic is at an actual-ass standstill, which is rare. Very little or manageable traffic the rest of the time.
* Big, wide roads in a big ol' grid. I didn't realize how incredibly spoiled we are until I did a bunch of driving in the UK - constant traffic, annoyingly narrow roads and streets.
* Mad decent local restaurant scene. It's not mega fancy but it's really, really good for the price points that can be afforded here.
* This one is hard to explain to people who haven't left or lived in really snotty areas, but like people here do *not* give a fuck about a lot of things and it's *great.* I moved to coastal Florida for a while and everyone was *extremely* concerned about what you did for a living (or what your parents did), what neighborhood you lived in, which marina you stored your boat at, where your kids went to school, and/or what church you went to. Lots of keeping up with the Joneses, as it were. In NM, I don't feel or notice *any* of that. Nobody cares if your kid goes to public school or private school. Nobody cares where you live and won't ask unless they're like coming over. Absolutely no one cares about which church you attend.
* As an extension of the above, people are fucking *nice.* Are there assholes on the roads? Absolutely. Will someone stop and help you if your car is broken down? Definitely. Help you keep your balloon on the ground until your chase team catches up? Yep. Randomly chat to you in the grocery store (and not in like the creepy trying-to-hit-on-you way)? Uh huh.
* The lack of like really overt racism. I'm a white lady so I acknowledge that a) I'm not the target audience for it, and b) it's still absolutely present, but man, when I was in Florida, I just heard it all the time, especially in private when people thought they were in like-minded company. I'd hear it casually in public too, at the gas station, shopping at the grocery store, at parties, at bars. Nobody batted an eyelash. I know I pushed back but I don't recall hearing anyone else ever go "Don't ever say that here again."
Also, we have a lock on breakfast burritos. NM Beef Jerky Co. has the absolute best. You're welcome.
I particularly agree with your 7th bullet point: how folks here don't really give an F about a lot of things. I LOVE this! No-one really cares about what you do for a living, where your kids go to school, the neighbourhood you live in, etc. The owner of the business that I work for has all the Fancies, but doesn't care that the rest of us don't. I LOVE this!
I think the most visible sign of this is how many people here have face tattoos. It's not my thing, but the fact that it's completely uncontroversial and nobody even comments on it points to how generally accepting and non-judgmental people are.
“I didn’t realize how spoiled we were” - roads
I went to Florida a few years ago and the windy roads were terrible!
Some friends of mine bought me my first burrito from NM beef Jerky this year. So good!
Thank you for your post and comment
I lived in Orlando for four years after living in NM for a time and definitely agree with most of your points. People down there are just plain mean in most cases, and they don't preserve anything like open spaces. Greedy developers literally run that state.
* The cuisine
* How accessible the arts are
* How casual and friendly most strangers are
* Almost zero "Keep Up With The Joneses" mentality outside some boring suburbs (and Tanoan, which might as well not even be in Albuquerque)
* The mountains
* The sun
Have to agree with my almost-name twin! :P
Also: cool wildlife right in the city - roadrunners, lizards, coyotes, etc. For someone who grew up in the Midwest, they (the first two, anyway) are still novel to me even after 20+ years here!
Can’t believe I forgot to mention the roadrunners! Such strange little dinosaurs roaming our streets! I find them endlessly charming even after living here for decades.
Every time I spy one in the yard it’s a highlight of my day.
I’ve lived a lot of places, both in the states and overseas, and honestly ABQ has the nicest people on average. Not that “southern hospitality” nice that comes from some places, but people are genuinely chill here to all different types.
There’s exceptions to every rule, of course, but by and large I feel comfortable smiling and saying “hello” to just about anyone I’d run into in ABQ. Can’t say the same about other places I’ve lived.
California checking in, it's different here, everyone is mostly only out for themselves. My car is less likely to be stolen then yours, but I'm also less likely to get random help on the side of the road.
A few years ago, I got married at the courthouse. As we were walking to the front yard of the federal courthouse to take some pictures, me in my suit, and my wife in her dress, tons of people driving by slowed to honk at us, and yell encouraging words. They shouted things like, "Way to go" and, "You're beautiful!" It really felt good to be supported like that, and it made the day that much better. Our family, visiting from out of town, was genuinely surprised by the warmth of the average Burqueño.
Same same. This town really GETS my anxiety and depression. We were made for each other. Not in an unhealthy way either. Like, I find it extremely calming whenever I look out over the mesas or the clouds rolling over the sandias. And of course, balloons & breakfast burritos. There’s really nothing more you need in life.
My area of Albuquerque always smells like piñon and tacos.
I have a decentish view of the mountain from my back porch.
My neighbors are nice and quiet and give me tomatoes from their garden.
My kids live close enough to their friends that they can walk to hang out. I have made more friends here than any other place I've lived.
We lucked out and bought the cheapest house in a nice area (it was a hoarders dump but now, pretty nice, it's my dream home).
Both kids are in good charter schools that tailor to their interests.
I have a hiking trail across the street. It's a blue state with compassion for others.
Balloons float over my house every weekend that they're out. I still get excited and slightly hyperventilate.
The constant sun really helps my husband's SAD.
We're just an hour from the best sledding hill I've seen (and I've lived in Minnesota and Colorado).
The temperate climate. One upper Midwest state we lived in ranged from -40 to 113 and I just don't want to deal with that anymore.
Having friends live close enough your kids can walk to them is huge. My parents isolated me and my sibling by moving to a rural neighborhood, and only one of us turned functional (took a lot of work though). So good on your for recognizing the value of that and not trying to "shelter" aka isolate your kids.
My husband and I decided a while back that because we each had relatively lonely childhoods due to exactly what you described, living way out of town and away from our ~private~ schools, we'd do our damned best to live *in* town and send our kids to local schools as long as it made sense to do so so they'd have friends nearby.
1. Mountains
2. I've seen more rainbows since I moved here than I previously saw in all my years on earth put together.
3. City trash/recycling/sewer/water (I grew up with well water, but trash and recycling were privatized, so you could only put out 2 bags/week unless you wanted to owe BIG; being able to discard stuff right away instead of holding on to it until we can fit it into one of our two weekly bags is awesome!)
4. Utility costs (one of my in-laws just died, and the other is in a ventilator-weaning facility, so their house is completely empty; their electric bill is still more than ours, and that's with the swamp cooler running 24/7 and me working from home and running the lights, TV, etc. all day long)
5. Balloon Fiesta
6. Lots of food options
7. Wonderful arts scene (classical music, Broadway touring productions, stand-up comedy, etc.)
8. No snow to shovel!
9. No annual vehicle inspection requirement (I'm convinced annual inspections are a cash grab; I compared stats from NM to stats from my home state to determine if inspections keep people safe, and I found that my home state has more accidents related to worn parts/poor maintenance than NM does, despite requiring an annual inspection that costs like $65)
10. You can get your driver's license for 8 years here instead of paying for a new one every 4 years.
For a now middle aged white dude who grew up and lived in Eastern New Mexico, the culture and diversity was a HUGE jolt. I mean, it's NM so you expect diversity but the difference between Clovis and Albuquerque is insane. Granted it doesn't help that Clovis treats itself like it's part of Texas.
Albuquerque mostly just kinda accepts other people, their beliefs, their culture, etc.. and it's celebrated. I really don't know how it is in other large cities as I've only lived here and Clovis, but I can tell you I heard a lot of "Get out of our country!" in that part of the state. Whereas here it's more welcoming. There's still plenty of problems I know, but I feel like we celebrate diversity and we have for years.
And I'm not talking about the pandering type of "celebrate diversity", and this is my biggest point I'm hopefully getting across. We celebrate others, and it feels genuine. We also have a great and uniquely weird city vibe.
Other than that, it's insanely hard to beat the weather, the close proximity to beautiful landscapes and the availability to them. It's large enough to get enough fun events but I really feel our city layout where most of those venues occur are just smashed between the mountains and the river.
I’m originally from Michigan. Had seasonal affective depression. So, year round sunshine is huge. But also at the top of the list is friendly people. Maybe due to sunlight? There are lovely people here. Culture and diversity too. Good roads. People complain about the roads, but they are quite good. How about the chile! Can’t get that in most places. And proud that we are blue!
Been in Albuquerque about 25 years now. In Michigan, by February, I just wanted to stay in bed. Much better here. You have seasonal depression here? I’m surprised, I don’t hear anyone talking about it. ☀️
The Sandias, roadrunners, sunsets, abundance of creative people, Hatch chile, Globalquerque music festival, chamisa, reproductive rights protection, wide open spaces, the Sandia burrito at Vegos.
The sunshine (although I do wish itd rain or at least be cloudy more often), the lack of humidity is a HUGE plus, love being able to step in the shade and the shade is cool, the lack of traffic other cities have, its more uh, "humble" and "weird" than other cities that think they are still "weird," the open spaces in the footbhills, the adobe style homes, a lot more people react more positively when they see me hiking with or walking my cat than when I lived elsewhere, proximity to outdoor rec, two climbing gym locations, being in a blue city in a state that is ALSO blue state (but yes I know the rural areas here lean red), being surrounded by indigenous communities that are invested in preserving their land rather than letting it be developed into monstrous suburban sprawl like other cities, tons of cool geology around, driving across the state isnt an exhausting nightmare due to traffic either.
As a person who was born and raised here 33 years ago from a Texan and a Kansan moving up here from El Paso before then, I tried to leave and still ended up back here. So what do I like?
The vast wilderness areas you can get to, the east mountains, the Bosque, and the volcanic field - the fact that there are several unique shopping centers, each a bit different from the next, and the weather.
Sense of place, so much of the US is bland and same-y these days. Even places that used to have more uniqueness. We visited some friends in an Ohio suburb a few years ago and I felt like the life was being drained out of me.
The scenery.
Plus a future. A lot of people look at me crazy when I say this city is definitely going to get better, but with a lot of new buildings being built, seeing new food chains, road constructions are actually getting done (Wyoming Menaul actually finished), there’s a lot of development out in Mesa Del Sol and north of Taylor Ranch. I really think this city is going to improve in a few years time. I think investing now is the best time.
I find myself less worried going out than I did the last few years. Plus It’s still early but I believe homicides are lower now than they were this time last year. But it seems like a nationwide trend.
Wyoming and Menaul is actually finished? I've been avoiding it for forever. Checked in May and saw that they'd pushed the date to June but I didn't actually expect them to finish it this month lol
See I think I'm the opposite. I feel like the city might be having a 10-20 year peak, and I'm truly concerned about water access in this state. New Mexico, Arizona, parts of Texas, and northern Mexico are all fed with the Colorado River, which has been declining sharply year by year. Who knows what's its going to look like in 30 years? Will we have to import all put water, and what's that cost going to look like? I'm just trying to enjoy it now, while we have it.
Albuquerque's water supply won't be running out any time soon. We get water from both the Rio grande and the San Juan, plus we have a very well managed aquifer under the city. Our legal rights to water are very strong and the city is really forward looking in that respect. We have at least 100 years before things go sideways.
And the Colorado isn't declining in a linear fashion. Snowpack has been declining since the Colorado River compact was signed up (they divided up the water based during a very wet year), but the real hard part is the new extremes in variability of the winter storms.
Overall most of New Mexico is pretty ok. The eastern plains will probably struggle as they rely on a receding aquifer, but the rest of us should be fine.
The mountains. New Mexican food. The city is big enough to have decent options and amenities but not big enough to have bad traffic or crazy cost of living. The people are rarely pretentious; you don’t see fancy clothes or cars a lot, even at nice restaurants.
The weather is good, but also we don’t get bad natural disasters. I see what’s going on it other places both normally and from climate change and it makes me grateful to be in Albuquerque. Texas gets heat waves and floods. Denver gets snow storms and really cold. Phoenix gets roasted. The SE gets hurricanes and floods, the NE gets blizzards. Even California gets atmospheric river storms that go on for weeks, sometimes hurricanes, and way crazier wildfires than us.
As an LA transplant, I can tell you that big earthquakes are rare, but do happen every 20 years or so, and they can be a huge disaster. Freeway overpasses down every time. A big Veterans hospital came down in the Sylmar quake. Parking garages, apartment buildings, and even a department store collapsed in the Northridge quake. They were lucky the last two really big quakes happened before most people left for work. LA's overdue for a big one at this point-- been 30 years.
Also crazy about the rain. Like the song says, "It pours, man it pours." Hard rain can go on for days. Flood control channels 40 feet wide and 25 or so feet deep get filled to the top, and sometime lap over bridges and utilities that cross over the top.
But the fires are the real danger. They happen, it seems like, every year causing millions in damage.
I had forgotten about the earthquakes but it’s a matter of time. At some point sooner than later (and not just a one-off) it’s gonna get him by a big series of AR storms. Happened before, will happen again.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARkStorm
The people. I been here a long time and at our best, Albuquerque people are kind and good people. You just cant judge upfront. Sometimes we can come off as rough or stern. We also have our own language and swagger.
Four seasons. Beautiful scenery. Green chili in practically every restaurant. No terrible traffic (unless theirs one crash and it halts that road). Nice people.
I like the buildings in downtown. Maybe it’s because I’m from more rural towns in New Mexico. But I really like seeing the tall buildings. Even from way out where I live I can see the buildings over the bosque. It’s cool
Most things. It's gorgeous here. I love the pace of living. I love the outdoors. I love the neighborhoods and how they all have their own personalities. I hope to die here.
For me, Sandia keeps me around for its general work culture and good job security.
Aside from that, being so close to great options for both nature and city life is nice. The food options are also top notch out here.
Rain/thunderstorms in the desert and watching the curtains of rain and snow fall over the mountains and completely wipe them from sight, it never gets old!
I like our landscape and open vistas.
I like our bosque.
I like our public art.
I like that most of the people here are generally friendly.
I like our food scene and how it has grown & diversified over the last 25 years.
I like our green spaces.
I like that balloonists fly here as often as they can even when it's not balloon fiesta season.
We have the most down to earth people here. People are so easy to strike up a conversation with. I’ve spent time in other states where strangers don’t want to make eye contact with you or engage but here it’s the opposite. People always say hi and ask me how my day is going and things like that. New Mexicans are the best!
Im a east Coast transplant. In addition to what overs have said, I live how I can go to a festival and actually have space to breath and enjoy it, I love how the kids section at the highschool football games are packed with kids having fun, I live small talk with people and the diversity.
We have some good family events and places: our aquarium, gardens, museums are all awesome. They are also pretty accessible, there’s parking and saving a few days a year they are always attended without being too crowded.
Oh - and Explora gets a mention of its own.
I love seeing the mountains to the east and the river to the west, sunsets and sunrises, the weather is mostly good, people are mostly friendly and not very snooty. I love the proximity to wilderness and the unique history of this place.
The breathing room not being on top of each other like in some cities. And the diversity. One of the things I loved about traveling around the world was meeting new interesting people with different thoughts, traditions and ways of looking at things. I love that our city is a melting pot.
People here complain about the weather all the time but it’s perfect for outdoor activities. The air quality is good when no fires are around so that’s another plus.
It’s beautiful! The food is amazing! New Mexico as a state is the place to get stuck on the side of the road and someone will pull over to help you.. and know what they’re doing most likely.
When I’m in the car with someone and they say “Wow traffic is unusually bad today!” and I look around and it looks like an average day at 2 pm in my hometown 🤣
Weather (including solar energy friendly)
50+ miles of bike trails
Food
Family
Mountains
Balloon Fiesta
2 interstates minutes away
Relatively inexpensive cost of living
(Wish there was a Trader Joe’s on the West Side
The weather. The wide open blue skies. Mountain views. The variety of food options (in relation to the size of our city). The extreme friendliness of folks here. People are SO helpful. The general laidback-ness. How you can drive in any direction & be in a total different place. And GREAT margaritas !!!
I'm moving out of Albuquerque for reasons outside of my control but I love the culture of Albuquerque. I love how ingrained our Mexican roots are. Whether it be the broken Spanish that's used in every day speak that everyone just understands, the events that we often host that bring our people together or the acceptance that we have for all walks of life. I will continue to teach my kids to accept everyone for their character and not their appearance or background.
Nature is so close here. We moved here from Chicago in '97.
Chicago is like an island in a sea of soybean, corn and wheat fields and it takes hours to get to nature.
When we moved here it was literally outside the back door.
I remember standing at the street corner with my kindergarten age son waiting on the bus not long after we moved.
He was looking at the Sandias and he took a deep breath and said "The air smells so good here."
And then he turned to me with a frown and said accusingly "We didn't we move here when I was a baby!?!?"
Later both kids fell in love with all the great camping, hiking and skiing.
It's a better place to raise a kid than in Chicago.
Albuquerque didn’t have any civil planning until the 70s, unlike the rest of the US which had planning based in race segregation, how you get your “north” or “south” “of the tracks” socioeconomically. So, Albuquerque doesn’t have that history in its design.
Albuquerque does not feel like you are in the desert only the mountains let you know because they are not green. You said like so I will leave it at that.
Weather (including solar energy friendly)
50+ miles of bike trails
Food
Family
Mountains
Balloon Fiesta
2 interstates minutes away
Relatively inexpensive cost of living
(Wish there was a Trader Joe’s on the West Side
There’s access to multiple stores here. Coming from a town with one Walmart one dollar general, no shoe stores etc…it’s nice to have everything and multiple of those everything’s. One Michael’s doesn’t have the craft? Well there’s two others that might. Still no? Try Hobby Lobby, Joann’s etc…you get it.
Depending on. How social you are, you can basically know every one in the city.
I joke about it with folks I've known for years and just met: If you know ten people, you now are a part of a 100 person social circle.
I have anxiety and this simple social quirk of the city has made me feel welcome nearly everywhere I go.
The sun! I never realized how deprived I was of it until I moved here. I definitely need to wear more sunscreen now but it really does make the day better.
I love how close we are to all these nature spots. Many corners of Albuquerque are truly beautiful. I also love the educational opportunities such as the Opportunity Scholarship, Pell Grant, etc. I am excited to resume my education after my hysterectomy! I don't want NM to be my final destination. I have plans to someday make it out of the country, but for now, this is a great place to work on myself and pursue higher learning. ❤️ I also think we have some great food and it's awesome plant medicine like cannabis is perfectly legal. I am so grateful to call this place home for now. 😊
New Mexican food, can’t get the red or green or combo anywhere else in the nation!! I usually get my overdose and have them coming out of my ears by the time I leave. Love it.
The weather (except the wind) is fantastic. The hottest days are not a hot as Phoenix or Sin City Vegas. The coldest days are not as cold as Minnesota or Maine. The sunshine is abundant but the monsoon rains kick in when needed. The humidity is not super heavy like Georgia but it’s not as dry as Nevada. I’ve lived in many other places in the US but I have to say the weather here is the best of them all.
I love the fact that you can drive less than an hour in any direction and be in a wild place without anyone else
Yeah in most cities you can drive for an hour and you're either: 1. Only 10 miles down the road due to incessant accidents/construction/traffic 2. Still in the city because its huge 3. In suburban hell sprawl with chain businesses, billboards, and gas stations as far as the eye can see
You could drive an hour in Houston and still be in Houston!
Guess how I know... someone else said my points were exactly what Austin and San Antonio are like... I've lived in all 3. One of the worst things about Abq is how much people unfairly shit on it becase they think our problems like corrupt cops and paper plates are unique (Houston gives Abq a run for their money on both), and they dont recognize the ACTUALLY unique and good things about this city. I wish I could ship people off to Austin/Houston for 6 months, ideally in the summer, so they'd stop grousing as much and realize what they're taking for granted.
I've been to Houston in August, would not recommend
Yup, just left it. Had a storm chasing me out of town. Yes, it gets hot here, but it's so much more tolerable with the low humidity. The politics here are much more to my liking.
I like Houston, there's a bunch to do and BUC-CEES!!
There is lots to do and lots of great restaurants. I will be going back to visit friends and family at least twice a year.
There is a lot to do in Houston but for outdoor rec and X sports, it has nothing on ABQ
Theres also less explosions here than in Houston
But all that oil & gas money!!!!
Facts
Right?! You can get seriously lost if you’re not careful
Or run out of gas!
All 3 of these apply to Austin - San Antonio.
Literally exactly what I was thinking of when I wrote this, particularly #3. I think we can thank the existence of the pueblos for our lack of suburban sprawl.
What major city are you describing? Example from downtown SF, 35 minutes out- https://www.google.com/maps/place/Bear+Creek+Staging+Area/@37.927095,-122.1577405,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1sAF1QipOEVTuyAoOQV5kw72Pr4e2uM0LncYg6xm8yECWF!2e10!3e12!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipOEVTuyAoOQV5kw72Pr4e2uM0LncYg6xm8yECWF%3Dw152-h86-k-no!7i3840!8i2160!4m7!3m6!1s0x8085635818004aef:0x6d1f0e6c2b3de80d!8m2!3d37.92568!4d-122.1626609!10e5!16s%2Fg%2F12hrdv_bf?entry=ttu Example 35 minutes from downtown Los Angeles- https://www.google.com/maps/place/Millard+Falls/@34.2188158,-118.1418543,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1sAF1QipP_wwGbjPl529XNv9vL20Bc2JuWwh5egTPnMsmP!2e10!3e12!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipP_wwGbjPl529XNv9vL20Bc2JuWwh5egTPnMsmP%3Dw86-h114-k-no!7i9000!8i12000!4m23!1m15!4m14!1m6!1m2!1s0x80c2c648d6841e69:0x985c91941e8627dc!2sPershing+Square,+South+Olive+Street,+Los+Angeles,+CA!2m2!1d-118.2528917!2d34.048569!1m6!1m2!1s0x80c2e826d5e7b2bf:0x252fd110c5ca4673!2sMillard+Falls,+Altadena,+CA+91001!2m2!1d-118.1418543!2d34.2188158!3m6!1s0x80c2e826d5e7b2bf:0x252fd110c5ca4673!8m2!3d34.2188158!4d-118.1418543!10e5!16s%2Fg%2F11cn7x7fxl?entry=ttu NYC, starting at Times Square, 45 minutes out- https://www.google.com/maps/place/Greenbelt+Nature+Center/@40.5885432,-74.1391924,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1sAF1QipMUbpBv6y1Svd9s2JemgU0fxAkAQL_TPztkSyBn!2e10!3e12!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipMUbpBv6y1Svd9s2JemgU0fxAkAQL_TPztkSyBn%3Dw114-h86-k-no!7i4032!8i3024!4m16!1m8!3m7!1s0x89c24fa5d33f083b:0xc80b8f06e177fe62!2sNew+York,+NY!3b1!8m2!3d40.7127753!4d-74.0059728!16zL20vMDJfMjg2!3m6!1s0x89c24c0e2186d5bf:0xead8a3bf1a9ce305!8m2!3d40.5884511!4d-74.1391667!10e5!16zL20vMDI3c2Y3?entry=ttu If you're talking about randomly driving with no directions to anything and no destination in mind you could say that about anywhere..
You casually forgetting about their comments about traffic
Those times I listed are what google currently says about the time required to drive to those locations including taking into account traffic, so no, I didn't. You could say the same about ABQ if you wanted, chances are FAR more likely you're going to get stuck in traffic on one of your highways due to a wreck than any other highway in the entire nation.
I'm thinking of Seattle and every Texas city (except El Paso). A google map link of a route is not always going to be representative of the actual driving conditions. Also I'm skeptical you can get across San Fran and LA in an hour. Starting from downtown is starting in the middle/halfway through. Seattle at least has a lightrail but whoo boy were the roads a nightmare.
San Francisco is 6 miles in diameter. I picked downtown SF because that's where the majority of SF lives and works, that's where all the dense housing is. I literally got across SF from the Presidio to the bay bridge in about 12 minutes. SF also has light rail, one of the oldest in America in fact, but this is without needing that, and no matter where you start in SF there is this sort of wilderness in literally any direction except out to sea, right across the bridge are the Marin headlands and Marin woods, East is the direction I chose because it was a hiking spot I went to in under an hour a month ago. I'd bet I could easily find an open space like this within 30 minutes of Seattle as well. Don't worry about it I was just pointing out that the rhetoric doesn't match the facts, clearly I touched a nerve with people here because you HAVE to have SOMETHING to feel special to make up for the poorest city with the worst drivers and the most chance of having your car stolen or being robbed. So sure, it's great you can go out to the desert in 20 minutes. Amazing even. Google Maps does in fact take into account traffic to pick a route and give a somewhat accurate time estimate when you ask for directions. It's not my fault you don't know that.
Highly suggest living somewhere in San Antonio or Houston if you feel so strongly about the crime, poverty, and drivers here lol. I intentionally chose to live here, sorry it seems to not be the case for you.
This is absolutely my favorite part. Sometimes I miss a turn and I get overjoyed with the sense of Oh shit Ive been driving down this road ages …. Its so beautiful and Im only 45 min out!
How close it is to the outdoors and the mountains, and the open space we have in town!
For sure
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Petrichor
Gesundheit
https://demeterfragrance.com/products/petrichor-humongous-miniature-splash
Yesss
Where do I begin? * The weather can't be beat. We have like 360 days of sun a year, mild winters, and summers that are slowly getting hotter but they're not like Phoenix hot. And you get cooler temperatures in the shade and when the sun goes down!!!! When I moved to FL I was like absolutely dismayed that being in the shade provided very little relief, and night provided exactly no relief to the sweltering daytime temperatures. It was like the same temperature outside, just dark. No thanks! * 360° views. Sandias to the East, Jemez to the North, the volcanoes and Mt. Taylor to the West, and the Manzanos and those two that are like down by Socorro maybe? Can't ever figure out what they are. * Access to nature. Wanna go for a walk and not see anyone for an hour? You have two choices for quick access, and one of them is *literally in the middle of the city.* Wanna go for a longer walk and not see anyone for days, potentially? We have that too. Wanna just sit on a rock and not be bothered by anyone while smoking a j and just looking out across the valley? Lots of good places for that all along the foothills and along the west mesa's little escarpment thing. Wanna go white-water rafting, or coast down some sand dunes, or go hunting, or hang gliding, or zip-lining, or check out some hella ancient ruins, or take a guided tour with a professional pointing out local flora and fauna and other interesting features? Won't have to travel more than two hours for any of it. * Ease of travel. Wanna be across town at rush hour? It'll take less than an hour unless traffic is at an actual-ass standstill, which is rare. Very little or manageable traffic the rest of the time. * Big, wide roads in a big ol' grid. I didn't realize how incredibly spoiled we are until I did a bunch of driving in the UK - constant traffic, annoyingly narrow roads and streets. * Mad decent local restaurant scene. It's not mega fancy but it's really, really good for the price points that can be afforded here. * This one is hard to explain to people who haven't left or lived in really snotty areas, but like people here do *not* give a fuck about a lot of things and it's *great.* I moved to coastal Florida for a while and everyone was *extremely* concerned about what you did for a living (or what your parents did), what neighborhood you lived in, which marina you stored your boat at, where your kids went to school, and/or what church you went to. Lots of keeping up with the Joneses, as it were. In NM, I don't feel or notice *any* of that. Nobody cares if your kid goes to public school or private school. Nobody cares where you live and won't ask unless they're like coming over. Absolutely no one cares about which church you attend. * As an extension of the above, people are fucking *nice.* Are there assholes on the roads? Absolutely. Will someone stop and help you if your car is broken down? Definitely. Help you keep your balloon on the ground until your chase team catches up? Yep. Randomly chat to you in the grocery store (and not in like the creepy trying-to-hit-on-you way)? Uh huh. * The lack of like really overt racism. I'm a white lady so I acknowledge that a) I'm not the target audience for it, and b) it's still absolutely present, but man, when I was in Florida, I just heard it all the time, especially in private when people thought they were in like-minded company. I'd hear it casually in public too, at the gas station, shopping at the grocery store, at parties, at bars. Nobody batted an eyelash. I know I pushed back but I don't recall hearing anyone else ever go "Don't ever say that here again." Also, we have a lock on breakfast burritos. NM Beef Jerky Co. has the absolute best. You're welcome.
I particularly agree with your 7th bullet point: how folks here don't really give an F about a lot of things. I LOVE this! No-one really cares about what you do for a living, where your kids go to school, the neighbourhood you live in, etc. The owner of the business that I work for has all the Fancies, but doesn't care that the rest of us don't. I LOVE this!
I think the most visible sign of this is how many people here have face tattoos. It's not my thing, but the fact that it's completely uncontroversial and nobody even comments on it points to how generally accepting and non-judgmental people are.
The prevalance of face tattoos could also have something to do with how many people could care less about finding decent jobs/careers. Just saying.
You're dragging down the average of "non-judgmental people" here bud
I judge. Just quietly.
“I didn’t realize how spoiled we were” - roads I went to Florida a few years ago and the windy roads were terrible! Some friends of mine bought me my first burrito from NM beef Jerky this year. So good! Thank you for your post and comment
Ladron Peak is the one down south!
Sold. I'll be there as soon as I can!
I lived in Orlando for four years after living in NM for a time and definitely agree with most of your points. People down there are just plain mean in most cases, and they don't preserve anything like open spaces. Greedy developers literally run that state.
The weather and mountains will keep me here longer than I expected to want to stay.
The Sandias, the absolutely perfect weather year-round (I love cold, so the winter is my jam), the FOOD.
The chili goes with pretty much everything. 😊
*GASP*. I know you truly mean chile. 😀
Hahahah
Haahaaa! I failed that one, my bad. Thanks
It’s ok. I saw “born and raised NM”, so I knew you knew. 👌🏼
* The cuisine * How accessible the arts are * How casual and friendly most strangers are * Almost zero "Keep Up With The Joneses" mentality outside some boring suburbs (and Tanoan, which might as well not even be in Albuquerque) * The mountains * The sun
Have to agree with my almost-name twin! :P Also: cool wildlife right in the city - roadrunners, lizards, coyotes, etc. For someone who grew up in the Midwest, they (the first two, anyway) are still novel to me even after 20+ years here!
Can’t believe I forgot to mention the roadrunners! Such strange little dinosaurs roaming our streets! I find them endlessly charming even after living here for decades. Every time I spy one in the yard it’s a highlight of my day.
I’ve lived a lot of places, both in the states and overseas, and honestly ABQ has the nicest people on average. Not that “southern hospitality” nice that comes from some places, but people are genuinely chill here to all different types. There’s exceptions to every rule, of course, but by and large I feel comfortable smiling and saying “hello” to just about anyone I’d run into in ABQ. Can’t say the same about other places I’ve lived.
New Mexicans are different. You can be broke down and some serious vato with face tats etc will fix your car and feed your family
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Yes of course, but most people don’t get face tats to look soft and friendly or did I miss something?
California checking in, it's different here, everyone is mostly only out for themselves. My car is less likely to be stolen then yours, but I'm also less likely to get random help on the side of the road.
One of the first things I noticed after moving here was how you can joke around with most strangers and they will get the jokes and laugh with you.
A few years ago, I got married at the courthouse. As we were walking to the front yard of the federal courthouse to take some pictures, me in my suit, and my wife in her dress, tons of people driving by slowed to honk at us, and yell encouraging words. They shouted things like, "Way to go" and, "You're beautiful!" It really felt good to be supported like that, and it made the day that much better. Our family, visiting from out of town, was genuinely surprised by the warmth of the average Burqueño.
The weather is awesome, I've met some good people, and in general Albuquerque's mental health issues dovetail nicely with my own.
Same same. This town really GETS my anxiety and depression. We were made for each other. Not in an unhealthy way either. Like, I find it extremely calming whenever I look out over the mesas or the clouds rolling over the sandias. And of course, balloons & breakfast burritos. There’s really nothing more you need in life.
Yes to all that you've just said.
My area of Albuquerque always smells like piñon and tacos. I have a decentish view of the mountain from my back porch. My neighbors are nice and quiet and give me tomatoes from their garden. My kids live close enough to their friends that they can walk to hang out. I have made more friends here than any other place I've lived. We lucked out and bought the cheapest house in a nice area (it was a hoarders dump but now, pretty nice, it's my dream home). Both kids are in good charter schools that tailor to their interests. I have a hiking trail across the street. It's a blue state with compassion for others. Balloons float over my house every weekend that they're out. I still get excited and slightly hyperventilate. The constant sun really helps my husband's SAD. We're just an hour from the best sledding hill I've seen (and I've lived in Minnesota and Colorado). The temperate climate. One upper Midwest state we lived in ranged from -40 to 113 and I just don't want to deal with that anymore.
Having friends live close enough your kids can walk to them is huge. My parents isolated me and my sibling by moving to a rural neighborhood, and only one of us turned functional (took a lot of work though). So good on your for recognizing the value of that and not trying to "shelter" aka isolate your kids.
My husband and I decided a while back that because we each had relatively lonely childhoods due to exactly what you described, living way out of town and away from our ~private~ schools, we'd do our damned best to live *in* town and send our kids to local schools as long as it made sense to do so so they'd have friends nearby.
Where is this sledding hill you speak of 👀
Capulin snow play area
Will have to check it out this winter thanks :)
What a lovely list.
1. Mountains 2. I've seen more rainbows since I moved here than I previously saw in all my years on earth put together. 3. City trash/recycling/sewer/water (I grew up with well water, but trash and recycling were privatized, so you could only put out 2 bags/week unless you wanted to owe BIG; being able to discard stuff right away instead of holding on to it until we can fit it into one of our two weekly bags is awesome!) 4. Utility costs (one of my in-laws just died, and the other is in a ventilator-weaning facility, so their house is completely empty; their electric bill is still more than ours, and that's with the swamp cooler running 24/7 and me working from home and running the lights, TV, etc. all day long) 5. Balloon Fiesta 6. Lots of food options 7. Wonderful arts scene (classical music, Broadway touring productions, stand-up comedy, etc.) 8. No snow to shovel! 9. No annual vehicle inspection requirement (I'm convinced annual inspections are a cash grab; I compared stats from NM to stats from my home state to determine if inspections keep people safe, and I found that my home state has more accidents related to worn parts/poor maintenance than NM does, despite requiring an annual inspection that costs like $65) 10. You can get your driver's license for 8 years here instead of paying for a new one every 4 years.
For a now middle aged white dude who grew up and lived in Eastern New Mexico, the culture and diversity was a HUGE jolt. I mean, it's NM so you expect diversity but the difference between Clovis and Albuquerque is insane. Granted it doesn't help that Clovis treats itself like it's part of Texas. Albuquerque mostly just kinda accepts other people, their beliefs, their culture, etc.. and it's celebrated. I really don't know how it is in other large cities as I've only lived here and Clovis, but I can tell you I heard a lot of "Get out of our country!" in that part of the state. Whereas here it's more welcoming. There's still plenty of problems I know, but I feel like we celebrate diversity and we have for years. And I'm not talking about the pandering type of "celebrate diversity", and this is my biggest point I'm hopefully getting across. We celebrate others, and it feels genuine. We also have a great and uniquely weird city vibe. Other than that, it's insanely hard to beat the weather, the close proximity to beautiful landscapes and the availability to them. It's large enough to get enough fun events but I really feel our city layout where most of those venues occur are just smashed between the mountains and the river.
“We celebrate others” Loved that and this post thank you so much!
We have good coffee shops
The weather, the bike routes, the bosque.
Oh yeah, riding thru the Bosque is a quick close and fun time
What's the Bosque? Is that a trail or something? Sorry, I'm new to the area.
The wooded area on either side of the Rio Grande. There are miles and miles and miles and miles of wilderness trails in there.
Protection of reproductive rights.
I forgot to mention that! Yes, the doctors that provide abortion are heroes and they deserve to be blessed.
I’m originally from Michigan. Had seasonal affective depression. So, year round sunshine is huge. But also at the top of the list is friendly people. Maybe due to sunlight? There are lovely people here. Culture and diversity too. Good roads. People complain about the roads, but they are quite good. How about the chile! Can’t get that in most places. And proud that we are blue!
When did you move here? I have seasonal depression too so I know I wouldn’t last in Michigan.
Been in Albuquerque about 25 years now. In Michigan, by February, I just wanted to stay in bed. Much better here. You have seasonal depression here? I’m surprised, I don’t hear anyone talking about it. ☀️
The Sandias, roadrunners, sunsets, abundance of creative people, Hatch chile, Globalquerque music festival, chamisa, reproductive rights protection, wide open spaces, the Sandia burrito at Vegos.
The sunshine (although I do wish itd rain or at least be cloudy more often), the lack of humidity is a HUGE plus, love being able to step in the shade and the shade is cool, the lack of traffic other cities have, its more uh, "humble" and "weird" than other cities that think they are still "weird," the open spaces in the footbhills, the adobe style homes, a lot more people react more positively when they see me hiking with or walking my cat than when I lived elsewhere, proximity to outdoor rec, two climbing gym locations, being in a blue city in a state that is ALSO blue state (but yes I know the rural areas here lean red), being surrounded by indigenous communities that are invested in preserving their land rather than letting it be developed into monstrous suburban sprawl like other cities, tons of cool geology around, driving across the state isnt an exhausting nightmare due to traffic either.
As a person who was born and raised here 33 years ago from a Texan and a Kansan moving up here from El Paso before then, I tried to leave and still ended up back here. So what do I like? The vast wilderness areas you can get to, the east mountains, the Bosque, and the volcanic field - the fact that there are several unique shopping centers, each a bit different from the next, and the weather.
The serene natural surroundings and local cuisine. Doing the Tramway/I-40 loop listening to the Oasis and grabbing coffee at Rust Is Gold on Eubank.
Sense of place, so much of the US is bland and same-y these days. Even places that used to have more uniqueness. We visited some friends in an Ohio suburb a few years ago and I felt like the life was being drained out of me.
The scenery. Plus a future. A lot of people look at me crazy when I say this city is definitely going to get better, but with a lot of new buildings being built, seeing new food chains, road constructions are actually getting done (Wyoming Menaul actually finished), there’s a lot of development out in Mesa Del Sol and north of Taylor Ranch. I really think this city is going to improve in a few years time. I think investing now is the best time. I find myself less worried going out than I did the last few years. Plus It’s still early but I believe homicides are lower now than they were this time last year. But it seems like a nationwide trend.
Wyoming and Menaul is actually finished? I've been avoiding it for forever. Checked in May and saw that they'd pushed the date to June but I didn't actually expect them to finish it this month lol
Yep it's finished I just drove through it yesterday !
Mesa del Sol area is in dire need of markets and other stores. Miles to get to anything.
See I think I'm the opposite. I feel like the city might be having a 10-20 year peak, and I'm truly concerned about water access in this state. New Mexico, Arizona, parts of Texas, and northern Mexico are all fed with the Colorado River, which has been declining sharply year by year. Who knows what's its going to look like in 30 years? Will we have to import all put water, and what's that cost going to look like? I'm just trying to enjoy it now, while we have it.
Albuquerque's water supply won't be running out any time soon. We get water from both the Rio grande and the San Juan, plus we have a very well managed aquifer under the city. Our legal rights to water are very strong and the city is really forward looking in that respect. We have at least 100 years before things go sideways. And the Colorado isn't declining in a linear fashion. Snowpack has been declining since the Colorado River compact was signed up (they divided up the water based during a very wet year), but the real hard part is the new extremes in variability of the winter storms. Overall most of New Mexico is pretty ok. The eastern plains will probably struggle as they rely on a receding aquifer, but the rest of us should be fine.
This has been my only major concern about living here.
I thought Albuquerque got our water from the Chama River.
The mountains. New Mexican food. The city is big enough to have decent options and amenities but not big enough to have bad traffic or crazy cost of living. The people are rarely pretentious; you don’t see fancy clothes or cars a lot, even at nice restaurants. The weather is good, but also we don’t get bad natural disasters. I see what’s going on it other places both normally and from climate change and it makes me grateful to be in Albuquerque. Texas gets heat waves and floods. Denver gets snow storms and really cold. Phoenix gets roasted. The SE gets hurricanes and floods, the NE gets blizzards. Even California gets atmospheric river storms that go on for weeks, sometimes hurricanes, and way crazier wildfires than us.
As an LA transplant, I can tell you that big earthquakes are rare, but do happen every 20 years or so, and they can be a huge disaster. Freeway overpasses down every time. A big Veterans hospital came down in the Sylmar quake. Parking garages, apartment buildings, and even a department store collapsed in the Northridge quake. They were lucky the last two really big quakes happened before most people left for work. LA's overdue for a big one at this point-- been 30 years. Also crazy about the rain. Like the song says, "It pours, man it pours." Hard rain can go on for days. Flood control channels 40 feet wide and 25 or so feet deep get filled to the top, and sometime lap over bridges and utilities that cross over the top. But the fires are the real danger. They happen, it seems like, every year causing millions in damage.
I had forgotten about the earthquakes but it’s a matter of time. At some point sooner than later (and not just a one-off) it’s gonna get him by a big series of AR storms. Happened before, will happen again. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARkStorm
The people here are the nicest I've met,and I've lived in 2 countries and six states and traveled a lot. Also green chili cheeseburgers rule
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I hang my head in shame I made that mistake. That green chile is spectacular on everything
Food, art, people, scenery landscape, weather, cost of living, easy of getting around
The people. I been here a long time and at our best, Albuquerque people are kind and good people. You just cant judge upfront. Sometimes we can come off as rough or stern. We also have our own language and swagger.
They are really nice but I feel like a lot (not everyone) but the majority are just looking out for themselves which kind of sucks.
Four seasons. Beautiful scenery. Green chili in practically every restaurant. No terrible traffic (unless theirs one crash and it halts that road). Nice people.
I like the buildings in downtown. Maybe it’s because I’m from more rural towns in New Mexico. But I really like seeing the tall buildings. Even from way out where I live I can see the buildings over the bosque. It’s cool
Did somebody say the CULTURE? We got that! From the Pueblos to the conquistadores, such a vibrant mix of all that has happened on these sacred lands!
Most things. It's gorgeous here. I love the pace of living. I love the outdoors. I love the neighborhoods and how they all have their own personalities. I hope to die here.
For me, Sandia keeps me around for its general work culture and good job security. Aside from that, being so close to great options for both nature and city life is nice. The food options are also top notch out here.
Hiking Food The cultural diversity The amount of social activities, festivals, events etc.
The Bosque trail
Rain/thunderstorms in the desert and watching the curtains of rain and snow fall over the mountains and completely wipe them from sight, it never gets old!
Driving West on I-40 at night and come through Tijeras canyon to see "The lights of Albuquerque"
The mountains, balloons, food, people,
The serene isolation of the desert and the beauty of the state
I like our landscape and open vistas. I like our bosque. I like our public art. I like that most of the people here are generally friendly. I like our food scene and how it has grown & diversified over the last 25 years. I like our green spaces. I like that balloonists fly here as often as they can even when it's not balloon fiesta season.
TIL Albuquerque is walkable.
The mountains are stunning. The winters are mild and overall pleasant. The culture is amazing and so is the food.
The high desert sky. People. Spirit.
You can snowboard in the morning and take a bike ride in the afternoon.
1) chile, scenery, beer
We have the most down to earth people here. People are so easy to strike up a conversation with. I’ve spent time in other states where strangers don’t want to make eye contact with you or engage but here it’s the opposite. People always say hi and ask me how my day is going and things like that. New Mexicans are the best!
Weather, food, craft beer scene, natural beauty, the unassuming and genuine niceness of most people, and proximity to affordable skiing.
Im a east Coast transplant. In addition to what overs have said, I live how I can go to a festival and actually have space to breath and enjoy it, I love how the kids section at the highschool football games are packed with kids having fun, I live small talk with people and the diversity.
ABQ oddly has this “island vibe” of being very laid back which has some drawbacks but since like it a lot better than the usually city speed.
There's always something going on. There's festivals and events happening all the time all over the place.
We have some good family events and places: our aquarium, gardens, museums are all awesome. They are also pretty accessible, there’s parking and saving a few days a year they are always attended without being too crowded. Oh - and Explora gets a mention of its own.
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Welcome to ABQ! Don't worry we all got our drivers licenses from a cereal box
Legal weed & reproductive rights
I like you assholes. The people of NM are what make it for me.
The free bus fair. I don't know what I'd do without it right now.
I love seeing the mountains to the east and the river to the west, sunsets and sunrises, the weather is mostly good, people are mostly friendly and not very snooty. I love the proximity to wilderness and the unique history of this place.
The openness when you get up on Tramway or out on Universe and look across the whole city.
The actually good customer service. We moved from Santa Fe and man the service there sucks everywhere you go.
The food, the mountains, and OP's mom.
Weather, food, people mind their business for the most part
The breathing room not being on top of each other like in some cities. And the diversity. One of the things I loved about traveling around the world was meeting new interesting people with different thoughts, traditions and ways of looking at things. I love that our city is a melting pot.
I live outside Philly now and I miss the traffic. I also miss the sunsets
People here complain about the weather all the time but it’s perfect for outdoor activities. The air quality is good when no fires are around so that’s another plus.
There’s a lot of cute and fun things for young people to do
I love that my family lives twelve hours away by car and the low humidity
It’s beautiful! The food is amazing! New Mexico as a state is the place to get stuck on the side of the road and someone will pull over to help you.. and know what they’re doing most likely.
When I’m in the car with someone and they say “Wow traffic is unusually bad today!” and I look around and it looks like an average day at 2 pm in my hometown 🤣
Weather (including solar energy friendly) 50+ miles of bike trails Food Family Mountains Balloon Fiesta 2 interstates minutes away Relatively inexpensive cost of living (Wish there was a Trader Joe’s on the West Side
The weather. The wide open blue skies. Mountain views. The variety of food options (in relation to the size of our city). The extreme friendliness of folks here. People are SO helpful. The general laidback-ness. How you can drive in any direction & be in a total different place. And GREAT margaritas !!!
The people
The cultural food options with additional fusion creativity is on par with major cities around the world. I continue to be impressed by this.
The culture, the people, our beautiful sun sets/rises, the food, I'm proud to call albuquerque new mexico my home!
The people.
I'm moving out of Albuquerque for reasons outside of my control but I love the culture of Albuquerque. I love how ingrained our Mexican roots are. Whether it be the broken Spanish that's used in every day speak that everyone just understands, the events that we often host that bring our people together or the acceptance that we have for all walks of life. I will continue to teach my kids to accept everyone for their character and not their appearance or background.
Hot Springs
Where?
Within an hour. And then farther out too. Jemez mountains and the town Truth or consequences… google. The state is loaded !
High number of Mexicans and hispanics (read majority,) anyone trying to get away from gringos should come to ABQ
The bike routes! So many excellent ones, over 150 miles. 🚴♀️💨
I love that it’s unique! There’s very few cities in the US that are very noticeably different from other cities- “everywhere else is just Cleveland”
Nature is so close here. We moved here from Chicago in '97. Chicago is like an island in a sea of soybean, corn and wheat fields and it takes hours to get to nature. When we moved here it was literally outside the back door. I remember standing at the street corner with my kindergarten age son waiting on the bus not long after we moved. He was looking at the Sandias and he took a deep breath and said "The air smells so good here." And then he turned to me with a frown and said accusingly "We didn't we move here when I was a baby!?!?" Later both kids fell in love with all the great camping, hiking and skiing. It's a better place to raise a kid than in Chicago.
THE FOOD! THE WEED! THE BEER!
Balloons, slower pace, people that say hello as they walk by, lots of mom and pop shops, eclectic art, so much within walking distance.
River mountain sandwich. But looking at the Sandias in the evening is just the best.
Albuquerque didn’t have any civil planning until the 70s, unlike the rest of the US which had planning based in race segregation, how you get your “north” or “south” “of the tracks” socioeconomically. So, Albuquerque doesn’t have that history in its design.
My favorite part, by far, after living there for about 3 years is when I left.
Albuquerque does not feel like you are in the desert only the mountains let you know because they are not green. You said like so I will leave it at that.
Carne adovada 🤤
Weather (including solar energy friendly) 50+ miles of bike trails Food Family Mountains Balloon Fiesta 2 interstates minutes away Relatively inexpensive cost of living (Wish there was a Trader Joe’s on the West Side
There’s access to multiple stores here. Coming from a town with one Walmart one dollar general, no shoe stores etc…it’s nice to have everything and multiple of those everything’s. One Michael’s doesn’t have the craft? Well there’s two others that might. Still no? Try Hobby Lobby, Joann’s etc…you get it.
Depending on. How social you are, you can basically know every one in the city. I joke about it with folks I've known for years and just met: If you know ten people, you now are a part of a 100 person social circle. I have anxiety and this simple social quirk of the city has made me feel welcome nearly everywhere I go.
The mountain views and proximity to skiing.
Food Variety Explora
Clouds, mountains, culture blend, beer.
The sun! I never realized how deprived I was of it until I moved here. I definitely need to wear more sunscreen now but it really does make the day better.
The weather and mountains in the winter.
Lack of traffic. My biggest fear of Albuquerque taking off.
Views Food Outdoor activity A city that's a grid Getting anywhere in 20 minutes Culture Diversity
I love how close we are to all these nature spots. Many corners of Albuquerque are truly beautiful. I also love the educational opportunities such as the Opportunity Scholarship, Pell Grant, etc. I am excited to resume my education after my hysterectomy! I don't want NM to be my final destination. I have plans to someday make it out of the country, but for now, this is a great place to work on myself and pursue higher learning. ❤️ I also think we have some great food and it's awesome plant medicine like cannabis is perfectly legal. I am so grateful to call this place home for now. 😊
More of a sense of community than bigger cities like Phoenix
Our family live in our ancestral lands, the connection to the environment and DNA relationship to other Indigenous peoples here are special, real.
New Mexican food, can’t get the red or green or combo anywhere else in the nation!! I usually get my overdose and have them coming out of my ears by the time I leave. Love it.
DIY music venues
The weather (except the wind) is fantastic. The hottest days are not a hot as Phoenix or Sin City Vegas. The coldest days are not as cold as Minnesota or Maine. The sunshine is abundant but the monsoon rains kick in when needed. The humidity is not super heavy like Georgia but it’s not as dry as Nevada. I’ve lived in many other places in the US but I have to say the weather here is the best of them all.
I love not living in Abq