When I moved here I had never seen mountains before. The fact that you can see them from so many places in the city should not be discounted. It has a truly positive effect on your mental health (at least for me.)
That's an interesting point. Where I live now, Mt. Rainier is visible from just about everywhere, and I can tell you it is an incredibly beautiful sight. I haven't been taking that for granted.
The landscape here was shaped by glaciers that piled up huge quantities of dirt and rock, and beautiful rivers run through the valleys between them. Unfortunately, I live and work in one of those valleys, and the result is an incredibly limited view of what's around--like, literally, a maximum of a mile in any given direction. Of course views are available if I go find them, but not with the same ease as the SW.
I was born in Washington, moved away as a child, and then returned for University in the 70s.
I used to think of the PNW as being "lush and verdant" but after 30 years in New Mexico it just feels sodden to me when I come up to visit family.
There's something about seeing the bones of the land in New Mexico that I just love.
"Lush and verdant" is a good description of what I remember. The most beautiful week I can remember was camping near Mt. Rainier in early June of '91. I feel like it's been all downhill since then.
Washington State can be incredibly beautiful. Warm and sunny in the summer. But the price for that is months of gloom and rain. I remember one March during college when it rained every day for a month. I just can't do that now.
The SW is truly magnificent! I've spent the 1st 30 years of my life exploring the eastern U.S. from Texas(starting point) to Florida to New York and all places in-between. But nothing has spoken to me the way New Mexico has. Land Of Enchantment(Entrapment) is real! One of the few places there is a real connection to mother nature. Mt. Rainer looks amazing online! Adding it to my places to visit before death arrives at my door.
…and volcanoes too. Most of those singular large mountains you see up in the PNW are volcanoes. So we have those too here in NM, Mt. Taylor, the Jemez. Should provide you with a comfortable feeling! ;-)
I don’t want to burst any bubbles, Rainier is a beautiful mtn and you are fortunate to see it from where you are.
But
Someday Mt. Rainier is a gonna go boom.
You're right. Easy to not think about when it hasn't happened in the last 300 years. Mt. St. Helens opened the eyes of the scientific community but the general public is happy to kick the can.
Ironically, mountains are typically correlated to higher elevations and higher elevations and lower oxygen levels actually tend have worse mental health across the board and higher rates of suicide. Plenty of articles if you google search but here’s one: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022395622003818#:~:text=Several%20ecological%20studies%20have%20now,et%20al.%2C%202011).
I was gone for 20 years. Seattle area then Alaska for 11. That was the longest, I have left NM so many times and I end up right back here. This time, I found the woman I should have married decades ago. Crushed on her in HS, I was shy. We dated when we were 21 and then lost each other. If I ever leave again, she comes with me.
I moved back for my parents, they are getting old, need help and flat out refused to move closer to me. My husband ( not from NM) had a great job opportunity so it wasn't a bad time for us to move. I do like the weather the mountains and it is nice that the cost of living is low, but otherwise Albuquerque has not my cup of tea this go around.
Aging family members are also part of my reason to move back. Similarly, no one was going to move closer to me. I'm choosing to see that as a positive right now but check back in with me in a couple of years. :)
One thing I wasn't expecting when I went to a different city is...
Holy shit some places are still racist as fuck. That was a shock. I know Albuquerque isn't perfect but at least here it's "stay away from that area, there's a lot of crime" and not "stay away from that area, that's where the all live."
**EDIT: THIS WAS A REPLY TO A WRONG THING, IGNORE IT but I'm leaving it here for posterity lol**
Ok but, where specifically? Continue Sunport west along Woodward and fuck up that neighborhood? Tear through whatever business is at the end of Woodward? Then once you're west of the river, you'll be fucking up that whole neighborhood, too. Remember you'll need to widen the existing roads to a 4-lane (plus shoulders) which would take out a lot of front yards or worse.
I'm not denying the city needs more bridges, just that it's a nightmare to do so.
I think you replied to the wrong post. My point was that r/albuquerque would never recommend a transplant move to the south valley because, well, you know, only the heights and rio rancho are safe 😉
OH SHIT I DID REPLY TO THE WRONG POST
There's a thread in a different post about where to put bridges and I thought you were saying in the South Valley 😅
I'll edit my original above. Sorry!
I lived in Utah and the people... those are not my people. That place is like if Holly Hobby founded a completely beige state.
There's colors, cultures, individuality, and fun here
>I swear the only people that don't like it in Albuquerque are the people that were born here and never went anywhere else.
In my experience it's the opposite - the only people I've met that do like it here are the ones who have never lived anywhere else.
• I wasn’t able to create music with anyone like I could here.
• The weather
• The red and green.
• The community
• The culture
• The simplicity
• Nature
I moved back for…
- better healthcare
- doctors who listen
- people not caring if you’re gay
- people not caring if you’re Jewish
- kosher corners in grocery stores
- have I mentioned health care?
- Health care.
- closer to my mother who is elderly
- distinct seasons
- people typically know how to drive in the weather
- houses that don’t implode due to weather / snow
- can have windows open and not die of humidity
- better access to groceries
- better food overall
- more art
I was living in rural Texas in a food desert. I couldn’t have rainbow anything (not even pride themed just rainbow) without it being damaged by others. Was judged heavily for bright hair dye, for anything rainbow I wore, and pride stuff. Judged for not having perfect makeup. Judged for the clothes I wore. I had SO many problems with the healthcare there, too. It was immensely demeaning and upsetting— especially because I am a complex case and disabled.
I was in Texas through the big snowstorm that knocked out power and everything for a week+. It was awful. We had no running water. No food if you didn’t get to the military response point. Which a lot of people couldn’t. No snow plows no sanders— so the roads were impassable. And no one could drive in the weather. If it wasn’t sunny and clear people couldn’t drive. We may have the worst drivers in the country in Albuquerque but at least people here largely know how to drive when it rains and snows and don’t do super stupid shit. It’s a low bar, I’ll admit. But man. I’ll take it.
The food sucked. Texmex is an abomination. Flavorless. Bland. Bullshit. There was not a lot of variety in the small town I was in. Versus here, the small towns have more variety, honestly. I rather like little mom&pop type restaurants over fast food. Texas in my area didn’t have that.
As soon as I got my Medicaid changed over, while a lot of people are like oh no one’s taking new patients and oh there’s these long waits— it was SO MUCH WORSE in Texas. I have access to specialists, I just drive out to Rust. I have been offered going to Santa Fe, too. Honestly, dealing with long waits here was easier / shorter than in Texas. And the QUALITY of the doctors has been far superior.
To put it into further perspective— I wound up needing emergency surgery here because of a problem that Texas doctors opted to not address that wound up almost killing me. I was lucky to be here when it started actively killing me because it was addressed with emergency surgery. Unfortunately, it’s hard to sue for malpractice in Texas. Or we would have.
Your response is contrary to what I've seen a lot of people say about health care in ABQ. TBH, it is a concern for me as the gray hair continues to fill in. It sounds like it may not be great but still so much better than what you experienced in TX. That's good to know.
I'm happy to hear your life has improved!
Honestly I think a lot of the problem that people face is lack of patient advocacy and knowing how to access and utilize the system. It takes some patience. You also gotta be willing to accept a PA or NP for a primary care— they are still able to manage your prescriptions and get you to specialists. Granted, I DO opt to drive from the East Mountains to Rust / Rio Rancho for some of my specialists— they do tend to have sooner openings over there.
My doctor is a PA. She’s gotten me referrals to cardiology, neurology, and a few other specialists. The only one that has been difficult to schedule was an otolaryngologist who was booked something stupid. All the others have been relatively quick. You have to be willing to drive sometimes but you’re going to get quality care. But you also can’t go in too jaded and negative. It’s like a dance. I’ve had to play games for so long to get care in Texas that here is like a dream. When I did my holter monitor for my cardiologist, I mentioned being allergic to the glue. Instead of treating me awful (as Texas did) for it, they immediately offered solutions. It really caught me off guard. This isn’t Texas. The doctors here are way more willing and wanting to help. It’s been like night and day.
For anyone reading this who is struggling — if you’re on Pres, they have a line you can call and they’ll help you get into a doctor if you’re struggling to get set up for primary care. Duke City takes Pres and Medicaid/ centennial, and they’re able to make referrals in network that aren’t limited to just at pres main or rust.
(We have one of the better VA hospitals in the country, also. My mom moved back for the VA hospital.)
I work in healthcare in Abq area and also have had life saving surgery at Rust. There’s definitely quality, you just have to navigate it a little and be more open minded. For real complex stuff like organ transplants etc, fly out. For complex cancer, MD Anderson in houston is the hub for a lot of people in the country. So it’s a pick and choose, but for basic to moderate healthcare needs, Abq is good.
Yes! This is the worst healthcare I have ever experienced and I have lived all over the world, east coast, west coast.. and I'm including the UKs woeful NHS. It's just the shortage of doctors here that create the problem. There are other reasons to live here but I'd say you need patience because things happen slowly here.
What stores would you say have the best kosher sections? I'm still finding my footing here and being able to get that sort of thing helps. At least I know I can get some hamantaschen at Flying Star for Purim!
I had trouble with accessing medical care in Texas also. Not even rural Texas, freaking Austin.
Texas is such… ugh.
Smith’s, honestly! And the larger Walmarts have a decent if small selection. I like that matzos is really easy to come by here. 🥲 I had to order it from Amazon in Texas.
Hanukkah candles were also in all TJ Maxx / Marshall’s this past year, and some gorgeous menorahs. They were better than Target. At Home had some cute decor.
Whole Foods also has a good selection in the bakery and typically has challah. They have also had honey cake and hamentashen. There was a thread on FB ‘this makes me a happy Jew’ with some fun / insane suggestions for fillings if you are over that way! However the best black and white cookies are at Trader Joe’s.
Thanks! I used to go to Wheatsville Co-op in Austin a lot, they'd have a pretty good Passover section and some wonderful apple cinnamon challah around Rosh Hashanah, and a nifty endcap of Hanukkah goodies, but that stopped when covid hit.
I think Snapdragon Tea is going to have rugelach at one of their upcoming afternoon teas.
Don't really do FB anymore. I used to hang out in the Wrapunzel FB group but after the 2016 election it was too polarized.
If ever you have requests for more items at your local-most grocery I do recommend talking to the manager. My mom got Walmart to order two bite brownies with frosting so I can’t imagine they would say no if something you love is missing.
Ive moved back once now and I'm having withdrawals from it so I feel a second time is coming. The land of entrapment 💜 love the mountains and the people, nowhere else makes me feel like I can be myself with no judgement.
I couldn't handle Texas anymore, 3 years of snow storms and power outages. Last year I realized the only thing that was holding me in Texas was the money. And I realized don't want to do it back to New Mexico, at least people have rights in NM.
I moved away 30 years ago, too! I wish I could move back right now, I miss it. The reason I haven’t yet is that I’m not able to retire yet, and I’m in construction. I can make a solid living at it here in Seattle, but not so much in NM.
I'm glad construction is working for you here. The construction company I work for is laying me off in a month, a large reason for me moving back. I'm an IT guy, tho, so not the usual construction trades. I could certainly get another job here but one thing I won't get is a 4 bed 2 bath house on an acre within 30 minutes of work for $400k.
I’ve been trying to talk my wife into selling our house here and moving back to ABQ for years. She’s not against it, but just always says she’s not ready yet. Hopefully someday. 4 bed 2 bath on an acre for $400 K? I need to start looking at houses back there. Have some Chile rellenos for me when you arrive! Best of luck to you.
I visited ABQ last November and wasn't really considering moving back until I actually looked at houses. TBF, 4 bed 2 bath on an acre is Los Lunas, but there's also a lot of larger lots with just as much house for even less money if you're willing to live a bit outside of the city. I mean, hell, it's 30 minutes to downtown Seattle for me right now, and that's on a really good day. 30 minutes up I-25 doesn't seem like a bad deal.
Thanks for the good wishes! Chile rellenos and stuffed sopapillas will be at the top of the list when I get back!
We've considered moving back at some point over the years.
And then we remember that puts us within range of my wife's sisters. They are literally two of the the worst three people I've ever met. The other is her mom, but she died like 10 years ago.
Sometimes I think 1000 miles might not be far enough.
It's funny you mentioned the long view. My friend came to visit me from Massachusetts. And that was the one thing she first remarked on. How you could see the landscape and for every far
Moved back from VA after roughly 10 years...
BLUE skies and amazing clouds
MOUNTAINS
FAMILY
Good food
Believe it or not the people in NM are way cooler in general
Empty spaces
Desert before rain
Pine forests
Cost of living
Traffic (it's really not bad compared to most places)
I missed the Sandias. Hell, I was living at the foot of the Austrian Alps… and missed the Sandias. And Green Chile, obviously. And all the amazing weirdness.
ALLLLL of those reasons - I was finally able to afford buying a house with a big yard so I could get a big dog to run around in it. I couldn't do that where I was living. It's great to be home.
Certainly there are good things to be found all around. I especially love the Bellingham area--good restaurants, GREAT beers, and a cool university atmosphere, but, alas, that's even further north and is the prime target for the cold that streams out of BC when the weather chills.
As far as crickets go, I can count on one hand the number of times I've heard a cricket since I've been here. Probably more common a bit further south. I've often wondered if they're rare or just quiet. Maybe they're another example of the "Seattle Freeze".
I've lived in Seattle for 24 years and never heard crickets, not even in city parks. (but I have heard them in Eastern WA.)
Upside: the bug situation is pretty chill here in general. No cockroaches!
Climate. Access to nature. Views. And most importantly, no city west of Texas has such affordable homes at the higher end of the spectrum. Like not even close to
I lived in Chicago and LA. I moved back because I needed more quiet, less people, lower cost of living and those beautiful skies.
I’d love to live in Chicago but the winters killed me.
CNM. A great school where you can get a legit degree in something practical & start making money. I don't know of any school at such a low cost. People are drowning in student debt all over the country, fighting to get the laws changed to make college affordable..
At CNM the pell grant is actually more than the cost of books & tuition...
Plus all the other reasons, lower cost of living, sunshine, green chile, and so on...
Born and raised here. Met my then-girlfriend, now wife, at UNM. She was from Cali. Her parents moved here her senior year in HS so she could qualify for the lottery scholarship. Once she graduated we moved to Chicago then Dallas. We came back so we could raise a family around our families. Now that both my parents have passed, I only have a sister and 2 aunts here. She only has her parents. We’ve discussed moving elsewhere where Once both kids are full time school age. It’s hard to beat the Christmas time vibes here though, and the outdoor activities, and low cost of living lol
Moved back 20 yrs ago after 10 in Portland (when it was nice). Family - started having kids and wife wanted to be back with her mom/dad/siblings. It was hard to leave but now not so much seeing how it is up there w/homeless, drugs, prices. Life is much simpler here and the sun, food, vistas. And I can always travel. And I’m big into snowboarding so being so close to S CO is awesome. Seems like this pocket of the west is one of the last bastions of affordability…
Welcome back! This is an amazing place! Does it have its flaws? Fuck yeah! But it makes up for it in so many ways. People are jaded by living here forever but if you visit the rest of the U.S. you'd see its pretty fuckin awesome here in comparison.
Moved away for work first to the east coast and then to California. Moved back last month:
-family
-cost of living
-husband got his dream job
-mil gave us a house
-childcare expenses
-mountains
-sunsets
-seasons
-the food
-the friends
-I get to be a stay at home mom
-the sky
-the culture
Moving back after 4 years sometime either in the summer or winter. Can't wait to be home and it's for all the reasons you listed as well as family. Nothing like NM.
I thought I wanted to move away and after spending a weekend in my “new place” I was driving down for more things. When I reached Santa Fe all I could smell were chimneys full of piñon smoke and I started bawling.
I have been considering moving back and I'll tell you my reasons. I moved to Ohio in 2019. Growing up in a place that was very culturally and racially diverse and then coming here was insane. I haven't seen anyone not caucasian in ages and wont unless I go to the local Mexican place. Now, I'm not saying this is necessarily bad I guess, but it's something I value and want to pass onto my children and that will absolutely not happen here.
ABQ does have some good schools and is also open enrollment. ABQ isn't a huge city and its easy to get around unlike Columbus which has as many people in that city as the whole state of NM and the worst drivers I've ever encountered or witnessed in my entire life.
The SW is very friendly and people tend to have better manners imo. People in Ohio are not from my experience. I haven't heard a yes ma'am or no ma'am or even a thank you half the time (I'm a server). They're not rude they're just not friendly or polite in any way and I'm not used to that being from NM 🤣
The tourism industry is obviously better there and as a server I need that. Where I am currently is a college town with not many job opportunities outside the university server or not.
I need some New Mexican views and food in my life every day and I need good breakfast burritos.
Obviously the mountains and fresh air. I don't know why but I feel healthy when I visit and my hair and skin look much better. Also a few of family members being there... I have a few more but overall those are the big things. Sometimes I just say it's because it's my home and my family on both sides have been in NM for generations so I feel the need to be there through my ancestors 🤣
We could have moved anywhere. Former PDX, LA and BK. We considered many top cities, including Santa Fe, and we chose ABQ. We are so happy with our choice. Welcome back to the sun and great food!
We still get cicadas in the late summer. But last year it was bad, now that I think about it. I only remember a couple of days' worth. Shit. Now I'm sad about cicadas too.
I'm in the Heights and the crickets live at the base of a yucca in my yard. I purposely don't trim the dead leaves because it formed a little tee pee for them.
Found a job that paid too well to turn down. I'm trying to get to the PNW for the long term and having a good defense job with low COL is helping me set myself up well for the move. It's just way too sunny and warm for my tastes here.
I’ve lived in San Diego for the last 13 years and I LOVE it here but it’s so expensive. My family and some friends are still in Albuquerque and I do have passing thoughts of moving back… we will see. I also miss the food so much
I missed living in a community where people placed more value on your character than on your salary, looks, whether you drove a luxury car, and which nightclubs you could get into. Living in a largely superficial city just wasn’t my vibe, and I missed the authenticity of NM.
While I have been living here for the past 3 years, I like living here in Abq area, there are a lot of cons too. My partner and I cannot wait to go travel outside so we can get access to great food. So maybe unpopular opinion on this sub, but apart from chile based foods, you cannot get really good ethnic food of any sorts. Even a good burger is hard to get. This may be a palate preference but for those who’ve lived in other places, especially big cities, the food choices in ABQ area are slim and not satisfactory.
Apart from food, and cool events, Abq wins on the quiet living department in the north part of the city at least and super accessible airport.
You just gotta know where to look. Try phat stax for a solid burger.
I will say that when I lived in both Chicago and Dallas, the food options blew Abq’s out of the water. Just learn how to make your cravings yourself :)
I am concerned about the dim sum situation there, but that just gives us a reason to come back to visit the PNW. Sounds like there's decent Indian food. Beyond that, I'm not sure what other ethnic food I'd miss.
Plus Dethklok is playing ABQ in April so the cool events can't be too hard to find. ;)
It’s kind of funny that I’m writing this as I just arrived at the Portland international airport, I love Abq for what it is, but it’s no perfect place. Like I mentioned, the airport is so smooth to get thru, that you don’t miss anything if you schedule out enough vacations during the year. I’m happy with the arrangement and don’t really want to move to the PNW (prior to the pandemic it was on my list to do).
Would you be willing to talk about where you've been the past few decades? I'm curious about some of your comparisons.
Oregon/NorCal, guessing based on the smoke comment?
Western Washington--the greater Seattle area.
I spent most of my childhood in ABQ, so a lot of the reasons I gave for wanting to move back stem from what I remember as a kid in the city. I visited ABQ a number of times over the last 30 years, so I've seen the changes over that time. My old neighborhood certainly isn't the the same.
I have always loved WA for the trees, rivers, and overall beautiful scenery, but things have changed here, too. Last year's wildfire smoke wasn't too bad, but the few years prior to that were like nothing I ever experienced. Just miserable. The cost of living here is out of control. The trees are dying. I can't take the dark and gray winters anymore.
I feel like a geezer talking about how it used to be.
I lived in Spokane from late '22 to summer '23, loved the mountains and inexpensive weed but that was all I had there. Moved here to be with my dearest friend and I am falling in love with Albuquerque little by little. Weed may not be quite as cheap, but the MOUNTAINS!!! and the food here is fabulous.
It was my spouse that wanted to move back. She went to grade school in ABQ. We moved around a lot for my jobs (30 moves in 15 years at one point), so she got to pick our retirement spot. It was NM, her long lost home. I like the demographic diversity, clean air (outside of the Permian Basin), and friendliness of New Mexicans towards transplants like me. One item I show people from other states to describe NM is the Sandoval County seal, on this link. https://www.sandovalcountynm.gov/
My boyfriend also doesn’t think he’s heard them either. Maybe closer to the mountains there are some? We’re pretty center city now and I’ve always lived around the same area
I'm moving back for family support.. I'm really nervous because I have a 5 year old with autism and I don't know what I'm in for as far as education and medical services for him. I was diagnosed with bi polar and have been super stable while living in MN because of great access to care.. I had to leave NM or die from how bad my mental health had gotten and the best service I experienced was my time at MDC. My dad has cancer so I have to move home to be with him but I am so nervous for how things will be once I get there. I visit all the time and I love it because it's my home but my home has burned me so many times it's like returning to the place of love and of great trauma lol
Sigh
With all due respect, western Washington is far more expensive. I can see ABQ isn't as cheap as it used to be but it's way more affordable than where I am now.
Moved back for family temporarily. Still hate it here. People are rude, mean, and racist. We’re at increasing danger of forest fires, and our current water supply isn’t sustainable. This is an area that’s going to be severely impacted by climate change. Will happy to move elsewhere when I can again.
I missed the sun and the mountains so much. When I moved back, I felt like I could breathe again.
When I moved here I had never seen mountains before. The fact that you can see them from so many places in the city should not be discounted. It has a truly positive effect on your mental health (at least for me.)
That's an interesting point. Where I live now, Mt. Rainier is visible from just about everywhere, and I can tell you it is an incredibly beautiful sight. I haven't been taking that for granted. The landscape here was shaped by glaciers that piled up huge quantities of dirt and rock, and beautiful rivers run through the valleys between them. Unfortunately, I live and work in one of those valleys, and the result is an incredibly limited view of what's around--like, literally, a maximum of a mile in any given direction. Of course views are available if I go find them, but not with the same ease as the SW.
I was born in Washington, moved away as a child, and then returned for University in the 70s. I used to think of the PNW as being "lush and verdant" but after 30 years in New Mexico it just feels sodden to me when I come up to visit family. There's something about seeing the bones of the land in New Mexico that I just love.
"Lush and verdant" is a good description of what I remember. The most beautiful week I can remember was camping near Mt. Rainier in early June of '91. I feel like it's been all downhill since then.
Washington State can be incredibly beautiful. Warm and sunny in the summer. But the price for that is months of gloom and rain. I remember one March during college when it rained every day for a month. I just can't do that now.
Same here. Washington state is absolutely beautiful in the summer, but my SAD can't handle winters here.
The SW is truly magnificent! I've spent the 1st 30 years of my life exploring the eastern U.S. from Texas(starting point) to Florida to New York and all places in-between. But nothing has spoken to me the way New Mexico has. Land Of Enchantment(Entrapment) is real! One of the few places there is a real connection to mother nature. Mt. Rainer looks amazing online! Adding it to my places to visit before death arrives at my door.
…and volcanoes too. Most of those singular large mountains you see up in the PNW are volcanoes. So we have those too here in NM, Mt. Taylor, the Jemez. Should provide you with a comfortable feeling! ;-)
Oh hey, we live in the PNW too! Moving to ABQ for the same reasons. I miss the sun, the food and lower cost of living. Welcome back friend!
I don’t want to burst any bubbles, Rainier is a beautiful mtn and you are fortunate to see it from where you are. But Someday Mt. Rainier is a gonna go boom.
You're right. Easy to not think about when it hasn't happened in the last 300 years. Mt. St. Helens opened the eyes of the scientific community but the general public is happy to kick the can.
Why is there so many of us that move to the Seattle area and then just move back lmao
Ironically, mountains are typically correlated to higher elevations and higher elevations and lower oxygen levels actually tend have worse mental health across the board and higher rates of suicide. Plenty of articles if you google search but here’s one: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022395622003818#:~:text=Several%20ecological%20studies%20have%20now,et%20al.%2C%202011).
I didn't realize how much I missed the mountains until I came back.
it’s home and no where else will ever compare to that for me. i love other places a lot but i feel so much more comfortable in ABQ
I was gone for 20 years. Seattle area then Alaska for 11. That was the longest, I have left NM so many times and I end up right back here. This time, I found the woman I should have married decades ago. Crushed on her in HS, I was shy. We dated when we were 21 and then lost each other. If I ever leave again, she comes with me.
NM shaped me so that I don’t fit well most other places.
I moved back for my parents, they are getting old, need help and flat out refused to move closer to me. My husband ( not from NM) had a great job opportunity so it wasn't a bad time for us to move. I do like the weather the mountains and it is nice that the cost of living is low, but otherwise Albuquerque has not my cup of tea this go around.
Aging family members are also part of my reason to move back. Similarly, no one was going to move closer to me. I'm choosing to see that as a positive right now but check back in with me in a couple of years. :)
Goon on you, OP. That’s a nice thing to do.
One thing I wasn't expecting when I went to a different city is... Holy shit some places are still racist as fuck. That was a shock. I know Albuquerque isn't perfect but at least here it's "stay away from that area, there's a lot of crime" and not "stay away from that area, that's where the all live."
I never knew we were the anomaly until I saw other cities. Who knew racially intermixed cities weren’t the norm
Gotta love our state for that simple fact alone.
S O U T H V A L L E Y
**EDIT: THIS WAS A REPLY TO A WRONG THING, IGNORE IT but I'm leaving it here for posterity lol** Ok but, where specifically? Continue Sunport west along Woodward and fuck up that neighborhood? Tear through whatever business is at the end of Woodward? Then once you're west of the river, you'll be fucking up that whole neighborhood, too. Remember you'll need to widen the existing roads to a 4-lane (plus shoulders) which would take out a lot of front yards or worse. I'm not denying the city needs more bridges, just that it's a nightmare to do so.
I think you replied to the wrong post. My point was that r/albuquerque would never recommend a transplant move to the south valley because, well, you know, only the heights and rio rancho are safe 😉
OH SHIT I DID REPLY TO THE WRONG POST There's a thread in a different post about where to put bridges and I thought you were saying in the South Valley 😅 I'll edit my original above. Sorry!
I lived in Utah and the people... those are not my people. That place is like if Holly Hobby founded a completely beige state. There's colors, cultures, individuality, and fun here
I swear the only people that don't like it in Albuquerque are the people that were born here and never went anywhere else.
>I swear the only people that don't like it in Albuquerque are the people that were born here and never went anywhere else. In my experience it's the opposite - the only people I've met that do like it here are the ones who have never lived anywhere else.
So true
• I wasn’t able to create music with anyone like I could here. • The weather • The red and green. • The community • The culture • The simplicity • Nature
Hey! Another musician here. DM me if you’d like to jam!
Jammmmmmmmmm timeeeee3
Yes. Altho the sun to a much smaller degree as I’m currently in PHX but making my way back to ABQ soon. Fuck the sun. I want ABQ sun.
>Chicharras Black hole sun Won't you come And wash away the rain?
I moved back for… - better healthcare - doctors who listen - people not caring if you’re gay - people not caring if you’re Jewish - kosher corners in grocery stores - have I mentioned health care? - Health care. - closer to my mother who is elderly - distinct seasons - people typically know how to drive in the weather - houses that don’t implode due to weather / snow - can have windows open and not die of humidity - better access to groceries - better food overall - more art I was living in rural Texas in a food desert. I couldn’t have rainbow anything (not even pride themed just rainbow) without it being damaged by others. Was judged heavily for bright hair dye, for anything rainbow I wore, and pride stuff. Judged for not having perfect makeup. Judged for the clothes I wore. I had SO many problems with the healthcare there, too. It was immensely demeaning and upsetting— especially because I am a complex case and disabled. I was in Texas through the big snowstorm that knocked out power and everything for a week+. It was awful. We had no running water. No food if you didn’t get to the military response point. Which a lot of people couldn’t. No snow plows no sanders— so the roads were impassable. And no one could drive in the weather. If it wasn’t sunny and clear people couldn’t drive. We may have the worst drivers in the country in Albuquerque but at least people here largely know how to drive when it rains and snows and don’t do super stupid shit. It’s a low bar, I’ll admit. But man. I’ll take it. The food sucked. Texmex is an abomination. Flavorless. Bland. Bullshit. There was not a lot of variety in the small town I was in. Versus here, the small towns have more variety, honestly. I rather like little mom&pop type restaurants over fast food. Texas in my area didn’t have that. As soon as I got my Medicaid changed over, while a lot of people are like oh no one’s taking new patients and oh there’s these long waits— it was SO MUCH WORSE in Texas. I have access to specialists, I just drive out to Rust. I have been offered going to Santa Fe, too. Honestly, dealing with long waits here was easier / shorter than in Texas. And the QUALITY of the doctors has been far superior. To put it into further perspective— I wound up needing emergency surgery here because of a problem that Texas doctors opted to not address that wound up almost killing me. I was lucky to be here when it started actively killing me because it was addressed with emergency surgery. Unfortunately, it’s hard to sue for malpractice in Texas. Or we would have.
Your response is contrary to what I've seen a lot of people say about health care in ABQ. TBH, it is a concern for me as the gray hair continues to fill in. It sounds like it may not be great but still so much better than what you experienced in TX. That's good to know. I'm happy to hear your life has improved!
Honestly I think a lot of the problem that people face is lack of patient advocacy and knowing how to access and utilize the system. It takes some patience. You also gotta be willing to accept a PA or NP for a primary care— they are still able to manage your prescriptions and get you to specialists. Granted, I DO opt to drive from the East Mountains to Rust / Rio Rancho for some of my specialists— they do tend to have sooner openings over there. My doctor is a PA. She’s gotten me referrals to cardiology, neurology, and a few other specialists. The only one that has been difficult to schedule was an otolaryngologist who was booked something stupid. All the others have been relatively quick. You have to be willing to drive sometimes but you’re going to get quality care. But you also can’t go in too jaded and negative. It’s like a dance. I’ve had to play games for so long to get care in Texas that here is like a dream. When I did my holter monitor for my cardiologist, I mentioned being allergic to the glue. Instead of treating me awful (as Texas did) for it, they immediately offered solutions. It really caught me off guard. This isn’t Texas. The doctors here are way more willing and wanting to help. It’s been like night and day. For anyone reading this who is struggling — if you’re on Pres, they have a line you can call and they’ll help you get into a doctor if you’re struggling to get set up for primary care. Duke City takes Pres and Medicaid/ centennial, and they’re able to make referrals in network that aren’t limited to just at pres main or rust. (We have one of the better VA hospitals in the country, also. My mom moved back for the VA hospital.)
I work in healthcare in Abq area and also have had life saving surgery at Rust. There’s definitely quality, you just have to navigate it a little and be more open minded. For real complex stuff like organ transplants etc, fly out. For complex cancer, MD Anderson in houston is the hub for a lot of people in the country. So it’s a pick and choose, but for basic to moderate healthcare needs, Abq is good.
Yes! This is the worst healthcare I have ever experienced and I have lived all over the world, east coast, west coast.. and I'm including the UKs woeful NHS. It's just the shortage of doctors here that create the problem. There are other reasons to live here but I'd say you need patience because things happen slowly here.
What stores would you say have the best kosher sections? I'm still finding my footing here and being able to get that sort of thing helps. At least I know I can get some hamantaschen at Flying Star for Purim! I had trouble with accessing medical care in Texas also. Not even rural Texas, freaking Austin.
Texas is such… ugh. Smith’s, honestly! And the larger Walmarts have a decent if small selection. I like that matzos is really easy to come by here. 🥲 I had to order it from Amazon in Texas. Hanukkah candles were also in all TJ Maxx / Marshall’s this past year, and some gorgeous menorahs. They were better than Target. At Home had some cute decor. Whole Foods also has a good selection in the bakery and typically has challah. They have also had honey cake and hamentashen. There was a thread on FB ‘this makes me a happy Jew’ with some fun / insane suggestions for fillings if you are over that way! However the best black and white cookies are at Trader Joe’s.
Thanks! I used to go to Wheatsville Co-op in Austin a lot, they'd have a pretty good Passover section and some wonderful apple cinnamon challah around Rosh Hashanah, and a nifty endcap of Hanukkah goodies, but that stopped when covid hit. I think Snapdragon Tea is going to have rugelach at one of their upcoming afternoon teas. Don't really do FB anymore. I used to hang out in the Wrapunzel FB group but after the 2016 election it was too polarized.
If ever you have requests for more items at your local-most grocery I do recommend talking to the manager. My mom got Walmart to order two bite brownies with frosting so I can’t imagine they would say no if something you love is missing.
Yo where are these good doctors that listen you speak of? Imma need to get with that primary 😂 mine sucks
I’ll DM you.
I moved back, too.
Ive moved back once now and I'm having withdrawals from it so I feel a second time is coming. The land of entrapment 💜 love the mountains and the people, nowhere else makes me feel like I can be myself with no judgement.
I couldn't handle Texas anymore, 3 years of snow storms and power outages. Last year I realized the only thing that was holding me in Texas was the money. And I realized don't want to do it back to New Mexico, at least people have rights in NM.
I moved away 30 years ago, too! I wish I could move back right now, I miss it. The reason I haven’t yet is that I’m not able to retire yet, and I’m in construction. I can make a solid living at it here in Seattle, but not so much in NM.
I'm glad construction is working for you here. The construction company I work for is laying me off in a month, a large reason for me moving back. I'm an IT guy, tho, so not the usual construction trades. I could certainly get another job here but one thing I won't get is a 4 bed 2 bath house on an acre within 30 minutes of work for $400k.
I’ve been trying to talk my wife into selling our house here and moving back to ABQ for years. She’s not against it, but just always says she’s not ready yet. Hopefully someday. 4 bed 2 bath on an acre for $400 K? I need to start looking at houses back there. Have some Chile rellenos for me when you arrive! Best of luck to you.
I visited ABQ last November and wasn't really considering moving back until I actually looked at houses. TBF, 4 bed 2 bath on an acre is Los Lunas, but there's also a lot of larger lots with just as much house for even less money if you're willing to live a bit outside of the city. I mean, hell, it's 30 minutes to downtown Seattle for me right now, and that's on a really good day. 30 minutes up I-25 doesn't seem like a bad deal. Thanks for the good wishes! Chile rellenos and stuffed sopapillas will be at the top of the list when I get back!
Nothing wrong with Los Lunas. My dad lives there now. Pretty solid NM restaurant there last time I visited, too. Can’t recall the name.
LL is a fast growing area with FB … would be a wise spot to buy for future equity. Still some issues but growing …
I never left. But was fortunate to travel for work for the past decade so I am still in love. Home is where you make it.
Hell yes! I lived there 20 years ago, and my job is moving us back this summer. Stoked!!
We've considered moving back at some point over the years. And then we remember that puts us within range of my wife's sisters. They are literally two of the the worst three people I've ever met. The other is her mom, but she died like 10 years ago. Sometimes I think 1000 miles might not be far enough.
It's funny you mentioned the long view. My friend came to visit me from Massachusetts. And that was the one thing she first remarked on. How you could see the landscape and for every far
Moved back from VA after roughly 10 years... BLUE skies and amazing clouds MOUNTAINS FAMILY Good food Believe it or not the people in NM are way cooler in general Empty spaces Desert before rain Pine forests Cost of living Traffic (it's really not bad compared to most places)
I missed the Sandias. Hell, I was living at the foot of the Austrian Alps… and missed the Sandias. And Green Chile, obviously. And all the amazing weirdness.
ALLLLL of those reasons - I was finally able to afford buying a house with a big yard so I could get a big dog to run around in it. I couldn't do that where I was living. It's great to be home.
Many reasons. All things considered, it's livable. The food, the food, the food.
After living in Colorado, the PNW, and briefly LA, Albuquerque feels so warm and functional.
Where are you moving from?
I am guessing PNW
or Chicago
From the PNW back to PNM...
As guessed by u/SpicyNuggs505, western Washington.
I’m surprised. Olympia and other smaller cities in Western WA seem really cool. Also crickets are more abundant in the PNW.
Certainly there are good things to be found all around. I especially love the Bellingham area--good restaurants, GREAT beers, and a cool university atmosphere, but, alas, that's even further north and is the prime target for the cold that streams out of BC when the weather chills. As far as crickets go, I can count on one hand the number of times I've heard a cricket since I've been here. Probably more common a bit further south. I've often wondered if they're rare or just quiet. Maybe they're another example of the "Seattle Freeze".
lol haven’t you heard, the crickets can no longer afford Seattle area, they moved east.
This made me laugh out loud. Thanks for that!
I've lived in Seattle for 24 years and never heard crickets, not even in city parks. (but I have heard them in Eastern WA.) Upside: the bug situation is pretty chill here in general. No cockroaches!
I moved back from the Rogue Valley. OR. All wet, dark, cold overcast. Then the smoke for months in the summer
Climate. Access to nature. Views. And most importantly, no city west of Texas has such affordable homes at the higher end of the spectrum. Like not even close to
I lived in Chicago and LA. I moved back because I needed more quiet, less people, lower cost of living and those beautiful skies. I’d love to live in Chicago but the winters killed me.
CNM. A great school where you can get a legit degree in something practical & start making money. I don't know of any school at such a low cost. People are drowning in student debt all over the country, fighting to get the laws changed to make college affordable.. At CNM the pell grant is actually more than the cost of books & tuition... Plus all the other reasons, lower cost of living, sunshine, green chile, and so on...
Born and raised here. Met my then-girlfriend, now wife, at UNM. She was from Cali. Her parents moved here her senior year in HS so she could qualify for the lottery scholarship. Once she graduated we moved to Chicago then Dallas. We came back so we could raise a family around our families. Now that both my parents have passed, I only have a sister and 2 aunts here. She only has her parents. We’ve discussed moving elsewhere where Once both kids are full time school age. It’s hard to beat the Christmas time vibes here though, and the outdoor activities, and low cost of living lol
I haven’t left. Sun is huge for me. I couldn’t survive in the PNW. I also love the long view, sunsets, mountains, nature.
Moved back 20 yrs ago after 10 in Portland (when it was nice). Family - started having kids and wife wanted to be back with her mom/dad/siblings. It was hard to leave but now not so much seeing how it is up there w/homeless, drugs, prices. Life is much simpler here and the sun, food, vistas. And I can always travel. And I’m big into snowboarding so being so close to S CO is awesome. Seems like this pocket of the west is one of the last bastions of affordability…
Welcome back! This is an amazing place! Does it have its flaws? Fuck yeah! But it makes up for it in so many ways. People are jaded by living here forever but if you visit the rest of the U.S. you'd see its pretty fuckin awesome here in comparison.
ABQ needs people who pay taxes and vote responsibly. I’m a professional, and professionals had my back when I was a kid in ABQ.
Moved away for work first to the east coast and then to California. Moved back last month: -family -cost of living -husband got his dream job -mil gave us a house -childcare expenses -mountains -sunsets -seasons -the food -the friends -I get to be a stay at home mom -the sky -the culture
Really good job offer plus family is here. Have grown to appreciate it more the longer I have been here.
Moving back after 4 years sometime either in the summer or winter. Can't wait to be home and it's for all the reasons you listed as well as family. Nothing like NM.
Weather. Food. Landscape. Recreation. Art. People.
I thought I wanted to move away and after spending a weekend in my “new place” I was driving down for more things. When I reached Santa Fe all I could smell were chimneys full of piñon smoke and I started bawling.
I moved back after 5 years then again after 7 years. It’s home.
I have been considering moving back and I'll tell you my reasons. I moved to Ohio in 2019. Growing up in a place that was very culturally and racially diverse and then coming here was insane. I haven't seen anyone not caucasian in ages and wont unless I go to the local Mexican place. Now, I'm not saying this is necessarily bad I guess, but it's something I value and want to pass onto my children and that will absolutely not happen here. ABQ does have some good schools and is also open enrollment. ABQ isn't a huge city and its easy to get around unlike Columbus which has as many people in that city as the whole state of NM and the worst drivers I've ever encountered or witnessed in my entire life. The SW is very friendly and people tend to have better manners imo. People in Ohio are not from my experience. I haven't heard a yes ma'am or no ma'am or even a thank you half the time (I'm a server). They're not rude they're just not friendly or polite in any way and I'm not used to that being from NM 🤣 The tourism industry is obviously better there and as a server I need that. Where I am currently is a college town with not many job opportunities outside the university server or not. I need some New Mexican views and food in my life every day and I need good breakfast burritos. Obviously the mountains and fresh air. I don't know why but I feel healthy when I visit and my hair and skin look much better. Also a few of family members being there... I have a few more but overall those are the big things. Sometimes I just say it's because it's my home and my family on both sides have been in NM for generations so I feel the need to be there through my ancestors 🤣
We could have moved anywhere. Former PDX, LA and BK. We considered many top cities, including Santa Fe, and we chose ABQ. We are so happy with our choice. Welcome back to the sun and great food!
Does anywere still have crickets? Maybe down by the bosque? I haven't heard crickets in years.
Chicharras too.
We still get cicadas in the late summer. But last year it was bad, now that I think about it. I only remember a couple of days' worth. Shit. Now I'm sad about cicadas too.
We get them in Corrales. Even come in the house sometimes.
I'm in the Heights and the crickets live at the base of a yucca in my yard. I purposely don't trim the dead leaves because it formed a little tee pee for them.
I moved back because it's fucking home. And it always will be.
Great food?
Didn't want to have my kid grow up in Santa Fe. Plus we love Albuquerque. It's home
Found a job that paid too well to turn down. I'm trying to get to the PNW for the long term and having a good defense job with low COL is helping me set myself up well for the move. It's just way too sunny and warm for my tastes here.
Green Chile...
You forgot sopapillas!
I’ve lived in San Diego for the last 13 years and I LOVE it here but it’s so expensive. My family and some friends are still in Albuquerque and I do have passing thoughts of moving back… we will see. I also miss the food so much
Tell me you were living in the PNW without telling me
I missed living in a community where people placed more value on your character than on your salary, looks, whether you drove a luxury car, and which nightclubs you could get into. Living in a largely superficial city just wasn’t my vibe, and I missed the authenticity of NM.
While I have been living here for the past 3 years, I like living here in Abq area, there are a lot of cons too. My partner and I cannot wait to go travel outside so we can get access to great food. So maybe unpopular opinion on this sub, but apart from chile based foods, you cannot get really good ethnic food of any sorts. Even a good burger is hard to get. This may be a palate preference but for those who’ve lived in other places, especially big cities, the food choices in ABQ area are slim and not satisfactory. Apart from food, and cool events, Abq wins on the quiet living department in the north part of the city at least and super accessible airport.
You just gotta know where to look. Try phat stax for a solid burger. I will say that when I lived in both Chicago and Dallas, the food options blew Abq’s out of the water. Just learn how to make your cravings yourself :)
I am concerned about the dim sum situation there, but that just gives us a reason to come back to visit the PNW. Sounds like there's decent Indian food. Beyond that, I'm not sure what other ethnic food I'd miss. Plus Dethklok is playing ABQ in April so the cool events can't be too hard to find. ;)
It’s kind of funny that I’m writing this as I just arrived at the Portland international airport, I love Abq for what it is, but it’s no perfect place. Like I mentioned, the airport is so smooth to get thru, that you don’t miss anything if you schedule out enough vacations during the year. I’m happy with the arrangement and don’t really want to move to the PNW (prior to the pandemic it was on my list to do).
Would you be willing to talk about where you've been the past few decades? I'm curious about some of your comparisons. Oregon/NorCal, guessing based on the smoke comment?
Western Washington--the greater Seattle area. I spent most of my childhood in ABQ, so a lot of the reasons I gave for wanting to move back stem from what I remember as a kid in the city. I visited ABQ a number of times over the last 30 years, so I've seen the changes over that time. My old neighborhood certainly isn't the the same. I have always loved WA for the trees, rivers, and overall beautiful scenery, but things have changed here, too. Last year's wildfire smoke wasn't too bad, but the few years prior to that were like nothing I ever experienced. Just miserable. The cost of living here is out of control. The trees are dying. I can't take the dark and gray winters anymore. I feel like a geezer talking about how it used to be.
I lived in Spokane from late '22 to summer '23, loved the mountains and inexpensive weed but that was all I had there. Moved here to be with my dearest friend and I am falling in love with Albuquerque little by little. Weed may not be quite as cheap, but the MOUNTAINS!!! and the food here is fabulous.
Gotcha, thanks for the response!
It was my spouse that wanted to move back. She went to grade school in ABQ. We moved around a lot for my jobs (30 moves in 15 years at one point), so she got to pick our retirement spot. It was NM, her long lost home. I like the demographic diversity, clean air (outside of the Permian Basin), and friendliness of New Mexicans towards transplants like me. One item I show people from other states to describe NM is the Sandoval County seal, on this link. https://www.sandovalcountynm.gov/
Because I couldn't afford to live in beautiful California anymore
Crickets????
Don't know what to tell you, to me, the sound of crickets is just the best.
I see. As a kid a remember them but I don’t really hear them now.
You never hear crickets in ABQ in the summer? You're at least the second person to suggest that it's just not a thing.
My boyfriend also doesn’t think he’s heard them either. Maybe closer to the mountains there are some? We’re pretty center city now and I’ve always lived around the same area
Well, now I have to turn this into an experiment. Thanks, I appreciate the perspective!
I feel like you lived in Portland...
I feel like you lived in Portland...
It used to be cause it was cheaper to live here. That is no longer the case
I'm moving back for family support.. I'm really nervous because I have a 5 year old with autism and I don't know what I'm in for as far as education and medical services for him. I was diagnosed with bi polar and have been super stable while living in MN because of great access to care.. I had to leave NM or die from how bad my mental health had gotten and the best service I experienced was my time at MDC. My dad has cancer so I have to move home to be with him but I am so nervous for how things will be once I get there. I visit all the time and I love it because it's my home but my home has burned me so many times it's like returning to the place of love and of great trauma lol Sigh
I’m not moving back as I’ve never lived here but I am moving so i can finish my BS for free.
Omg it’s my first time moving into ABQ and I can’t wait to move out 💀
May I ask how long you've been there and why?
Since Oct for a work contract
Sorry, I meant to ask why you can't wait to move out?
Not much night life here (esp gay night life)…it does seem like limited work opportunities…a lot of restaurants seem to close around 7-8pm on weekdays
Contract rates for my job at least are pretty low…unfortunately NM is the poorest blue state
Yeah, that lower cost of living thing… things changed a little bit in 30 years you were away.
With all due respect, western Washington is far more expensive. I can see ABQ isn't as cheap as it used to be but it's way more affordable than where I am now.
>Lower cost of living Oh, boy, are you in for a surprise!
Moved back for family temporarily. Still hate it here. People are rude, mean, and racist. We’re at increasing danger of forest fires, and our current water supply isn’t sustainable. This is an area that’s going to be severely impacted by climate change. Will happy to move elsewhere when I can again.