Hi , We are moving from SC to NM . We have homeschooled for 6 years , we have a DS 11 & DD 7. We use Eclectic materials .We loved Story Of The World this past year!! I was wondering what areas you liked best about your town/city & the things you liked least about it? Are the Winters harsh with lots of snow ...we were told that they were.
Was it easy to find a homeschool group in the area? Was buying your home easy or should we prepair to spend alot of time shopping the market?
I don't know if I'll be of much help because I've only lived here for 3 years. We spent two years in Albuquerque and the last year in Rio Rancho. We much prefer Rio Rancho to Albuquerque. In Albuquerque, we prefered the west side to the east side. The culture here is very rich! You'll hear the question "red or green" often, refering to red or green chilies. Everyone seems to have their favorites. (I prefer green.) I've come to love New Mexican cuisine!
There seem to be tons of new housing developments popping up all the time. I don't think you'll have much problems there.
I don't think the winters are "harsh" compared to anywhere else. We've lived all over the place, and winter here is nothing compared to some places.
Every place has their negative qualities, but for NM I think the biggest are drunk driving and crime. The per capita crime rate in Abq is higher than NYC or LA! But like all cities, there are good areas of town and bad areas of town. "Central" is a street you want to avoid.
Forgive me for chuckling at the idea of harsh winters...after spending three years in Connecticut near the coast, my husband and I couldn't WAIT to get back to the southwest! Last year I think we had ONE day where it snowed enough to go out and build a snow man...and by the time we were done, we could see grass! Of course, the areas closer to the mountains see more snow than in our area, but it is certainly manageable.
Albuquerque and NM in general are beautiful, culture-rich areas. There is much to do, explore, discover. I am not a native, but my parents have lived in NM for 20 years, much of which I've been around for! Albuquerque is very much my adopted home.
Favorite things about the city...the seasons - just enough to enjoy each one...the summers can be hot, but things cool off once fall arrives. I find that my kids measure time by the Albuquerque calendar...August starts chile roasting season, which you can smell all over town. My kids don't eat it yet, but they enjoy coming along to help me find my annual bushel! September is State Fair...the cottonwoods start turning yellow...Balloon Fiesta in October - one of our favorite events of the year! Christmas is lovely in NM and steeped in culture...January to March can be a long stretch, but spring is beautiful as all the earth tones of town are accented in green. Favorite places...the zoo, the aquarium and botanical gardens...the natural history museum...Explora (our science and children's museum)...the nature center and the bosque (our urban forest along the Rio Grande...the largest of its kind in the world!)
The housing market may surprise you...our most recent move back into town was almost four years ago from Phoenix, and we had a little "sticker shock" when we first started looking. But depending on your needs for location, you are sure to find something in just about every price range. We live on the West side, not as far north as Rio Rancho. I love it, but do find myself crossing town for almost everything we do.
The homeschooling community is large and vibrant here, and has something for everyone! Best of luck with your move and hope you and your family have a wonderful adventure getting to know our city!
Hi , thanks for the warm welcome. We contacted a realtor today We are looking in Rio Rancho area(?) at this time . OH I am so pleased , I cant wait to get there!!! Rhea .C
Hello Reah! Welcome to ABQ. We just moved here a couple of years ago. Although I miss the green of northern CA, I love it here. I live in the north east heights, and we really like it here, although we are in the process of moving to the east mountains...mostly because we miss the green and we miss the acreage we had in CA. I am guessing you will also greatly miss the green.
The biggest shock to you will be the complete lack of humidity...just coming from CA I noticed it. Now, when I went back to CA this month, I felt like I was in SC or GA. Wow! I had never thought of CA as being humid.
I know when we first moved here in August, many of those I met here complained about how horribly hot the weather was...it was nothing compared to what I had just left. They complained again the next summer, again it was nothing in relation to northern CA. When the winters came, they talked about how terribly cold it was. Yet, I never had to buy a jacket for the winter...until I went back to CA. Last year, the employees at my husbands work all started wigging out about it snowing one day, bunches of them left work to go home because the roads were getting bad. When he went out to see the snow, there wasn't even a quarter of an inch on the ground. He decided that the worst thing about driving in the snow here is the fact that the drivers are all afraid of it. Anyway, I think you will find that the weather here is just perfect...not too hot, not too cold.
As for where to live, there is always a debate about east vs. west. I think, if were you, I'd get a realtor to show you homes in both areas. We really like the one we are currently using to sell our home on the east side (should close escrow on Monday) and buy one in the east mountains area (should close on the 5th). We chose this area because of the low crime rate and because of the mature neighborhood with BIG trees (in relation to much of ABQ, not in relation to CA's oaks and pines). We also chose ABQ over Rio Rancho because Rio Rancho looks, to us, like a huge sand box...backyards filled with sand...only sand. Yikes! I just don't have the patience to develop something like that into a fertile yard with green stuff. Coming from the lush land of SC, you may feel the same way. (SC is beautiful, in my mind.)
At the city's website, you can find a link to the crime map. It will tell you what areas have the lowest crime, and it will also tell you what type of crimes were committed in an area. ABQ has a high crime rate, but not a very big percentage of it is violent...unless you choose a bad area.
Welcome! I don't know that I have much to offer. i have lived in New Mexico for too long to have much to compare it to, but the winter's far from harsh. I had planned on running away from this state as soon as I had the chance when I was in school still, but it has really grown on me. I do not know that you have better weather overall anywhere else. Also, I have gotten used to it being so dry.
Wow-- we just moved here from Charleston SC on May 27th. You are gonna love it here.. Well, at least I am LOVING Albuquerque. I love the mountains.... Someone else that moved here from SC warned me that the people weren't as friendly as Southerners but that hasn't been my experience at all. People are warm and friendly. The lack of humidity is something you try to imagine before you get here, but it's soooo totally different from SC, you really can't imagine how it is really. After the sun goes down, the heat goes away and it is so comfortable outside. Most evenings we are outside on the patio, sitting in the swing, looking at the mountains and thinking how great it is! Or like tonight, we were out at the tennis courts until 9pm-- or we can't see the ball any longer!
I live in the NW. I love our neighborhood. We came out on a house hunting trip and bought this house. It's truly a buyer's market and you shouldn't have any problem finding a house-- we found ours in 4 days! One different thing is that all of the backyards have a block fence.. And if you buy a brand new home, your backyard is going to be all dirt and require landscaping.... We live in a newer home and only 30 percent of your yard can be grass. Most of the front yards are all rock--- desert landscape. It's VERY different at first but it has it's own beauty and I've come to enjoy the Pueblo style homes that looked very odd to me at first.
I've just joined the ABQ Co-op (that's the one running running this message board) and we are a military family so I'm also checking out the homeschooling group at Kirtland AFB. I don't think you are going to have any problems finding a house or a group. My son is just turning 6 in August and starting Kindergarten.
If you have any questions on the differences in the two places or another question, just let me know...... You really are going to like it here!
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We are moving to Alb. NM 
Hi , We are moving from SC to NM . We have homeschooled for 6 years , we have a DS 11 & DD 7. We use Eclectic materials .We loved Story Of The World this past year!! I was wondering what areas you liked best about your town/city & the things you liked least about it? Are the Winters harsh with lots of snow ...we were told that they were.
Rhea C.
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EL
Hi , thanks for the warm welcome.
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