New Mexico Livin'

Joined
Nov 21, 2018
Messages
531
Location
SD
How is it?

I've always wanted to move West, and a potential job opportunity came up in New Mexico. I'd probably need to be within an hour of Albuquerque (Santa Fe?), but it would be a lot of remote work and some travel. There would also be opportunity to transfer regions as the opportunity came up so I wouldn't be married to it forever. I'm 29, single, no kids, from South Dakota. Living in the Midwest forever, I'm not huge on the super hot desert life, but looks like the towns at elevation have a nice climate.

Send me a DM if you'd like to chat privately. Thanks!


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MattB

WKR
Joined
Sep 29, 2012
Messages
5,414
You will get a lot of opinions, but my perspective on NM is it is an absolutely beautiful state with a lot of really bad people inhabiting it. Lots of good people too, but just too much crime (violent crime 2nd highest behind Alaska in 2018). Roughly 1 in 5 live below the poverty level.

 

FLAK

WKR
Joined
Jan 22, 2014
Messages
2,287
Location
Gulf Coast
I would not want to live anywhere near Albuquerque.
And yes, I have spent some time there. No thanks.
You wont really know unless you go though.
Just my .02
 

ttmannan

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Oct 9, 2020
Messages
263
Location
Sandia Park, NM
Albuquerque is crime riddled - MattB isn't wrong. Education quality is garbage and getting worse every day. Politics lean HARD left and we have a governor who is off her rocker and mimics everything Gavine Newsome does. Politics won't change, people here love her for some reason.

The climate around ABQ isn't bad. I live in the East Mountains and it's currently snowing but it's 39-44 degrees today. Sub zero temps don't happen. Snow melts within a day, maybe two in the shade.
I grew up in NM and left for 15 years or so (Georgia and Arizona) and I missed it terribly until I moved back.

In state hunting is 100% draw, no points, it's random. Coyote calling happens - no contests except on the Reservations. Private land hunting is an option.

Food is fantastic, most people are nice. I would choose a more rural setting than ABQ and definitely not Santa Fe - way too liberal and expensive. We are still locked down tight here and will be for the foreseeable future so meeting new people is tough.

Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions.
 
Joined
May 10, 2015
Messages
2,050
Location
Timberline
I'm not going to write a long post. We are wanting to leave NM because of its (deep blue) politics with no change on the horizon anytime soon.

If I could get to WY or SD...
 
OP
westonadkins
Joined
Nov 21, 2018
Messages
531
Location
SD
Thanks for all the responses. Very helpful perspectives.

I talked to a cousin who lives there, and she said things are definitely locked down tight so it would be hard to visit and get a feel for it. That would certainly make it tough to commit to going there.

Been hearing a lot about the crime and poverty despite the state's natural beauty too. That's giving me pause.


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dtrkyman

WKR
Joined
Oct 2, 2014
Messages
2,931
Great state, lot's of good people, unfortunately the politics are run by the big cities as any state nowadays!

Lots of nice places close enough and far enough from ABQ. and Santa Fe. I live in Santa Fe currently, very liberal and apparently turn signals are optional? Very inflated real estate currently in SF.

Pm me if you have specific questions.
 

rob86jeep

WKR
Joined
Dec 19, 2017
Messages
611
Location
Georgia
I grew up in NM just outside of ABQ. It's an amazing state with a lot of crime/shitty people. I would only consider living there if you don't have kids in the house anymore (school system in near the bottom of all the states and crime is bad in the cities). If you don't have kids, then living in one of the ABQ mountain towns (like Edgewood) wouldn't be bad at all. Tons of great public land hunting and fishing all around and Colorado is only about 5 hours drive with more public land hunting and fishing.
 
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Razz

FNG
Joined
Sep 13, 2020
Messages
55
Location
Nestled between the Tetons & the Big Holes
Spent 8 years just outside of Albuquerque, left 4 years ago. As others have said, absolutely beautiful place and some really awesome people. But the political climate sucks, crime in ABQ is not good. Good luck getting an elk tag. We missed winter and headed north.
 

ZDR

WKR
Joined
Apr 20, 2013
Messages
892
ABQ north valley here. Great access to lots of wilderness, fishing and just general outdoor recreation. Sandia Crest Bowhunters association has a really nice outdoor range near Edgewood and some good local bow shops.
Agree with the others about the crime, particularly in south ABQ. Lots of gang/MS13/cartel activity. The political climate here is extremely liberal and getting worse...
As someone who grew up in northern NM hunting and fishing here most of my life, its worrisome what the future holds for NM
 

CorbLand

WKR
Joined
Mar 16, 2016
Messages
6,561
My wife and I contemplated looking for work in Albuquerque. I worked with a kid that grew up there so I asked him about it. Changed my mind pretty quick when he told me that his 1980s minivan that he drove in high school died, they got a ride home and grabbed the pickup to go tow it back to their house. It was like 2 hours and when they got back, someone had jacked all 4 tires off it.

His response was. Do you really want to live in a place that people went to the effort to steal 4 tires off a piece of shit 1980s minivan?
 
OP
westonadkins
Joined
Nov 21, 2018
Messages
531
Location
SD
My wife and I contemplated looking for work in Albuquerque. I worked with a kid that grew up there so I asked him about it. Changed my mind pretty quick when he told me that his 1980s minivan that he drove in high school died, they got a ride home and grabbed the pickup to go tow it back to their house. It was like 2 hours and when they got back, someone had jacked all 4 tires off it.

His response was. Do you really want to live in a place that people went to the effort to steal 4 tires off a piece of shit 1980s minivan?

That is sad and hilarious at the same time


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Ridley

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Oct 27, 2020
Messages
138
Born in ABQ, raised in Bernalillo, I regret moving to California. Crime is bad but it’s a great place to be outside...big state with a relatively small population. I miss it and the food.
 

Felix40

WKR
Joined
Jul 27, 2015
Messages
1,874
Location
New Mexico
For the most part I agree with everyone here. There are some parts of the state that are very red and I’m lucky to be in one of them. Don’t worry about the super hot summers. SF is higher in elevation than Denver.

It’s a great state to live in for hunting. It’s hard for me to imagine being anywhere else for that. The elk hunting is awesome, deer tags are easy to get, year round Barbary sheep, only state with oryx and ibex on public land. Plus people here are lazy so you don’t have to walk far to have an area to yourself.
 

ZDR

WKR
Joined
Apr 20, 2013
Messages
892
Born in ABQ, raised in Bernalillo, I regret moving to California. Crime is bad but it’s a great place to be outside...big state with a relatively small population. I miss it and the food.
Ah, the food...green chili, Sadies salsa, the frontier restaurant. Hard to beat. Plus going out and driving for 50+ miles on a two track dirt road and seeing one other truck the whole time. Then there’s my sons 2017 Tacoma getting stolen out of his front drive, abandon 1 mile later cause they can’t drive a manual after they slash all the seats and run over who knows what and trash the suspension,,,it a TRD off-road so what the heck did they hit?!!!
Ya, lots of ‘cons’ to go with the pros.
 
Joined
Feb 18, 2017
Messages
494
Location
New Mexico
It's horrible.
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Brooks

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Joined
Mar 19, 2019
Messages
643
Location
New Mexico
I would give anything to have NM how it used to be. It’s still a beautiful state but is pretty much last in just about everything that counts, education, health care etc... crime in ABQ is rampant with criminals getting out of jail to commit more violent crime with no bail also ABQ is the car and truck stolen capital of America !! Got a F350 stolen at a hotel near the airport at 4 pm broad day light. When I called the police and told them they asked me.... was it a Ford Superduty ? I said yes and they told me kiss it goodbye, they didn’t even come over to investigate it. Oil and Gas was the biggest money maker in the state and the dumb liberals are shutting all that down. Good hunting in NM but if the liberals have their way I’m sure they would like to shut that down too. Liberals are turning it into a typical, stupid, no common sense state.
 

Austink47

WKR
Joined
Dec 1, 2018
Messages
614
It may not be where you want to raise a family but it is one hell of a place for a single dude to explore. We have very high quality hunting opportunities for the usual western stuff plus some very cool exotics. Bordering states have good options for non residents. There is also some fantastic fishing as well. But yes don’t leave anything in your car.
 

rdbunch20

FNG
Joined
Dec 31, 2020
Messages
92
I have lived in Albuquerque/ Rio Rancho for 15yrs. I had more cars and stuff stolen in PHX than here. Public education sucks pretty much in the whole state. Hunting and outdoor stuff is hard to beat. Cost of living isn't high but the vlue government sucks.

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