Question (I need this answer seriously as soon as possible)

[Madgardener]

I need to know what Albuquerque, New Mexico is like. Climate. Cost of living. Cost of houses. Sizes of yards. Restrictions. Crime. What zone it's considered. A good site that is idiot proof that might take me to these questions. What groceries average. This is extremely important to me and before ya'll tell me to go to a website. ..... the ones I've found are extensive, it takes forever to download these sites of some of them (I have dial up connection and I need a dead ringer site that would be simple with answers to these questions) unless there is someone out there in the newsgroup that can answer me because they live there................. madgardener serious about these inquiries (don't ask, just help me, please)

[John Bachman]

I suggest that you put your topic in the subject line if you expect answers. No one cares that you have a "question" and "need answer seriously" but if you state your problem in the subject line you may get serious answers. And then again, maybe not.

John

[paghat]

That might be good advice for no-account-nabobs, but just about everyone here opens ALL Madgardener's posts no matter what the subject header, as they're often such lovely posts.

I dunno what the ng is like, at a glance it doesn't look super active, but I suspect answers could be obtained from the ng alt.culture.us.southwest

I've friends in Albuquerque who regard it an affordable mecca for oddball artists who couldn't possibly afford Santa Fe.

-paghat the ratgirl

[Cereoid-UR12-]

I have been to Albuquerque only once and loved the place. Its a college town and a very friendly place. It does get cold there in winter but its much dryer that its equivalent zone further east.

I would suggest you do a google search to find out all you want to know about Albuquerque. There is no way you are going to find all the answers to the kind of questions you are asking on a single website.

[Madgardener]

alt.culture.us.southwest

[Madgardener]

thank you Cereoid. I also called Zhan and she gave me a huge imput concerning this subject. (I filled in way more details with her and she's my beloved Zennie and I treasure her opinions) I will have to deal with all this and give Squire an answer in the next 24 hours..............yes, 24 hours. I might not be living in the foothills of the Smokies for much longer despite my having felt as if I'd found my other home. ahhh well, I will keep ya'll posted if yer interested. I won't bother people with the details, only if and when this happens. If it does, it was meant to be. If it doesn't, I won't bother ya'll with it further. Thanks for your kindness as well.

madgardener slipping back into the bushes now to quell the rising panic of a

[animaux]

Excuse me, John. Marilyn has been posting here for about ten years with the rest of a broad spectrum of people, who have also been here for at least ten years or so. I care. Many others care. In these cases, it would best be to speak for yourself as this has become a community of friends, online. Some like to fight with one another, some laugh at one another, some hate, love, like, dislike.

I am not counted in your "no one cares..." faction.

As a matter of fact, seeing it was Marilyn who was asking made me open the post that much faster. She never asks for much of anything, so I took this as a sort of distress signal.

Victoria

[animaux]

We've only been to Albuquerque once, but it was a beautiful city, flanked by majestic mountain ranges and seems to be buzzing with people and students. We didn't look much at the real estate there, but at Santa Fe and Taos, and, well, WOW is all I'll say. Those two were very expensive, but magnificent and had an incredible spirit about the place.

I think Albuquerque would be a more affordable place and more mainstream, as artsy goes, but you can go to

and I believe you can order relocation packages which will outline many different things about the city. Do a search on the city's website...wait, I'll be right back...try here:

may load a bit easier than other glittery sites. Go to your local Barnes and Noble and see if they sell the Sunday paper from that city. Most larger book stores do.

It's got a flatness to the landscape, but with inclines and mountains. I can't explain it, but the place has the most beautiful pinon trees on the planet and a culture all its own. Much of that culture is based on rich Indian presence, but if you have to move there, you will adore it. I believe it is in zone 6b, but I could be very wrong. Very hot summers, dry, and COLD winters with snow. Probably what you have now, but dry.

So, what's going on. Did you think nobody would ask?

V

[Tom Jaszewski]

2000 2001 2002 2003 *(up to 1/03) 2004 Murder 33 35 54 8 Rape 239 219 293 20 Robbery 1,547 1,620 1295 112 Aggravated Assault 3,317 3,396 3250 243 Burglary 7,120 6,585 5452 530 Larceny 22,842 23,535 21,371 1627 Auto Theft 4,349 4,162 4050 386 Total Part I Crimes 39,447 39,552 35,765 2926 % Change from preceding year -4% 0% -10% not available Population** 448,607 448,607 448,607 Crime Rate*** 8,795 not available not available U.S. Average Crime Rate**** not available not available

"Acts of creation are ordinarily reserved for gods and poets, but humbler folk may circumvent this restriction if they know how. To plant a pine, for example, one need be neither god nor poet; one need only own a good shovel. By virtue of this curious loophole in the rules, any clodhopper may say: Let there be a tree--and there will be one"

Aldo Leopold

[Tom Jaszewski]

I found this site

like it would be not to bad with dialup.

We've considered moving there, crime is higher per 100,000 than las vegas WOW. Some great places out in the country with far less crime.

the local police have a site that maps out crime areas....

"Acts of creation are ordinarily reserved for gods and poets, but humbler folk may circumvent this restriction if they know how. To plant a pine, for example, one need be neither god nor poet; one need only own a good shovel. By virtue of this curious loophole in the rules, any clodhopper may say: Let there be a tree--and there will be one"

Aldo Leopold

[Madgardener]

[Bill]

Your reluctance is easy to understand Maddie. You've been there eleven years and you've sunk deep roots. Uprooting them is going to hurt. On the other hand, if you go, you get to put down new roots < when pot bound, root prune and get a bigger pot >, try out xeriscaping and put that Western Sunset Garden Book to use.

Good Luck in either case,

Bill

[gregpresley]

[Shell91]

Albuquerque is a pretty nice place. You can get some snow in the winter and it can get pretty hot in the summer. Lots of sun. I lived in New Mexico (Cloudcroft) for a few years. While I lived about 200 miles south of Albuquerque I was at an elevation just a bit higher so we got more snow. Albuquerque is sort of in the foothills of the Sandia mountains. The north side of town is in the hills more than the south side which is more deserty.

Shell

[Shell91]

One other thing. New Mexico has lots of hummingbirds :)

I know moving is a difficult thing and the older you get the harder it gets to move, but if you look at it as an adventure and keep your sense of humor it could be fun. Albuquerque has several reservations around the area as well as at least 1 air base, and a very nice historical district.

Shell

[Pat Kiewicz]

A lot of numbers available through Yahoo! Real estate (including crime, income, and climate information):

prices look like an incredible bargain compared to where I live...

[Frogleg]

Don't live in, but grew up in Albuq. Would love to go back. You might try the Albuq. Tribune web site

for a snapshot of local life. The last time I looked at employment opportunities there, the wages offered indicated a low cost of living (or teachers would be starving in the streets!)

The climate is high desert (5,000 ft) with minimal rain and very little humidity. Add Albuq. to your Wonderground.com 'favorites' and check the weather. While it's hot in summer, temperatures cool 30 degrees at night, which makes it more than bearable. Plus, no humidity means that perspiration does the job it's designed for and shade

*means* something. It snows occasionally in winter. The mountains are gorgeous. The sky is bluer there than anywhere. Great Mexican food, as you can imagine, but Albuq. is a big city, not a rustic backwater. According to their site the University of New Mexico entertains close to 25,000 students. There's a lot of Hispanic/Indian influence on architecture, language, and culture. Gardening will be *very* different. I remember the main gardening chore being *watering*. Everything that isn't sprinkled or irrigated dries up and blows away. (See the film 'The Milagro Beanfield War', which is set somewhat to the north, and shows a *lot* of that blue sky!)

[Frogleg]

Don't forget the Rio Grand -- "too thick to drink; to thin to plow". Actually, the Sandias are to the east and the river to the west. Except the city has crept up the foothills and over the river.

[Tom Jaszewski]

and NM actually incourages building strawbale houses!!!!!

"Acts of creation are ordinarily reserved for gods and poets, but humbler folk may circumvent this restriction if they know how. To plant a pine, for example, one need be neither god nor poet; one need only own a good shovel. By virtue of this curious loophole in the rules, any clodhopper may say: Let there be a tree--and there will be one"

Aldo Leopold

[Callen Molenda]

Hi Mad - I'm in an area similar to yours (Central VA, zone 7). My brother and cousin have both moved to Albuquerque recently, one for school and the other for career reasons. They both liked it, were able to find real estate cheaper than around here (but where isn't it cheaper than Albemarle County!!!!), but they did find the landscape hard to get used to. As you know, we have the Blue Ridge mountains and abundant greenery, and it's a little dry and shrubby for their liking. But the culture is great, the artists' communities are great, the skiing is phenomenal, my cousin's kids love it, etc, etc etc. You will find it quite different from Tennessee, though, so if you can't imagine living anywhere else....

On the other hand, it would be another reason for me to get my *ss in gear and get down to Albuquerque for a visit.

Callen in VA