Albuquerque, NM

[average]

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Someone told me to avoid albuquerque because the dust and dust storms are so bad year-round. This person only spend a couple months in NM though.
Has anyone had much experience living or visiting Albuquerque?

 

[djmd]

Someone told me to avoid albuquerque because the dust and dust storms are so bad year-round. This person only spend a couple months in NM though.

Ha.

I did something for part of the year so extrapolating...

Albuquerque is stepp-desert.
It is going to be dry and dusty compared to most us cities (avg annual mosture 8-9 inches), but bad dust storms year round?

It snows rarely, and melts the same day.
Summer have impressive burst rainstorms.

But yeah it is dry.
Have you ever lived any place dry? (Most of Eastern colorado gets only a bit more rain)

 

[average]

No, I haven't spent any considerable time in a dry climate.

My main concern was that this person said that it is bad enough that one must wear a scarf around face and sunglasses to protect eyes from the sand/dust blow.

 

[deschutes]

The good part is that you can make breadcrumbs easy and your chips will never go soggy. And because of the lack of humidity, the winters feel less cold than somewhere with the same temperature reading but higher humidity.

 

[QuietSylph]

My main concern was that this person said that it is bad enough that one must wear a scarf around face and sunglasses to protect eyes from the sand/dust blow.

Yes, Albuquerque once in awhile gets some dust storms that last a few hours. I've observed them maybe once or twice this past spring (which is the main windy season). I would consider this approximately #983 on the list of "1000 Things to Consider In Ranking Residency Programs," though.

 

[LoaLoa]

I interviewed out at UNM a couple of years ago, and I was pleasantly surprised by their program. Their residents seemed really happy and I think they have a nice setup out there. I think their program is worth a look if you're trying to match. Albuquerque is not too bad, but I probably wouldn't put it in the plus column, personally.

 

[QuietSylph]

Albuquerque is not too bad, but I probably wouldn't put it in the plus column, personally.

OK, for those interested, here is my take on living in the city of Albuquerque:

PROS
-Housing is still affordable (especially compared to California, Las Vegas, Phoenix) with lots of new developments and beautiful homes to choose from
-Many outdoor activities - hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing
-Mild climate year round with the sun out most days
-Traffic is improving because of responsive city government
-Interesting mixture of cultures (Caucasian, Hispanic, Native American) that merge well
-Strong technology base (Intel, Sandia Labs)
-Santa Fe is an hour away, and has great cuisine and shopping

CONS
-Crime, including lots of gang problems, especially south of Central Avenue
-Public schools are largely mediocre, though there are a few excellent standouts in the good neighborhoods
-Far from other big cities, with Phoenix and Denver the closest (6-7 hour drives)
-Rural and poor state overall, so there are the expected money problems
-It's the desert, so gardening and outdoor water activities are limited

Let me know if you have any more questions....

 

[mlw03]

OK, for those interested, here is my take on living in the city of Albuquerque:

PROS
-Housing is still affordable (especially compared to California, Las Vegas, Phoenix) with lots of new developments and beautiful homes to choose from
-Many outdoor activities - hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing
-Mild climate year round with the sun out most days
-Traffic is improving because of responsive city government
-Interesting mixture of cultures (Caucasian, Hispanic, Native American) that merge well
-Strong technology base (Intel, Sandia Labs)
-Santa Fe is an hour away, and has great cuisine and shopping

CONS
-Crime, including lots of gang problems, especially south of Central Avenue
-Public schools are largely mediocre, though there are a few excellent standouts in the good neighborhoods
-Far from other big cities, with Phoenix and Denver the closest (6-7 hour drives)
-Rural and poor state overall, so there are the expected money problems
-It's the desert, so gardening and outdoor water activities are limited

Let me know if you have any more questions....

thanks for the info - i'm considering Albuquerque regardless of what specialty I end up picking. a few other questions, some of which may seem weird:
1 - close enough to the TX panhandle and OK to take advantage of stuff there?
2 - how are the summers and winters? tolerable summer heat? any significant snows in the winter?
3 - is the airport decent? ie, can you get affordable flights to other cities?
4 - is there cultural stuff independent of UNM, or do all the sports, arts, etc pretty much go thru the university?

thanks!!

 

[QuietSylph]

thanks for the info - i'm considering Albuquerque regardless of what specialty I end up picking. a few other questions, some of which may seem weird:
1 - close enough to the TX panhandle and OK to take advantage of stuff there?
2 - how are the summers and winters? tolerable summer heat? any significant snows in the winter?
3 - is the airport decent? ie, can you get affordable flights to other cities?
4 - is there cultural stuff independent of UNM, or do all the sports, arts, etc pretty much go thru the university?

thanks!!

1. Travel to Texas panhandle or Oklahoma: I've not made the drive myself, and most residents seem to prefer Arizona or Colorado if they're going to vacation in a neighboring state. According to MapQuest though, it's a 4 hour drive to get to Amarillo -- a straight shot on I-40.

2. Seasons: I find the weather quite temperate compared to much of the country. It's the "high desert" (we're the other mile high city), so it's nowhere near as hot as Phoenix. In the summer we're in the 80s-low 90s during the day and the 60s-70s at night, and in the winter it usually drops to 40s-60s during the day and 15-30s at night. Sun is out over 300 days of the year. It's usually quite dry here, which makes the temperatures seem milder. There is little snow in Albuquerque -- an occasional dusting of an inch or so, which melts off quickly in the sun. The foothills of the Sandia Mountains get a little more, as do Santa Fe and Taos to the north. Rain comes largely in the summer months, which is our "monsoon season." We have some spectacular summer thunderstorms.

3. Airport: It's small, easy to navigate (short waits through security), and has free wi-fi. Because Albuquerque is not a hub, though, the airfares generally seem reasonable but not great. Southwest is the main carrier. I recommend checking out their website to see what fares are like to your favorite destinations.

4. Culture: The majority of Albuquerque's cultural activity is outside of UNM. Santa Fe (nicknamed "East Hollywood" since it has so many celebrity residents) is better known for its arts and culture, though, and boasts amazing opera, symphony, art galleries, etc. There are no big sports teams associated with Albuquerque. We have a minor league baseball team, the Isotopes (gotta love the Simpsons association).

HTH. 👍