AboutValerie S Expertise I can answer questions regarding travel around NM, including hotels, restaurants, sights and information about the New Mexico Pueblos. I live in the Albuquerque area and of course know a lot more about this city and environs, but can also answer questions about Santa Fe, Taos, national parks and culture.
Experience I have lived in NM for 19 years and have a deep love for our multi-ethnic culture. I have volunteered for the Albuquerque Convention and Vistor's Bureau. I have been involved in the travel industry for 7 years.
Education/Credentials BA History for University of New Mexico
Expert: Valerie S Date: 12/15/2003 Subject: Albuquerque...size and user-friendliness...
Question The job that brought me to the D.C. area has finally ended, I am now semi-retired, and I want to head west. Whenever I tell friends my criteria for my new home of (1) abundant natural beauty, (2) a smaller & more user-friendly city (preferably one with a large university), and (3) ample culture & nightlife, Albuqueque often comes highly recommended.
I have travelled all through the region, so I know the climate is right for me. But I have never visited Albuquerque, and I can't get a reading on just how large (or small) Albuquerque really is. For example, is it "too big" as in Phoenix, or "more of a smaller city" as in Tucson...?
Does it take a long time to drive across the city? Does it FEEL like a big city or a small town? Etc.
Any comments, personal perspectives, or other resources (even photography resources) I can consult are all GREATLY appreciated!
Answer Hi Craig,
Well, it depends on your interests and definitions of "large" or "small", but Albuquerque is a city of about 500,000 people (with more than 700,000 when you include the surrounding counties that form our rough "suburbs"). It encompasses about 140 square miles, so it is a sprawling city occupying the Rio Grande Valley as well as the Mesa to the west of the Valley and the Eastern Mesa and Foothills to the east. To drive across the city - depends on where you're going and how. There are only two freeways cutting across Albuquerque, so from east to west takes about 35 minutes, from north to south about 30 minutes, and diagonally across can take an hour or more if you need to use surface streets. Traffic is increasingly a problem, obviously, as the city grows.
I think it sometimes feels like a smaller city, during rush hour it feels like a larger city and the overall sprawl lends to an atmosphere of western US development, much like California in it's style of development. The cultural aspects are what make it feel more like a smaller city. People still sell firewood, pinon nuts and Christamas trees from the backs of their pick-ups alongside the road. The sagebrush studded land and adobe homes, combined with a long heritage of Spanish and American Indian presence, are aspects that make NM feel more "old world" r "southwestern" than other places. I like that it is different culturally and visually than most of the country. Our village has adobe buildings right up to the roads, courtyard walls, farm markets, Spanish families that have been here farming for 7 generations or more...charm galore!
We do not have a lot of "culture" as Eastern dwellers generally define it, ie. access to great shows and concerts, loads of museums. It generally takes quite some time for any large productions to arrive here, and concerts, while abudant at the Pueblos' Casinos, are usually older bands now touring again. The Journal Pavilion is trying to attract larger names and has snagged a couple of the larger shows like Rolling Stones and Cher. It's just "few and far between" in that aspect of things here. Downtown's continuing revitalization has lended to greater nightlife than Albuquerque has seen since we've moved here (16 years ago).
As it grows, it feels more segmented and large to us, but maybe that's because we were here before the boom started and "remember when...". It's still a very nice place to live but it is experiencing some growing pains, something to be aware of as you look around here. Yet there are lots of great locally owned restaurants and shops, to console ourselves with!
In terms of climate, I should mention that last night's temperature was 20 degrees. Now, at 10:00 a.m. it is only 27 degrees! We're having a cold snap, which many newcomers seem surprised by as they thought the climate would be more like Tucson! (At a mile-high elevation, we do get a decided change of seasons here.) This is unusual in that normal daytime temps this time of year is in the 40's. You may want to visit during the seasons you'd be most concerned with, to see if that is what you've envisioned.
There are numrous online resources to assist you. Try these:
www.cabq.gov - official city site
www.nmvisit.com - NM Dept of Tourism
www.gacc.org - Greater Albq. Chamber of Commerce
www.abqcvg.org - The Albq. Convention/Visitor's Bureau
www.swmls.com - Real Estate site
I hope all this helps you. If you have additional questions, feel free to let me know.
