Moving to New Mexico

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My wife and I are both in the nursing field and have been researching the Rio Rancho and Albuquerque areas to relocate to. We have a young family (ages 5, 3, and 1), so living in a family friendly neighborhood is imperative. Can anyone offer any insight for the best communities or developments/neighborhoods to raise an active young family? We don't mind commuting to work, but prefer proximity to parks and good schools.

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Specializes in Corrections.

Just move to Rio rancho itself.. too many areas of ABQ are sketchy.. but the commute to the hospitals from rio rancho can be brutally long. I do miss ABQ though.

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I would say that the Taylor Ranch area of Albuquerque is nice. There is a really nice park complex next to the library. Be careful where you buy in Rio Rancho. We purchased an AmRep home there, and - like a lot of my neighbors - experienced a flood because of substandard plumbing. As to the commute, there is a new Presbyterian hospital scheduled to open soon in Rio Rancho. There are a number of nice neighborhoods around Rio Rancho and Albuquerque - so many that you could probably take the commute into account and still do well. The growth will make the commute worse as time goes on.

Are you planning an exploratory trip? I'm sure my wife would be happy to show you around town and provide advice about family-friendly neighborhoods. She has friends with children all over both cities, and she still recalls what it was like when we had to take a stab in the dark when selecting a neighborhood six years ago.

Also, (and you don't have to answer because this is kind of personal), but a price range would be helpful to pare down her recommendations. You could PM it if you like.

All that said, and in spite of the drug problems in parts of the city, I think you're making the right choice. I love it here. There are tons of parks, there's the river, a couple of terrific museums, the balloon fiesta, the mountains, etc. etc.

Let me know if you want of need anything else.

Regards,

Mukfay

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We lived in Rio Rancho and loved it. I would move back there in a heartbeat if we could. In my opinion, and I may be biased because it's where we lived, but the best area in Rio Rancho is the High Resort area. It skirts the area just north of the Chamisa Hills Country Club. It's an upscale area, good schools and nearby parks. I commuted from there to downtown Albuquerque and the drive is not bad, especially if you work an off-hour schedule. There are medical facilities and smaller medical centers in and around Rio Rancho, and there was talk of building a hospital there when we left in 2007. I can give you the name of a great realtor that lived in our neighborhood if you like, just send me a PM.

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Specializes in MSN, FNP-BC.

Cabezon in Rio Rancho is a great place to live with recreation trails and bike lanes. There are several parks in the develpment along with an outdoor pool.

It's fairly new. Whole development is less than 5 years old.

I live just south of there and am looking at moving there when I graduate.

They are planning on a shopping center and movie theater all within walking distance.

Rio Rancho schools are also very good. Some say they are better than Albuquerque.

Another perk is that Presbyterian is building a hospital right there. IT's not open yet but when it does, you will be able to walk there from where you live.

Grocery stores and Wal-Mart are very very close.

It's a great area to live in.

If you work downtown like I do (work 7-19) the commute is right around 30 minutes. IT's nice because rush hour traffic doesn't really hit until 0730.

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Specializes in CVICU, ED.

There are many areas of Albuquerque that are o.k. Some of the better school districts are the La Cueva High School district and the Sandia High School district. Around Albuquerque Academy is also nice but $$$. Rio Rancho is nice also but it is not an easy commute. Freeway access is difficult depending on where you are in Rio Rancho. I would stay away from living near the airport, close to central (in most areas, with exception to University area, even then. . .do your research). I would also stay away from the South Valley area. It's very beautiful and the communities have made some advances in cleaning up but there is still a lot of crime and gang activity.

I grew up in Albuquerque (East Mountains actually) but moved away four years ago:crying2:. I used to work for the Fire Department before I became a nurse (ironically my husband was a police officer. . .hence the reason we moved to Washington, better job for him).

Good luck and take time to enjoy the many things New Mexico has to offer (Chili, balloon fiesta, cultural activities, nice zoo, Bandelier national monument, warm springs, tram, chili, chili, chili!!!:)).

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Oh yeah, and don't forget to mention the chili :). I'm not sure how I survived without it before I moved here (not sure how you forgot to mention it HiHo ;). I'm positive I would suffer withdrawal symptoms if I left and didn't have some shipped to me. You can even get it on the Mc Donalds burgers here.

Regards,

Mukfay

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Specializes in CVICU, ED.

YES!!! Miss the chili! My husband and I pack as much chili (red and green) as we can every time we visit family. You can order it online from Hatch but last time I looked it was kind of pricey (its been awhile though). I have also found that Albertson's here in WA sells El Pinto salsa and green chili sauce; not the same as what I'm used to in New Mexico but it suffices in a pinch! Yum!!:yeah:

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Hello, I am very interested in moving to New mexico currently I am in Michigan and the job market is terrible. How is it here? I have several questions, because it will be hard to go down there and see for myself while I am in my last semester of nursing school. How is the job market here not just for nusing but just the market itself? I would like to know a nice area for my husband and myself and wonder how diverse culturally this State is? This is very important for me and its hard to ask when looking for a home. What is the median home range for these nice areas and how does it compare to a entry level nurses pay?

Thank you for your help I know its a lot of questions but I am really considering moving and would like to get as much information as possible.

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Specializes in Corrections.

I keep seeing new RN grad job advertisements for Eastern New Mexico Regional Medical Center in Roswell, NM and Also the hospital in Hobbs, NM and Farmington.

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The state is very culturally diverse. I think this place is paradise. I've PM'ed you, and I'll help you to move here in any way I can.

Regards,

Mukfay

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Hello, Mukfay are you still around? You seem to have knowledge about the NM area. I'm a new grad. Any certain area's/hospital that have enough demand to hire an out of state ADN new grad?

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