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Phoenix and Albuquerque actually have not been similar in size since about 1900-1910, that's when Phoenix really began taking off with large growth in sheer numbers. And up until then Albuquerque was about twice as large.
Most people know that in order to truly gauge a city's size you have to look beyond its city limits to its metro area. U.S. metro areas began to be officially recognized in 1950, and they are based on counties. Both Albuquerque and Phoenix had only one county in their MSA until 1980 when Sandoval County was added to Albuquerque's MSA. Phoenix has always had many more suburbs and small towns nearby than Albuquerque. Below are the populations of Maricopa and Bernalillo counties from 1880 to 1980. Note that the real change took place in about 1900-1910, when Bernalillo County actually declined and Maricopa County began to surge. By 1920 Phoenix was already three times as large as Albuquerque. The disparity shuffled between being three times and twice as large through 1980, depending on how fast Albuquerque was growing:
I am visiting New Mexico and am enjoying seeing Albuquerque Santa Fe and Taos. I wonder why ABQ is much smaller than Phoenix. ABQ has a milder climate for one and plenty of land to expand. Phoenix has grown exponentially but my observation is that Albuquerque is much smaller and growing more slowly.
I am visiting New Mexico and am enjoying seeing Albuquerque Santa Fe and Taos. I wonder why ABQ is much smaller than Phoenix. ABQ has a milder climate for one and plenty of land to expand. Phoenix has grown exponentially but my observation is that Albuquerque is much smaller and growing more slowly.
You'll eventually regret a move to ABQ. Crime, NO doctors (don't ever get sick here), no growth, poor education base, minimal talent pool, rampant poverty. Pretty place to visit with the best weather in the country, but we're trying to get the heck out after 7 years. Not lots of land to expand as you night think. Surrounded by go-nowhere Indian Land on all sides but the super-dry, windy West side. Run away.
You'll eventually regret a move to ABQ. Crime, NO doctors (don't ever get sick here), no growth, poor education base, minimal talent pool, rampant poverty. Pretty place to visit with the best weather in the country, but we're trying to get the heck out after 7 years. Not lots of land to expand as you night think. Surrounded by go-nowhere Indian Land on all sides but the super-dry, windy West side. Run away.
You've posted similar refrains on multiple threads. My wife's and my experiences have been very different over the 10+ years since we moved to the ABQ area. The doctors we've seen through the Presbyterian Health system have been very good, including the heart and other specialists we've used. Getting to see a new specialist takes a while, but we've found if you're persistent, the wait isn't intolerable. For example, calling often to see if there have been any cancellations and thereby being able to jump the line for an appointment.
Not sure what you mean about a minimal talent pool (or why this would matter to the OP since their post had nothing to do with this). There are a bunch of higher end professionals here because of the labs and spinoff businesses/entities.
"Surrounded by go-nowhere Indian Land on all sides"...? Not true to the east where the Sandias offer remarkably accessible, very uncrowded, great opportunities for hiking and quickly getting out into nature. Very few metro areas in the country offer access within 30 min to being alone with your thoughts in a near wilderness setting. Not true to the west where Petroglyph National Monument sits just outside the urban ABQ area footprint. Within 1-3 hours are lots more recreational opportunities and historic sites - Bandelier, Tent Rocks, Salinas Pueblo Missions, El Malpais and El Morro Natl Monuments; Chaco Canyon Natl Historic Site (one of the most awesome ancestral historic sites in the entire country); Coronado and Jemez Springs Historic Sites, Puye Cliff Dwellings Natl Historic Landmark; Ghost Ranch; Bosque del Apache Natl Wildlife Refuge; the Jemez Mountains (where the cottonwoods along the river are absolutely gorgeous in the fall); the Turquoise Trail to the east of the Sandias; multiple native American Pueblos offering Indian ceremonials and other visiting opportunities; and more.
"No growth"...? I disagree that this is a big negative, given how high growth rates have adversely impacted so many urban areas in the West that used to be a lot nicer places to live. Yes, growth here has been largely stagnant over the past decade (after growing by 20% during the preceding decade). But I would much rather see limited rather than runaway growth.
I agree that crime, education and poverty are big issues here. But despite the often inflammatory media coverage these get, crime and poverty are unlikely to affect newcomers to the area if they are careful in selecting where they live, where they go and who they associate with, just as newcomers to other large urban areas are cautioned to do. And education may or may not be important to a newcomer, depending on whether they have or plan on having school-age children.
I get it that your experience in ABQ has not been good. But others have had very different experiences.
Albuquerque has always had issues with crime, education and poverty, even in the '00s when it grew by over 21 percent and was making the top of all the usual quality of life, jobs and business rankings.
The bad and recovering economy for most of the '10s really is the reason why growth slowed so much. But Albuquerque has never grown by obscene amounts in its history. The '00s were the highest numerical increase in history at 157,428 people, which isn't an unmanageable number or drastic change.
Albuquerque and New Mexico are returning to growth mode, but they will never grow to gargantuan size like Phoenix and Arizona. Within most of our lifetimes, by 2050, Arizona will probably reach about 12 million people. New Mexico will probably reach about 3.5 million.
Albuquerque's spike in crime is waning. Education is improving with several initiatives and much better teacher pay. Poverty is going down, currently at 16.3 percent. Healthcare quality is increasing, with billions in investment by local healthcare providers over the last several years. Population growth is increasing as well, with the improved local economy that is beginning to boom.
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