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For me, crime in all of Albuquerque has gotten worse. In past times I would feel ok going through the International District during the day. I wouldn't now.
My feeling (which is less than an opinion) is that crime in Albuquerque was not out of control for several years in the early 2000s. Now it is out of control. I know the police are understaffed.
I had no clue what part of Albuquerque you were talking about.
It could be worse. Consider the locals who live in Las Vegas. They're being invaded by Californians who are swooping up all the affordable housing and driving up the real estate costs. Lake Mead is at less than 40% capacity. They're going to have a water crisis there before long.
In contrast, the population of the entire state of New Mexico is less than the metropolitan population of Kansas City. Would I want to see NM's population explode? No! But it isn't nearly as crowded as other places.
As for me, if I move to NM, I don't intend to be an "invasive European." I respect the heritage of the state and want to learn more about it.
That is happening everywhere, not just Las Vegas (and do you mean Las Vegas, Nevada or Las Vegas, NM?)
I would appreciate if more people moving here had the attitude you proclaim. Especially don't correct a local on how to pronounce a town or street name. That is the ultimate in disrespect and ignorance, but it happens a lot.
Should I have said "the midwest"? My intention was not to pick on a specific state, just point out that the culture is different and if someone can't integrate gracefully they would be better off going "home". I am concerned that the area has too many people and no one should expect Albuquerque to be anything like Chicago or NY or Dallas or even Phoenix or L.A. The resources to support humans are scarce in the desert. The culture is different for a lot of reasons, the first one being that the original colonists in this area were from Spain, and had colonized Mexico city and California before they colonized this area. The natives should be ruling the place but too many europeans have come along to insist they rule.
Before anyone moves west from anywhere in the east they need to researh the history and remember that the culture is different here even though it is still the U.S.
Santa Fe is the longest running capital in existence. By Contrast, Monterey, CA or San Jose, CA are newer. So California colonizing NM is not a factor. The number one cause of homelessness is unaffordable housing. The less affordable housing the more homeless.
Santa Fe is the longest running capital in existence. By Contrast, Monterey, CA or San Jose, CA are newer. So California colonizing NM is not a factor. The number one cause of homelessness is unaffordable housing. The less affordable housing the more homeless.
I would say the number one cause of homelessness is mental illness. It's still a tragedy.
Wow, I was just thinking about this subject and this is exactly the kind of post I was planning on posting. First off, I grew up in Albuquerque in the 1980's but didn't stay and haven't been back since. I was reading about the most dangerous neighborhoods and was beyond shocked to realize those areas I lived in then are now the most dangerous. I moved to ABQ and moved around too much about every year. I lived near Montgomery Park, Jackson school area, singing arrow area, Foothill Estates and Fair West. I know these names now but never knew the names of the neighborhoods then. I have all fond memories of ABQ then and remembered walking everywhere and spending time at friends houses and never feeling unsafe. The neighborhoods were clean and the people were friendly. Maybe I was I naive teenager but I did not see anything scary. At the time the "bad" area of the city was South Valley and The AFB and the areas I lived in were far away from them, so I am trying to wrap my head around them being dangerous. I think I am more shocked at Fair West. When I lived there, I spent so much time walking around, playing tennis at fox park and I practically lived at the McDonalds on Lomas and San Pedro. The area was so nice, so I am wondering what happened to make this neighborhood so bad. I am also confused why other NE neighborhoods are dangerous. I read that Kachina Hills, Quigley Park, and Quail Ridge are also bad but I always thought the NE Heights was the safest part of the city. I am sad to read all of these reports and wondered what happened to the beautiful city I knew.
Wow, I was just thinking about this subject and this is exactly the kind of post I was planning on posting. First off, I grew up in Albuquerque in the 1980's but didn't stay and haven't been back since. I was reading about the most dangerous neighborhoods and was beyond shocked to realize those areas I lived in then are now the most dangerous. I moved to ABQ and moved around too much about every year. I lived near Montgomery Park, Jackson school area, singing arrow area, Foothill Estates and Fair West. I know these names now but never knew the names of the neighborhoods then. I have all fond memories of ABQ then and remembered walking everywhere and spending time at friends houses and never feeling unsafe. The neighborhoods were clean and the people were friendly. Maybe I was I naive teenager but I did not see anything scary. At the time the "bad" area of the city was South Valley and The AFB and the areas I lived in were far away from them, so I am trying to wrap my head around them being dangerous. I think I am more shocked at Fair West. When I lived there, I spent so much time walking around, playing tennis at fox park and I practically lived at the McDonalds on Lomas and San Pedro. The area was so nice, so I am wondering what happened to make this neighborhood so bad. I am also confused why other NE neighborhoods are dangerous. I read that Kachina Hills, Quigley Park, and Quail Ridge are also bad but I always thought the NE Heights was the safest part of the city. I am sad to read all of these reports and wondered what happened to the beautiful city I knew.
I think the main thing that changed was that we now have data which we didn't collect then. And we have the Internet where people can do research and obsess. So you were blissfully unaware of what was happening, which makes you think it is "bad" now.
Like any city, areas that were once new grow old, and experience decline. So neighborhoods inevitably change, and then cycle back. What used to be perceived as "safe" before may not be as "safe" now, but it's not like it's really that bad anywhere. Much of the city's housing was built in the years after WWII, and so large areas are showing their age (like me).
I have lived in Albuquerque since 1990 and have felt safe all this time, like you described yourself in the 80's. I'm not afraid to go anywhere in the city. I know elderly widows in their 90's who still get around by themselves and don't seem bothered by anything.
I'm still just a visitor of Albuquerque, but I've never felt unsafe in any of the areas of the city I've traveled. I've maybe felt "out of place" in certain areas, but that's likely just my own insecurity.
I would say the number one cause of homelessness is mental illness. It's still a tragedy.
I would say that is the leading cause, coupled with drug/alcohol abuse which goes hand and hand.
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My intention was not to pick on a specific state, just point out that the culture is different and if someone can't integrate gracefully they would be better off going "home". I am concerned that the area has too many people and no one should expect Albuquerque to be anything like Chicago or NY or Dallas or even Phoenix or L.A. The resources to support humans are scarce in the desert. The culture is different for a lot of reasons, the first one being that the original colonists in this area were from Spain, and had colonized Mexico city and California before they colonized this area. The natives should be ruling the place but too many europeans have come along to insist they rule. 
