Arizona Street Housing: Safety?

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Permalink Reply by magoo on July 5, 2008 at 2:50am

The area you are looking at (Arizona & Kathryn St. SE) is far enough south to be outside the proverbial "war zone", which is roughly from San Pedro east to Eubank, and from Lomas south to Zuni.

Actually, you're location is relatively close to Kirtland AFB, and is a quiet neighborhood. It's a ways from UNM, (approx. 4-5 miles, but you're paying a lower rent than you would for anything close to UNM.

By the way, some of the rental housing near UNM can be located in some pretty sketchy neighborhoods.......

Good Luck, and welcome to Burque!!!

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Permalink Reply by LaGuera on July 5, 2008 at 8:03am

It's not a terrible neighborhood. Sarah Anonymous, a poster on the site, lives in the area, and may be able to give you some insights. As for biking, have you checked out the City of Albuquerque website? They have bike maps! The way I would go is West on Kathryn to Ridgecrest, North on Ridgecrest to Garfield, West on Garfield to Stanford, North on Stanford to UNM. You'll need to lock your bike but fierce since bike theft can be bad at UNM. The problem with commuting to UNM is that the parking is brutal and you would be better biking. You could also take the 140/141 San Mateo bus to Central, and then take the 66 or Rapid Ride to UNM. Pretty fast.

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Permalink Reply by Barelas Babe on July 5, 2008 at 8:35am

And the bus is free for UNM students!

Re: resistance to commuting. Most UNM students commute! When I was teaching at UNM four years ago, very very few of my students lived on campus/walking distance from campus.

I'm guessing the resistance you've encountered stems from a desire to promote a more green/sustainable lifestyle. If you are biking, you are part of the solution.

Laguera is right - parking is horrendous at UNM, on or off campus.

Since you are coming from LA, one thing that you may find interesting is what I call the "hopscotch" pattern of neighborhoods here. You'll find a high end neighborhood right next to one that is dicey (high crime) and even within neighborhoods you may find the character can change from street to street - especially as you get into the downtown areas. My experience in southern California was that neighborhoods tended to have more of a gradation from high end to middle class to working class to poverty-sticken.

Your best bet is to do exactly what you are doing - talk to people who actually live on the street and in the neighborhood where you are thinking of living. Another possibility is to get in touch with the neighborhood association of that area - which can be found here on the Albuquerque city website.

Good luck with your move and education!

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Permalink Reply by Brendan on July 5, 2008 at 10:20am

1. It's an ethnically and socioeconomically diverse area; blue collar, working poor, yuppies. You will see run down houses next door to fully restored homes. Street smarts will generally take care of most any trouble you'd run in to. Lots of ethnic food nearby.

2. Laguera's bike route is spot-on. Lots of nice homes along Ridgecrest. You should drive along it while you're out here to get a feeling for just how quickly neighborhoods change. Speaking very broadly, things get nicer to the west and less nice to the east of where you're talking about.

3. Usually it's possible to live in walking distance of the primary place you need to go, whether it be school, work, or somewhere else. All things being equal, it's something to shoot for. As others have mentioned, parking at UNM is awful and just driving around it can be very slow going during the day. People alluding to a capital offense are trying to protect the area.

There are no ghettos as such here. If you grew up in LA the descriptions of local crime will seem quaint. Be sure to read over the archives of the New to Albuquerque forum since there's a lot of good advice (things don't change very rapidly here, so something from a couple years ago is probably still valid).

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Permalink Reply by Khan on July 5, 2008 at 10:48am

Having walked to school and work for years, I'll say I'd rather bike further and longer than a shorter walk. And the bike ride from AZ/Kath will be a lovely one, down through the shady Ridgecrest neighborhood and on over, and you'll find there will be 19 equally nice ways to do your ride, if you're into variety.

And yeah, over by Kathryn is out of the war zone & no big. A good friend of mine lived only a couple of blocks from you there, and it was a lovely little neighborhood. You'll be closer to some of the better Asian restaurants (as well as the sometimes debated, but I think generally loved, Giovanni's Pizza) than to the U, and if you're into the State Fair scene, you'll be a hop, skip & a jump. There's also a solid grocery only blocks away and a Sprawl Mart (barf), a video store or two, ummm...a vet & groomers, a llantera or two, if you also drive. That's what I can think of... The bubble tea place next to the Ta Lin World (but mostly Asian) Market makes a mean honeydew/peach slush.

Welcome, and have fun!

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Permalink Reply by chantal on July 5, 2008 at 12:51pm

Welcome! Looks like you're getting solid responses, all of which I'd say are right on.

1. I've lived off Kathryn just on the other side of San Mateo for about 4 years now and find it a quiet pleasant 'hood with great neighbors. Your 'hood has seen a recent influx of new homebuyers and LA refugees who are attracted by its proximity to UNM, Nob Hill, public trans, as well the low cost of living.

Regarding the reaction you hear from people about bringing your 9mm, it's a classic response in Albuquerque. Perhaps it stems from crime-hyping in the local media, or perhaps from a common practice in many American cities where "moving up" means "moving out" of the older, urban, heterogeneous parts of town. Denigrating those older, urban areas then becomes a psychological way of justifying one's flight to the exurbs.

Albuquerque ain't no idyllic village, but it most definitely isn't plagued by the overwhelming festering ghettos of larger cities in the U.S. I think Brendan is wise in suggesting that your LA experience has probably prepped you for life in the realness of Albuquerque neighborhoods.

2. Laguera's suggestion for a safe route to campus is a good one. It'll probably be about a 15-20 minute ride.

Good luck with your visit. If it's not already part of your plan, be sure to check out your target street at night. I like to walk around prospective neighborhoods at night to make sure they're quiet and friendly enough.

Also, if you do decide to move and are living alone, let us know. I personally have 1 or 2 contacts in that exact vicinity and would be happy to see if they'd like to connect.

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Permalink Reply by truckzter on July 5, 2008 at 2:07pm

Everyone --

THANK YOU SO MUCH. I feel much better now as the people on City-Data were starting to scare me. ;) I was starting to wonder if the nay-sayers were those who have a penchant for the 'burbs and track housing.

Also, thanks to Laguera for the bike route. I will definitely check that out.

Final question (for the time being =): I've checked out the city websites, the bus sites, and the bike route sites. How do students travel to school? Regarding the buses: do they run into the night? The website I was looking at shows they stop around 5pm. I'm just used to campus buses running until 9pm during the school year.

Once again -- thanks so much for your replies.

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Permalink Reply by LaGuera on July 5, 2008 at 3:53pm

Dude,
I don't know what site you're checking, but the 141/140's last run at San Mateo and Central is 10:00 and the last Rapid Ride is 8:43 and that's not the late-night summer service. Just click this link-o-rino. Campus buses are a different deal. I know nothing about that, but recommend that you get used to walking around UNM's campus since the UNM bus is a little circuitous and ineffective. I see all these 19 year-olds who look to be in fine health but wearing silly shoes waiting for the bus. Walk already, I want to shout.

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Permalink Reply by Barelas Babe on July 5, 2008 at 5:16pm

Travel to school: on foot, by car, moped, scooter, skateboard (my neighbor did this 2 miles each way everyday), bicycle, bus.

One thing that is good to know: if you are signing up for night classes, you should know that night classes running from 6-9pm will let out AFTER the bus makes its last stop at UNM. But you might be able to hitch a ride from a classmate going home your way and help out with gas...

In case it matters, when the UNM bus on campus stops running out to the parking lots you can get a lift from the campus escort service to your car. Many people will move their cars to main campus before the shuttle bus stops running since you sometimes have to wait on this service.

Though I agree with laguera about walking as the best (and usually fastest) option if you are staying on main campus or shuttling between main and north campuses, be forewarned that the walk from South Campus parking lot to main campus is over a mile long. If you are taking back-to-back classes on main campus and at Research Park (south campus) the shuttle bus or a bicycle is the only way you're likely to get to class on time, given that you've got ten minutes to do it. (Translation: try to avoid this if at all possible!)

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Permalink Reply by shotsie on July 5, 2008 at 9:48pm

I'm not sure I agree with all the advice given - I drive through this area everyday (south on San Pedro until it hits Gibson, plus I have a good friend who lives there), and the neighborhood is mainly lower income Hispanic - plus lots of rentals. I'm not sure I'd want to be a SWF on a bike here - you'll stick out - if you move here, get a scooter, and vary your route and time, especially at night. During the daytime, it's a nice looking neighborhood, but it's not a walking/biking neighborhood at night (forget the bus at night - it's a long walk from Central).

Personally, I would try to find a place north of UNM, around Carlisle - it's safe to bike at night there, and there's a lot of fellow grad students to make friends with.
(Just my less than rose colored view of this hood, seeing that you're transportation limited. (having a car for night time driving would be more appropriate for this area) Hey, it does have the best Mexican restaurants and frozen treats and pizza in town, so it can't be all bad....)

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Permalink Reply by ABQSkippy on July 5, 2008 at 10:13pm

Hi. Welcome to Albuquerque. My husband and I live on Arizona just down the street from you. It is a lovely neighborhood with very kind people. Some houses are well kept and some are not. But it is a safe place. I walk my dog daily and have had very few problems. Most frequently, it is dog-related. We have been broken into once in 9 years and our home alarm worked well enough to scare away the bad guys before they stole anything.
Elder Homestead (the neighborhood association) is very diverse. Probably one of the most eclectic places in the city. People are friendly and helpful. Holy Ghost Catholic church is right up the street and there is a cute city park to the north of you. Some folks in the heights have interesting ideas about 'hoods in the SE part of the city.
Giovanni's pizza is right across the street from you. I haven't been in the grocery store in the same shopping center in a while. It used to be called Damacios and it was a an okay grocery but it seems to have fallen on hard times. Use John Brooks on Zuni or Ta Lin instead. There is also a Latino grocery store on San Pedro near Central. I don't recall the name.
There are a number of good restaurants in the area. Try JRs for BBQ, Blakes Lotaburger for burgers, Giovanni's (mentioned above) for pizza. May Cafe and Cafe Trang for Vietnamese. There is a new pupusaria going in on San Mateo and Gibson. So many more. Lots of fast food, too.
I think that the city should focus more attention on this part of the city. I don't know about biking or mass transit so I won't comment.
Hope that you enjoy your stay here.

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Permalink Reply by truckzter on July 8, 2008 at 1:15pm

Update:

So today is my third day in Albuquerque and everything is going great! On my way here, I decided to give up my flight seat for a later flight AND a free round trip flight voucher -- awesome! And then when I was at UNM yesterday in the morning, I found $20 on the ground. A second awesome! And I did decide to move into the Arizona house. After driving around that area during the day and night, I don't think it is a "bad" place at all. Actually Albuquerque isn't as bad as some people make it out to be .. and it's really easy to get around. And there isn't traffic (I compare traffic to LA or NY traffic).

Thanks for all your advice and help!

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