Best place to live in Florida?

[Shann]

Can you answer the same questions about New Mexico?

Haha, sure.

What city do you live in?

Albuquerque. Practically the only place big enough to actually be classified as a city, lol (this isn't totally true, but the other "cities" are very small/isolated).

What do you like about it?

Almost everything. It has mostly everything a large city would have (Great entertainment venues, great airport, decent public transportation, etc.). There isn't any extreme weather/disasters. The mountains are right on top of the city, so you can go hiking, biking, skiing, etc and only drive for a few minutes. There's also a lot of neat caving and rock climbing in the area. The air is ridiculously clean, and it's pretty quiet, and doesn't have too much light pollution. There are lots of pretty sweet herps to be found (but they are hard to spot). The food is amazing. Bad restaurants don't survive here. Plus there is a huge push to keep food local, fresh, and organic, so there are lots of great markets around. I love the weather. It gets very hot in the summer (100 degrees) and very cold in the winter (single digits) which can be a little tough, but 80* in florida feels worse to me than 100* in NM, and it usually doesn't get quite that hot. We get great rain storms in the summer, but they don't last long, and they cool it down nicely. In the winter we may get one or two really snowy days a year in the city (it's usually just a few inches, but we can't really deal with it until it melts so the city basically shuts down), so it's enough to have some fun, but not get in the way of everyday life. It's a bike and pedestrian friendly city. It claims to be one of the best cities for animals in the US (by this I'm pretty sure they mean dogs). There are lots of restaurants that let you have dogs on the patio, and bring them water and treats, lots of dog parks, and dog bakeries. It's super laid back, and the people are pretty friendly.

Hate about it?

It can feel small and isolated as well, so it mostly depends on how big of a "big city person" you are. It's ridiculously dry. This is what gets most people. 20% humidity feels very humid to us. Biggest problem of all is that there is a high crime rate in all of New Mexico. And for me, there aren't a lot of good pet reptile resources. I have to order a lot online.

Any areas you should avoid?

Sort of? There are places you wouldn't really want to hang out at night, but it's really just about learning the right neighborhoods.

Affordable to live?

I think so. Not the cheapest place, but cheaper to live in than any of the other places I've been.

Is there any work?

This is tricky. With some industries there are a lot of job opportunities. But unemployment is huge in this state, and for me (I don't have my degree yet, I'm still senior in college) it's always hard to get a job that I won't hate.

Long story short, I've lived here basically my whole life. Moved away for a while, traveled around the country (and out of the country!) and all I can think when I'm in other places is how much better I like it here. NM is an interesting place. Most people absolutely love it or absolutely hate it.