Reply #65: Decent school....good weather...cheap rent.

[abqmufc]

Rent/ home costs are cheap b/c the average income is low (less than $36K annually per household).

NM is a state with the biggest disparity of income. You have folks like Ted Turner, Sir Richard Branson, Julie Robert, Donald Rumsfeld all owning massive ranches and homes in the state. But you also have 16 federally recognized Indian Tribes, many of which are 3rd world conditions. On Navajo reservation over 1/2 of the homes have no running water or electricity.

ABQ and town south of ABQ are very "blue collar" but rather conservative compared to other states. Yes we are very liberal with homosexuality but that is about it with respect to openminded thinking.

UNM is a nice campus. I finished up all my schooling before I arrived to town (but if I stay unemployed I'll attempt law school next fall). As for any graduate study it all comes down to your impression of the relationship (and academic freedom) you will have with your advisor and faculty. I'd recommend my alma matter, Northern Arizona University if they have your degree.

It is a dry heat and never really that hot. I grew up IL with 95 temps and 100 percent humidity. I spend 10 years in Tucson, AZ where it was 120...and it doesn't matter at that point dry heat or not (plus UofA is a completely corporate driven university). The plus for ABQ is being at 5000 feet above sea level, it never gets too hot. It never rains either...and I miss that!

The nightlife scene is rather odd. Drunk driving is an epidemic here and thus cops shut down all roads into downtown but one and monitor it. In short do not ever drink and drive in the state of NM as it seems to have 0 tolerance...and no cabs/public transport like cities on the East and West coast. My first night out in ABQ (Modest Mouse concert) I watched a gang of 15 beat up one man (about 22 years old) with a baseball bat in the middle of a busy street in downtown.

Every night there is a shooting, stabbing, or DWI accident in metro ABQ.