I relocated from Northern VA to Albuquerque about a year ago. I enjoy advantages of living in a large city and within an hour I can be hiking the Sandias or out shooting in the desert. If this state had more water, it'd be very hard to beat.
Pros:
>Dry air
>Sunshine
>Generally mild temperatures, go up on the mountain for colder temps and snow
>Very few mosquitos, haven't seen any ticks
>No poison ivy, can walk around shitty thorny plants instead of through them
>Popular trails aren't very crowded and it's easy to find places where you won't see anybody
>Lots of public land where you're free to camp, shoot, hunt, use offroad vehicles
>Very little traffic, high speed limits, very very few traffic cops
>Low cost of living
>Cool bars, good food, laid back people, college girls
>Jemez mountains and the Sandia Crest highway offer excellent twisties if you like motorcycles
Cons:
>High crime rate
>High drug usage
>High DUI rate
>High winds/dust during part of the year
>Monsoon season, gets humid late July-mid September
>Very few options for watersports, though I've heard there's decent fishing in the Jemez
>Feels like living on an island, most flights require connections, Denver and Phoenix are 6-7 hours away driving
That said, I have not been a victim of a crime or felt like I was in imminent danger of becoming one. I've experienced far more harassment in DC, Philly, and Richmond. The city is very divided economically so it's easy to steer clear of dangerous areas.
Also spent a couple years living about 50 minutes west of Philadelphia. Very pretty area, loved the hills, dense forest, streams and rivers. That was also very enjoyable compared to the DC area, but nothing like the freedom of New Mexico.
Pic related, took this yesterday. A cold front moved in. It was mid 40s and partly cloudy in the city, but low 20s, windy, and
about 6 inches of snow on the mountain. That cliff usually provides a view of the city but I couldn't see 20 feet.
