I know so little about Albuquerque. I attended a conference there many years ago, but we barely left our hotel. I’ve driven through Albuquerque on the way to Santa Fe and Angel Fire, but again, did not get to experience the city.
Longtime ABQ resident here.
There are areas in ABQ where I would recommend you not go at night or not go unless you know where you’re going–but that’s true of all big cities. But the area around UNM’s main campus is reasonably safe, provided you don’t do something stupid–like try to buy drugs from questionable people along Central Ave at 2 am.
There has been a growing problem with car theft city-wide, but the campus area is not any worse than most other areas in the city.
My Ds are/were a medical students at UNM SOM (med school & hospital is on the north side of main campus)–they have never had an issue in the past 8 years with going & coming from the hospital at all hours of the night.
What WayOutWestMom said^. You have to learn the areas to avoid just like any other big city. I find CitiData a good resource for comparing statistics of cities. I used it to compare crime rate stats of the schools/cities my daughter applied to. I think it also gives crime rate maps for cities.
Thanks @WayOutWestMom and @LeastComplicated.
I know this is an old post, sorry for that. I lived in Albq in the mid-1990s and I did feel at the time it was not safe. My daughter is considering living on campus, is she safe to walk around campus from library and dorms to study by her self? The reviews on Niche say it isn’t safe.
See my post on the other thread. @enginmom4
UNM is an urban campus. There is nothing to prevent non-students from being on campus, though campus security will escort them off campus if it’s clear they are there to cause trouble. However security cannot only take them to the edge of campus and no farther. Security can issue a temporary or permanent ban to non-students who persistently come onto campus and they will arrested of they return. But they have to catch them in the act. There are some shady characters & panhandlers along Central Ave and there are some homeless living along the fringes of campus.
It is certainly true that are places in ABQ that you should not go unless you know where you are going and have a specific purpose in being there. And there are places I wouldn’t dream of going to at night alone. I think this true of most urban areas, though. (I have a daughter who lives in New Haven, CT, and another who lived in Rochester, NY–both areas are more dangerous than ABQ. Neither has experienced a major incident–gunshots nearby, yes, property theft, yes, a physical assault–never. ) I think if one exercises due caution, is aware of one’s surroundings, and stays out of the parking garages at night that walking back & forth between the libraries & the dorms is safe. There have some complaints that lighting isn’t as good as could be in some campus areas. Administration has been responsive to that and is replacing sodium lights with brighter LED lighting. There are emergency call boxes on campus and an escort service is available from the undergrad library, though your student will need to request an escort and wait until a security officer can be dispatched. The engineering library is on the opposite side of the campus from the dorms and the engineering campus has fewer students around at night than the more central areas. Your daughter probably shouldn’t plan on doing her late night studying there.
The med school and county/UNM hospital is continuous with UNM’s main campus. (On the north side of main campus across Lomas Blvd.) As med students my daughters have come & gone to the hospital & med campus all sorts of strange hours of the night. They have never had an issue. One of D2’s friends rented a house just north of the med & law campus while she was med student. She walked home alone at night/early in the morning for 2 years when doing overnight rotations with absolutely no issues.
@WayOutWestMom thank you!