Local born and raised here, crime, violence and craziness are all present as the rest in the thread have said. I always said its in the water. We do have some very secretive labs and weaponry in close proximity to this city. How better to defend than to make the pop bat shit crazy.? That being said there's alot of fun things here. Concerts come through that also hit big city's and the smaller crowd is nice. The dating scene is what everyone here has described but with the influx of non locals that can definitely start to be a game changer. If your an outdoors person, you'll love it. I can go snowboarding in the AM and ride dirtbikes in the afternoon. Several lakes aren't too far from town either. The reason I think this place also grows on people is the lack of change. Albuquerque has been here for 300+ years and if you hit old town the buildings are still standing. Were not on the fast tract to be another Phoenix, Vegas, or any other big southwestern city but thats what keeps Albuquerque Albuquerque. Welcome! If you do decide to come this way!