Communities to avoid

[tx2sturgis]

The Edgewood store is one of the larger Walmarts in the area...and plenty of room out back, plus a place to sit and let the pooch roam around a bit.

 

[Axel]

Driving through Albuquerque, NM, makes me uneasy. Some parts of town have a sinister atmosphere. Sorry if this offends folks in that town. I like the rest of NM, at least the areas I have visited.

Lemme guess, you watched "Breaking Bad" and now your imagination is running. Not saying there's no crime, but not the top crime area (crime rate per 100,000 residents). I've lived here for 14 years and never had a problem.

 

[BelgianPup]

Actually, NeighborhoodScout's Most Dangerous Cities 2021 evaluation lists Albuquerque as #21 out of the top 100, with a violent crime rate of 13.7 out of every 1,000. The chance of being a victim is 1 in 72.

Other people have said that Albuquerque made them uncomfortable, but the rest of the state seems pretty nice.

 

[TravelingZombies]

We were looked at funny and treated like our money was no good and having to help us was a chore when we were in Buffalo, WY. Stayed night at local motel and staff there were friendly but that was it. Even the owner of the local second hand shop was short with us and we were donating items to him.

 

[Morgana]

I have never tried to stealth camp in Albuquerque, but I have lived there, and I want to put in a good word. Like any big city, it has sketchy neighborhoods and snooty neighborhoods, but overall I found it a pleasant and down-to-earth place. Safety and friendliness probably vary a lot from neighborhood to neighborhood, and you can have a single bad experience even in the best place.

Plus, it has the only rift valley in (the United States? North America?) and lots of gorgeous scenery. One of the best things about that town is how easy it is to get out of it .

I'd be the first to agree that it's important to pay attention to those hinky feelings. If you're in an immediately threatening situation, the hinky feeling is all you need to get the heck out. But otherwise, it's a good idea to drill down and figure out what's setting it off and how that specific thing affects you.

(If that thought ^^ rings a bell, I strongly recommend Gavin de Becker's book The Gift of Fear [https://www.amazon.com/Gift-Fear-Ga...ywords=the+gift+of+fear&qid=1628777778&sr=8-1], which is all about figuring out worrying situations. If not, I apologize for hijacking the thread and return you to your previously scheduled topic.)

 

[Fandrel64]

And they have Green Chili Cheeseburgers and green chili cheese fries! I prefer the Owl Burger from the Owl Cafe in San Antonio NM but the ones in ALBQ are great too.

 

[Morgana]

Oh man you're making me homesick and hungry.
I've been vegetarian for years, but green chile cheeseburgers still sound wonderful. Really, anything with green chile and cheese. A shoe with green chile and cheese.
And Navajo tacos ... mutton stew ... (sigh).
I love how the question is not "would you like chile with that?" but "red or green?"

 

[Fandrel64]

Christmas please, thank you.....

Huevos rancheros, Chiles Rellenos, Chicos, Calabacitas, Sopaipillas, Menudo...

Man I miss living there!

 

[wayne49]

Edgewood also has a Smith's. Be like shopping in Pahrump.

 

[TravelingZombies]

Custer, SD.
The people in Custer South Dakota are very friendly (if you're not native American). I have
Eyewitnessed first hand the prejudice against the natives because of them building the Crazy Horse Memorial so close to a city named after a dead general.

 

[user 423]

Custer, SD.
The people in Custer South Dakota are very friendly (if you're not native American).

So probably 98% of the forum members have no need to avoid Custer,SD.

 

[desert_sailing]

Custer, SD.
very friendly (if you're not native American)

These are exactly the sort of communities I seek to avoid. They typically don't mistreat one segment of the population... "...and then they came for me"

I don't normally support agitation of others but this is one instance I get warm and snuggly knowing the Crazy Horse monument is getting under some very thing skins

 

[TravelingZombies]

I'm one of the 2% of the nomads that should have also avoided it. I am quarter mohawk and have native design tattoos, for the most part I was wearing a flannel that covered them all but when I took off the flannel and went into the store everybody was looking at me funny asking if I was one of those Redskins building the memorial and well let's just say I spoke my mind.

 

[user 423]

I'm sorry but it's hard to believe that a large percentage of Custer residents are that openly antagonistic and would use that kind of language. I suppose it's possible you happened to run into a couple of vocal idiots but that doesn't mean the whole town is like that. I'm sure most of them recognize how important tourism is to the local economy and to SD in general. Seems they would direct their anger at the Polish-American family that owns the land and who run the non-profit that is finishing the project.

 

[flying kurbmaster]

There are stupid or crazy people in every community they tend to taint a whole community if you happen to be exposed to them. Of course some areas have more then others. Thanks to covid it has been a lot easier to identify and avoid engaging with them. That is one silver lining in this mess, the other is they are slowly getting fewer, with the latest news out of Columbia that may be accelerated soon. If we are patient things may sort themselves out by themselves.

 

[user 423]

....with the latest news out of Columbia that may be accelerated soon. If we are patient things may sort themselves out by themselves.

The National Institutes of Health is located in Columbia. What is their latest news?

 

[txmnjim]

for what its worth, we spent a week in a cabin just outside Custer three years ago and were in town pretty much daily eating and picking up supplies and thought folks were nice enough. this thread has me thinking of a trip up the ALCAN many moons ago and we met several Canadians who were quite hostile to natives. i guess racism and stereotypes are found everywhere...

 

[Cammalu]

It’s been some years but I was witness to some shocking racism against native Americans in Rapid City, SD. It was nauseating.

 

[crofter]

Expect some washouts on the desert roads in AZ. S34 in Cali is currently closed, but they are working on it. Plans are to have it fixed sometime next week.
-crofter

 

[wayne49]

FYI
Imperial County S34 is aka Ogilby Rd.