I lived in Albuquerque for several years. Stay away from the areas around the “Big I” and Kirtland Air Force Base for places to live, and you should be golden. Cost of living is reasonable (especially if you’re single), you’ll only deal with about 2-3 snowfalls a year, if that, and the hospitals are perfectly fine. It’s also in a relatively central location geographically, so if you want to visit Vegas, Denver, Dallas, El Paso, Phoenix, Utah, or SoCal, you can do so easily and over a short vacation. Do NOT drive after 10-11 pm, however; a good chunk of the populace collects DUIs like some people collect baseball cards.

Look for areas north of Wyoming Blvd on the east side and west of Unser Blvd on the west side for the most ideal living spots. Rio Rancho is nice, too, and Los Lunas to the south isn’t a bad bedroom community.