I am interviewing for a job and they may make an offer in the next 2 weeks. I would be working downtown ALB, so I am interesting in learning about decent neighborhoods within a reasonable commute. Schools are not an issue, but might be part of the equation for resale value. Housing budget btwn $225 - $325K if need be. Feel free to supply the name of a realtor your trust (relocation specialist a plus).  

Where are the best places to shoot or club to belong to?

Thx for your insight.

The city runs the Aluquerque shooting park look at their web site

Hope you enjoy your new position

Ps suggest you put a kill switch to the starter on your vehicle

Socorro has a range  75 miles south

Steel out to 500
I'm me for more

Rio Rancho is the place to live. If you're gonna work DT, it's about a 20 minish drive or so, but it's a more conservative area and taxes are much less. Biggest issue are those speed trap vehicles (super predictable). Houses cost less and neighborhoods are safer. Whatever you do, don't live in the South Valley of albuquerque. Anywhere west of i40 and Coors is gonna sketchy. The more west of I40 and Coors you go, the less ghetto it is, up to 98th. East side of I40 from Coors is generally okay all the way up to 98th. Taylor Ranch and Ventana Ranch are all o.k. areas if you live in the westside. Northeast heights are good, if your way north, the more towards paseo del norte, the better.  You also have the village of Los Ranchos (Albuquerque area) and village of Corrales that are pretty much smack dab in Albuquerque. Both are the uppity type yuppee (expensive) areas.

Gyms are notorious for break ins. Always park by lights at night if not at home. Always lock your doors. Car theft is some of the highest in the country in Albuquerque. Invest in a good auto-on dash cam.

Gun laws in NM are pretty lax. I'm not a lawyer, but I believe your car is an extension if your home so you can theoretically carry one in your dash without a safe. Conceal carry permit is free for vets and requires no extra training or certification for pistol calibers both semi and revolver up to 45. If you're not a vet, I believe the fee is $50ish and requires hours of training from a third party (pretty much 1-2 days) where you also need to pay them, rates vary, to get the certificate and then apply through the govt.  Both require a thumb print and background check. To my understanding, you don't need a permit to conceal carry a pistol if it is unloaded without a magazine and without one in the chamber.

There are BLMs all over Rio Rancho area.  There's also some between Albuquerque and Route 66 casino, near the bernalillo county jail. Rio rancho area BLMs require trucks and the ones on i40 can be reached with cars. There's also a long range gun club right next to there too, the albuquerque shooting club. I believe it's the only longer range one in all of albuquerque area and it's like $190/year? Calibers is a indoor range and it's okay. It's tiny and there are 2 in town. Cabela's doesn't have a range, but there's one off i25 and paseo del norte.

Thee above gentleman is correct about the guns laws here.

My favorite place to shoot is about 80 miles west of Albuquerque in the Zuni mountains and mt. Taylor. There, you can go shooting wherever you want and no ones going to bother you. Just make sure you have a good safe spot and know your backstop. You can shoot out to a thousand meters and in some places longer. It’s a great place to hunt elk,deer, bear, turkey.

  You don’t need a license to hunt rabbits, prairie dogs or coyotes. Find someone with private land and you can shoot those critters at night. Not deer and elk and of the like of course

Stick to the west side north of Montano, or the northeast north of Montgomery. The more north, the better. Los Ranchos is awesome, but not likely in your price range for something ready for living in or large enough for a family.

If you're on the west side, Del Norte Gun Club is out that way. There are pits and up to a 300 yard range for general use. With a qualification there is a 1000 yard range, both paper and steel. No full auto or night shooting there. Then there's Zia Rifle and Pistol Club down by the airport. It's smaller with a similar setup, but the east range allows anyone to shoot steel to almost 800 yards. Some of the range can be used at night or for full auto.

Property crime is the shits in ABQ, especially auto theft and auto burglary. I worry about it more there than NOLA or Memphis. However, ABQ is slightly less violent than NOLA.

Don't go thinking that a CO-style "high capacity" magazine ban isn't coming to NM in the near future.

Beyond that, NM is my favorite state in which I've lived, geographically speaking. I love the land and the weather.