New Mexico
New Mexico’s Suburb Near Albuquerque Has Stunning Mediterranean Homes And Scenic Parks – Islands
You might know Albuquerque as the vibrant heart of New Mexico, the state’s largest city, boasting incredible riverside neighborhoods full of trails, like the North Valley. But there are plenty more standout areas in the city that you might have never heard of. Enter Paradise Hills. With fewer than 5,000 residents and a prime position on the West Mesa, not far from the rugged landscapes and scenic routes of the High Desert neighborhood, this census-designated place is rapidly gaining recognition as one of the most desirable places to live in the Duke City. As promised by its name, this Bernalillo County neighborhood offers paradisiacal views of the Rio Grande valley and the Sandia Mountains glowing pink at sunrise — a phenomenon locals refer to as a “watermelon” glow (sandia meaning watermelon in Spanish). It’s something so romantic that it alone might well justify a visit or even a move there.
Still, Paradise Hills offers plenty more to appeal to residents at every stage of life. While retirees and empty-nesters might be drawn to the area’s low crime rate and abundance of green spaces (including the beloved 170-acre Paradise Hills Golf Club), families can take advantage of the proximity to excellent public schools.
A look at the numbers is encouraging, too: The median household income sits at $74,403 (compared with an average of $62,125 across other parts of the “Land of Enchantment”), while unemployment remains at a modest 3.2%, significantly below the national average. Long-term residents highlight that the neighborhood and surrounding area have steadily improved over the last 30 years, evolving into a calm, walkable place from early morning to after dark. If you’re in Albuquerque, it’s worth checking out, especially if you’re thinking about relocating.
Walking around Paradise Hills
Walking around Paradise Hills is a treat in itself. Despite its small size (a little over one square mile), the neighborhood boasts an eclectic range of housing styles. During your morning walk, you will pass by everything from classic Southwestern ranches with low-pitched roofs and wide porches to Pueblo- and Spanish Revival-inspired adobes, easily recognizable for their stucco walls, terracotta rooftops, and vaulted doorways.
While the district’s culinary scene is somewhat limited, there are still a few gems here that are worth a stop. With only 5-star Google Reviews, Red Taco Shop delivers some of “the best tacos ever,” according to one satisfied patron, along with a handful of Mexican- and Asian-inspired plates, all served with the ever-present cilantro-and-salsa duo. On Paradise Boulevard, Clay Pot Ethiopian Cuisine is a small yet cozy venue serving some of the best East African food in the city. The restaurant also hosts cooking classes and special events, from vegan nights to live jazz evenings. However, if you are looking for a wider variety of options, venture east to Coors Boulevard, and you will find the neighborhood’s commercial side, including more than 130 shops and dining venues at the Cottonwood Mall.
Paradise Hills is conveniently located, far enough away to be quiet but not a pain to reach anywhere central. Downtown Albuquerque is about 12 miles away (roughly a 20‑minute drive) and is serviced by convenient public transport options, including ABQ RIDE bus routes (notably the 157). Cyclists can also follow a section of the scenic Paseo del Bosque Trail, which runs along the Rio Grande and, in less than an hour, reaches the heart of the city.
Exploring the outdoors near Paradise Hills
With the West Mesa and the Sandia Mountains right at its doorstep, Paradise Hills offers the perfect gateway to experience a variety of outdoor adventures. Less than a 20-minute drive southwest brings you to one of the region’s most fascinating cultural sites: the Petroglyph National Monument (one of several spectacular destinations to see ancient rock art in the States). Spanning more than 7,000 acres of volcanic terrain, the monument protects tens of thousands of ancient rock carvings (petroglyphs) etched into basalt by ancestral Pueblo peoples between the 14th and 17th centuries. The site also features four hiking trails of varying lengths and difficulties, including the Rinconada Canyon Trail, which spans 2.2 miles and passes more than 300 rock carvings. There’s also the Petroglyph Viewing Trail in Piedras Marcadas Canyon, an unpaved trail that’s under 2 miles round-trip and features around 400 petroglyphs.
South of Paradise Hills (roughly 15–20 minutes by car) is the expansive Rio Grande Nature Center State Park, an urban wildlife preserve established in the late 1970s along the banks of the Rio Grande, one of the five longest waterways in the country. The park is a dream destination for birdwatchers, hosting hundreds of species year-round, and it also features a handful of biking and walking pathways to explore.
Within the neighborhood itself is Paradise Hills Playground, described by visitors on Google Reviews as “spacious” and well-maintained.” It features a play area for kids, shaded picnic tables, volleyball courts, and even a skate park for teens. Whatever your plans include, you won’t be wanting for gorgeous outdoor spaces here, so whether you’re visiting or planning on a move here, be sure to take advantage of them.
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KFOX14/CBS4) — A leader in the New Mexico Republican Party was arrested Wednesday, accused of a deadly hit-and-run in Las Cruces.
Former Treasurer of the Republican Party in New Mexico, Kimberly Ann Skaggs, 54, was arrested Wednesday and charged with leaving the scene and tampering with evidence, jail records show.
Police documents show the charges stem from a deadly hit-and-run crash that happened Monday afternoon, which killed 40-year-old bicyclist, Andrew Brown.
Investigators believed Skaggs was involved after an investigation revealed that Skaggs allegedly was driving fast in the area, fled the scene after the crash and then tried to hide the vehicle from authorities.
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The investigation
According to police documents, a witness at the scene of the crash– 850 N. Fairacres Rd.– described seeing a dark blonde-haired woman flee in a black Cadillac Escalade SUV.
Afterwards, investigators said they saw on Flock cameras– A.I. powered license plate readers– a black Cadillac Escalade traveling near the site of the crash minutes before the incident.
READ MORE: Dona Ana County expands Flock license plate cameras as officials cite crime-solving gains
The license plates showed that the vehicle belonged to Skaggs and that, in September 2025, the Las Cruces Police Department had given her a citation for “racing on streets-exhibition driving.”
Investigators stated that a business on Picacho Ave. captured what they alleged was the same black Cadillac Escalade driving fast.
Then, the documents described how investigators tracked down the Escalade using OnStar’s live GPS tracking, discovering the SUV was at a property on the 5000 block of Northwind Road, which investigators said the Dona Ana County Assessors Office confirmed is a property owned by Skaggs.
On Tuesday, at around 6:41 p.m.– over 24 hours after the deadly hit-and-run– investigators executed a search warrant on the property and described finding the black Cadillac Escalade behind a home, under a red metal carport.
Investigators noted damage on the SUV consistent with the crash, highlighting that there was blood splatter near one of the front tires, markings on the front bumper consistent with hitting a bicycle and parts missing, which investigators said were the same parts found at the scene.
Dona Ana County jail records show Skaggs was booked on Wednesday afternoon and remains jailed without a bond.
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About Skaggs
On the official website of the Republican Party of New Mexico, Skaggs was listed as the treasurer before she was removed.
KFOX14/CBS4 has reached out to the Republican Party to learn more and are waiting for a comment regarding the arrest.
Also, according to election statistics, Skaggs ran for State Representative in District 36 in 2022 and 2024, losing both times to Democrat Nathan P. Small.
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SANTA FE, N.M. – Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham asked Attorney General Raúl Torrez to investigate whether any Drug Enforcement Administration agents broke state law when pills reached New Mexico streets.
In a statement, Lujan Grisham said, “make no mistake: the DEA knew people would die if these pills made it into New Mexico communities.”
The governor also shared a timeline from 2022 to 2025 that she said shows when she asked federal officials for help with New Mexico’s fentanyl crisis and violent crime.
Lujan Grisham said the first request came on June 21, 2022, when she wrote to then-Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray and asked for 50 additional federal agents.
She said she wrote to then-Attorney General Merrick Garland on Sept. 15, 2022, asking for more agents, resources and support for New Mexico law enforcement.
Lujan Grisham said she wrote Garland a second time on Aug. 8, 2023, with the same request.
What came next?
About a month later, Lujan Grisham said she sent Garland a third letter and said New Mexico needed more federal law enforcement to curb violent crime, drug trafficking and human trafficking.
She said her most recent request came on Sept. 4, 2025, when she wrote to former Attorney General Pam Bondi and again asked for additional agents and resources.
The governor’s statement says those requests span several years as she pressed the federal government for more help in New Mexico.
Full statement from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham:
“I am appalled by reporting this week by the Associated Press and Albuquerque Journal that revealed federal authorities made a deliberate decision to let hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills flood into New Mexico communities, despite knowing that fentanyl is so lethal the White House has designated it a weapon of mass destruction.
Let me say that again: the Drug Enforcement Administration watched as 74,000 fentanyl pills were delivered to a mobile home park in Albuquerque, and they did nothing. And that’s just one transaction. Shockingly, the federal government stood by while monitoring shipments, tallying exact pill counts, and watching as these deadly drugs hit the streets.
There are no words to describe how reckless and dangerous these decisions were. Make no mistake: the DEA knew people would die if these pills made it into New Mexico communities, and the agency let it happen anyway. The result: hundreds of New Mexican parents burying their kids. Hundreds of New Mexican kids growing up without stable parents. All while the federal government stood by.
If the justification for letting these pills flood our communities was that it would somehow make New Mexico safer down the road through bigger eventual busts, the results say otherwise. New Mexico now leads the nation in the increase in overdose deaths for the second straight year, despite deaths dropping nationwide.
Today, I wrote to Attorney General Raúl Torrez and asked him to investigate whether any federal agents broke state law when they allowed lethal drugs to remain on our streets, and to prosecute anyone responsible — regardless of whether they are a federal agent or not.
I have spent years working across two administrations — writing letters, traveling to Washington, meeting directly with President Joe Biden and his cabinet, pushing for accountability, asking for more federal agents to be deployed to New Mexico to help fight this crisis.
- On June 21, 2022, I wrote to FBI Director Christopher Wray, imploring the FBI to assign no less than 50 additional agents to New Mexico to stem escalating drug trafficking and violent crime.
- On September 15, 2022, I wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland, requesting that the Department of Justice provide additional federal agents, resources and support to New Mexico law enforcement. We asked the department to match the level of investigative, analytical, and technical resources the FBI had deployed in its Buffalo, NY surge.
- On August 8, 2023, I wrote again to Attorney General Garland, renewing my request that the DOJ expeditiously assign more federal agents to New Mexico.
- On September 7, 2023, I wrote to Attorney General Garland for a third time, reiterating my request once more federal law enforcement support to curb violent crime, drug and human trafficking.
- On September 4, 2025, I wrote to Attorney General Pam Bondi, once again requesting additional agents and resources.
I have declared the surge of drugs like fentanyl to be a public health emergency. I have deployed the National Guard to both Albuquerque and Española. While my administration was doing everything we could to stem the tide of fentanyl coming into our state, the federal government deliberately allowed it to flood in.
New Mexican lives are not the federal government’s cost of doing business.
I plan to hold the federal government accountable for this disaster and will explore every possible avenue of action against the federal government to right these wrongs.”
The Canyon Venado Fire has grown to 852 acres east of Clines Corners and crews say wind farms in the area are threatened.
CLINES CORNERS, N.M. – The Canyon Venado Fire has grown to 852 acres east of Clines Corners and crews say wind farms in the area are threatened.
The fire is burning just east of Clines Corners, south of Interstate 40.
It forced the closure of eastbound Interstate 40 at Clines Corners on Tuesday night. I-40 reopened Tuesday night. I-40 is back open but smoke still affects visibility.
“We’re on the side of I-40 so drivers have to be pretty cautious. As far as our establishment itself we’re pretty isolated by the freeway itself as a nice fire break,” said Lincoln Tarantino, Clines Corner general manager.
The fire has burned around 852 acres, up from just 20 at this time Monday.
Crews say the fire is not contained and wind farms in the area are threatened.
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