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We are professionals, just retired (late 50's), living in northern Sonoma County, CA, about 1.5 hour fom San Francisco. We have acreage, gorgeous views, an orchard, hiking trails, etc. Wonderful spot.
However, we've decided to explore property in the Santa Fe/Taos area. New Mexico has captured us, at least via the internet. If you have suggestions of specific areas/towns, please advise. In particular, we seek:
Stunning property with acreage and great views;
Water (good well and, if possible, a creek or stream);
Climate that isn't too extreme (Sunset Zone 3A if possible);
Nice people.
Reasonable access to good hospitals/services and an airport -- basically something within an hour from Santa Fe and two hours from Albuquerque would be ideal.
You might like Abiquiu, NM and surrounding area. Due elevation (6,066 feet) the climate a bit less severe than either Taos, NM or Santa Fe, NM, both of these about 7,000 feet. All may fit your parameters in geography, although all receive snow and cold come winter. Abiquiu is a small place, near it Ghost Ranch and the one time home of artist Georgia O'Keeffe. A beautiful landscape. Also the Chama river and its tributaries. Real estate is relatively expensive, but so are Taos and Santa Fe.
But you may wish to remain exactly where you are, at least until having spent some quality time within New Mexico. You have cast a very broad net and while more than a few areas might seem appropriate, in person you are bound to have some strong preferences. Perhaps all that is certain that New Mexico, culturally and climatically, not much like Sonoma County. It may seem far more ideal from a distance. Take Española, NM for instance. If living near Abiquiu it may be where you shop, or at least pass through in route to Santa Fe, but the two areas different enchiladas. Let's just say the postcard New Mexico often is also has a very real side.
Santa Fe is about an hour from Albuquerque, NM, Taos a bit more time from Santa Fe. Santa Fe has a regional airport, Taos a small one that had, and may have, scheduled air service. Santa Fe significantly larger than Taos, but still relatively small. Both ooze culture, and great places for art. A lot of people living in Taos wouldn't consider living in Santa Fe, and the reverse probably true as well. So the same, yet not.
New Mexico is largely semi-arid. In considering a location and home good access to water may prove more of a problem than you imagine. Consider water rights carefully. That you stipulated is possible, but otherwise interesting properties may prove difficult in this regard. You might also consider that the trend in global climate change does not favor places such as New Mexico; there is a good chance for change and not necessarily for the better. So just look closely.
New Mexico is a great place, in many respects. Also some rough edges. That adds some of the spice. Whether to your taste you'll only know by eating there.
I'd second Abiquiu. Also agree that you probably want both types of water rights -- household water from a well and agricultural water from an acequia.
Two others communities also at about 6K feet:
Dixon-Embudo area. A traditionally Hispanic area about 20 miles south of Taos and 40 miles north of Santa Fe, it has became home to many artists and leads NM in organic family. It is the same altitude as Abiquiu and the Pojoaque Valley (below) but probably comes the closest to giving you the climate you are looking for. Some properties will have great views, but IMO don't match Abiquiu. But location is definitely better, climate probably slightly better.
Pojoaque Valley. A group of traditionally Hispanic villages and Native-American pueblos that take pride in their multi-cultural heritage. Again, some properties have great views, but IMO not matching Abiquiu. Still, IMO the location -- 20 minutes from Santa Fe -- is the best of the three. Also it is in Santa Fe County and the other two in Rio Arriba County -- this may be a plus for the PV. If you look at the PV, I'd focus on Nambe.
I think you could find a property mostly like what you describe in any of these places. But be careful -- the place where you are now is very nice.
A word about Espanola. It has its problems, but I shop and dine there all the time -- it is perfectly safe for those purposes and the people are warm and friendly.
Two places I like which are 30-45 minutes from Santa Fe are Pecos and Galisteo.
Pecos has stunning scenery; I don't think water is a problem there, and you can hop on 1-25 and get to Santa Fe (stores, restaurants, hospital, doctors, etc.) quite quickly. I am not sure what you mean by "extreme climate"...Pecos may get considerable snow in winter. Near Pecos is Glorieta, which is a very pretty community in the mountains; some new development there.
Galisteo is a little more remote, but still within your distance requirement from Santa Fe. (Maybe a 40 minute drive?) I absolutely love Galisteo: and it is a growing community of artists and people who like country living, a balance right now of older homes and new ones, usually on good sized lots. As it grows, I think you will start to see some stores out there. It is not far from Cerrillos and Madrid, which are quirky and kind of charming, and you can take the back road through those towns and it is a beautiful drive down to Albuquerque.
I am not sure if either Pecos or Galisteo are what you are looking for, but they are definitely worth checking out. If I were younger and didn't have health problems that keep me close to Santa Fe, I would want to live in either of these two towns.
Thank you all for taking time to write such thoughtful comments and advice.
A few follow up questions......A few of you referenced safety concerns. Believe it, or not, Sonoma County has a fair amount of crime (knifings, shootings, gang related activity). Is this what you're referencing? Has gang activity made its way to small villages in NM?
(Interesting note about safety.....My daughter just moved back to San Francisco after living in Manhattan for two years, and, while she feels relatively safe in SF, she said that NYC actually seems safer because restaurants and clubs stay open so late, and there are always people out and about.) Sorry to digress.
Our concern about weather (not too "extreme") is that we want to have a viable growing season, and we've researched growing zones, so Sunset 3A will work well. (I'm a native Minnesotan, so some cold and snow doesn't scare me.)
Finally, a new question about NM state government. I'm a big fan of your governor. How is the government, budget, etc., in general? CA has huge budget problems, stagnant state representatives, etc. (This may be moving the discussion off topic. Sorry.)
I have been visiting Santa Fe for years and recenly moved here.
Maybe I am naive ... and others will offer differing opinions, but I have never felt unsafe here. I do not go into obviously questionable neighborhoods, and we take precautions - keeping car doors locked, staying in well lighted areas, keeping a heads up - but that is the way I behave everywhere.
Can't really comment yet on the state government. I am sure there are as many opinions about that as there are members of this forum!
As a non-New Mexico resident, but one who has spent much time there in the last four decades (both business and pleasure), I think you might be in for a shock--especially in northern New Mexico. If you are another Californian looking for "yuppie heaven" in New Mexico (and your post sounds like you are), if you venture far from rarefied "Aspenized" enclave of Santa Fe or Taos, you're likely going to get a major disappointment. First of all, rural northern New Mexico is NOT like California. It can be rough--and I mean ROUGH--for an Anglo trying to assimilate into the local culture. There has been way over a century of embedded mistrust between the long-time Hispanic (and often Native American) residents of northern New Mexico and Anglos. Long-time New Mexicans--Anglo and Hispanic--tend to understand this dynamic and get along with one another. A lot of "newbies" don't understand it--and don't get along very well.
Then there is the climate. Read this: IT AIN'T CALIFORNIA. New Mexico's climate can be beautiful, but it is not predictable and benign. It's arid, drought-prone, with wide temperature variation from season to season, even from day to night. When it's not dry, it can be prone to short-lived but violent summer storms with attendant flash floods. Anyplace above 5,000 ft. elevation will get snow in winter--above 7,500 ft. often a lot. It doesn't have California growing seasons, not by a long shot. Around 180 days would be a MAXIMUM in most places--get above 6,000 to 7,000 feet it will be way less than that. Like most of the Rocky Mountain West, New Mexico is BROWN for 6-7 months of the year--no leaves on trees, brown grass, etc., etc. If you don't like that, New Mexico is not for you.
As to New Mexico government, it has a long history of corruption and mismanagement. I think it has improved over the years, but it still has a ways to go. In county and local government--especially in northern New Mexico--the "patron" (pronounced "puh-TRONE") system still frequently operates. If you don't know what that is, you will be in for another shock. You can read a short definition here: PATRON-PEON PATTERN AMONG THE SPANISH AMERICANS OF NEW MEXICO. .
If after you come to understand all of that--and you still want to live in northern New Mexico--well, good luck. But know what you might be getting into. There are those of us who have come to understand the way things work there, and are willing to accept it. Bluntly, though, most people can't or won't.
Jazzlover - Thanks for the accuracy and honesty of your post.
We all know New Mexico is not for everyone, especially those who move here not knowing what to expect ... and it really is a different reality here than in any other state.
It is The Land of Enchantment for sure - but anyone thinking about relocating here needs to know the downside. (Downside is not really the word I want to use, but I can't find the right one.) For this reason, I tell most everyone who is interested in New Mexico - YOU MUST COME HERE and investigate. And not just a weekend in Santa Fe or Taos ... but for as extended a time as you can stay .... or for many visits before making a decision.
Thank you all for taking time to write such thoughtful comments and advice.
A few follow up questions......A few of you referenced safety concerns. Believe it, or not, Sonoma County has a fair amount of crime (knifings, shootings, gang related activity). Is this what you're referencing? Has gang activity made its way to small villages in NM?
(Interesting note about safety.....My daughter just moved back to San Francisco after living in Manhattan for two years, and, while she feels relatively safe in SF, she said that NYC actually seems safer because restaurants and clubs stay open so late, and there are always people out and about.) Sorry to digress.
Our concern about weather (not too "extreme") is that we want to have a viable growing season, and we've researched growing zones, so Sunset 3A will work well. (I'm a native Minnesotan, so some cold and snow doesn't scare me.)
Finally, a new question about NM state government. I'm a big fan of your governor. How is the government, budget, etc., in general? CA has huge budget problems, stagnant state representatives, etc. (This may be moving the discussion off topic. Sorry.)
Crime: Espanola has a reputation among some as a dangerous town, and seems to have a drug problem, but I and my whole family go there quite a bit for shopping and dining out and never had a problem. One restaurant, Paragua, has quite a few people come down from Los Alamos -- which is reputed to the safest town in New Mexico -- so it can't be too dangerous. The drug problems of Espanola may have spread into some of the smaller towns to the northwest and northeast -- but not as far as Abiquiu or Dixon. They have not spread south.
What crime I see is non-violent efforts to separate people from their property. I live in Nambe in a community of about 30 homes on five acre lots that has been here since 1972. There have been multiple break-ins over the years -- particularly when construction crews are brought in. But in the 36 years no one has ever broken into a house when someone was home.
Climate: Temperature is a function of altitude -- not latitude. So your best shot in the Santa Fe area for something approaching 3a is lower altitude -- which around here doesn't get much lower than 6,000 feet. So combined with no big drug problem that brings us back to Abiquiu, Dixon, and Nambe or the larger Pojoaque Valley. You could add the valley floor of Tesuque to that list if you are prepared to spend a great deal of money.
Note that I don't say achieving 3a -- I don't know the Sunset sytem well enough to say if anywhere around here is 3a. In NM, we tend to go 1,2,10.
Government: No big budget crisis, but nepotism seems pretty much ingrained in some areas. Even elections seem to turn on family considerations with some fairly unqualified people getting elected to some positions. Santa Fe City is fairly liberal and pro-city employee and doing some things that give me pause -- but we are not supposed to discuss politics and I live in the county anyway. IMO -- both city and county are doing a good job with water conservation.
"Yuppie Heaven?" Geesh. I guess my list of what we seek in a location might have given that impression, although I did NOT include the ubiquitous grainte counter tops (which I don't want)! We're really far from yuppies. In the 80's, I founded a nonprofit program in Nicaragua and spent a lot of time in tiny villages where no yanquis had ever been before, learning, listening, working to raise consciousness in my home state of Minnesota. My ex owned a home in Aspen, and it was sad to see that town change dramatically over time. I understand that NM isn't northern CA, and that's both a positive and a negative. Our growing season is longer, but our orchard and gardens are seriously challenged by the extreme sun and summer heat. (Oh, and we're used to hard labor, putting in fences, grading old logging roads, splitting wood, etc.)
That said, it doesn't mean NM is necessarily a fit for us. I appreciate jazzlover and Towanda's cautions and the insights and experiences of others. Thank you.
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If to your taste
