Looking For A Basic Rundown: Santa Fe (Albuquerque, Las Vegas: transplants, sale)

[Leaving NY]

Hey folks:

I'm from NYC. Lived here all 33 years of my life. I've pretty much been sick of it since around age 22, but, this is a good place for someone to make money in the service industries.

I'm 100% sure I want to relocate to the Southwest. I have done internet research for the past year (off and on) of Las Vegas (And surrounding suburbs) and cities in Arizona.

I am starting to think that Santa Fe may be better for me. The heat is less extreme and the quality of life seems to be a just a bit better, save for Scottsdale, which I cannot afford.

I wanted to know things like:

Santa Fe vs. Alburquerque: Pros and Cons
Taxes
Crime
Real Estate (Heard South Capitol is nice, but pricey) Where would you suggest moving? Prices for a nice, secure, 2BR condo with some amenities?
Jobs (I am a Security Guard here in NY and actually do OK.....)

Thanks in advance for any and all help.

[Towanda]

Well, I am not a resident of Santa Fe, but I am one of the biggest cheerleaders for Santa Fe at this site.

My husband and I have owned property in Eldorado(southwest part of the city) for 15 years, and we will be retiring there in the coming year.

Here is my list of likes and dislikes in Santa Fe:

Pros:
- Gorgeous setting in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
- Great climate, if you love four seasons ... not real hot in the summer, and a little snow in the winter (USUALLY...this past winter doesn't count . Low humidity.
- Great place for outdoor lovers; so many things to do outdoors in and around the Santa Fe area.
- AWESOME intense blue skies and incredible sunsets.
- GREAT New Mexican restaurants
- Lots of cultural venues - the Santa Fe Opera, museums, art galleries.
- Wonderful rich Indian-Hispanic culture and history to learn about.
- Not too far to drive to Albuquerque or Taos, which I also love...as well as the Enchanted Circle up to Angel Fire, Red River, Eagle Nest.
- Laid back pace of life.
- Pueblo architecture which fits into the setting of the city and makes it look even more special.

Cons:
- Very expensive..probably priciest area of the state.
- Lots of tourists downtown (I avoid that area)
- Some stores and restaurants that are VERY expensive (but I avoid those too.)
- A little isolated if you like to travel by air - requires a drive to Albuquerque, although the news last week is that Santa Fe Airport will start having some regional flights to Dallas, LA and Salt Lake City starting soon. <--Not sure I like that "improvement" as it will change the small town feel of the city.
- I am a sports lover, and there are no college/pro sports in Santa Fe. (But we can drive to ABQ for basketball at The Pit and for Isotopes games.)

In my opinion, the pros FAR outweigh any cons.

Good luck with your decision.

I can tell you one thing....ANY place in NM beats Las Vegas, NV.

~~Sharon

[Leaving NY]

Thanks Towanda:

Actually, the cultural aspects of the city aren't really too appealing to me. They certainly don't repel me, but, I'm simply not into stuff like that. I am just looking for a place that is safe, clean, and quiet, but that still has a job market and a little bit of a nightlife.

I was wondering if you can tell me the names of some of the nice neighborhoods in Santa Fe. How much would I be paying for a condo or a starter house there? I read somewhere (maybe on here) that there is an appallingly high poverty rate. Where are these poor people? I want to be far away from them. I am leaving NY to escape the poverty and the rowdiness.

[Towanda]

Leaving NY:

I can't really answer your questions. Someone else will have to respond to them.

I am really only familiar with Eldorado subdivision, which is SE of the city off Hwy 285. That area is quiet and feels rural and is pretty safe and is getting a few stores and restaurants in the area. It is about 15 minutes to Santa Fe. The costs of existing homes and building new homes has gone up dramatically in the past few years.

In the city itself, I don't know a lot about costs of homes or condos.

I am anxious to see what information others might have for you.

[Leaving NY]

Yeah. I am actually interested in living in the actual city, as opposed to the outskirts. I want to live pretty close to St. Vincent's Hospital, but I am pretty sure that is going to cost me an arm and a leg. You've been pretty helpful, though. Thanks for that. I, too, eagerly await more responses.

[Towanda]

Leaving NY:

One more question for you:

Have you ever been to Santa Fe or any part of New Mexico?

I was a 24 year old New Yorker when I first moved to Albuquerque many years ago....and it was love at first sight for me. I was enchanted with the absolutely incredible scenery, the brilliant blue sky, the climate, the architecture, the various cultures in the state, and the FOOD (I had never even heard of green chile when I first came to NM....had never had even a taco before ) Despite the culture shock, I embraced all of it and have loved the state for nearly 40 years now.

BUT...I have learned it is not for everyone. We had some visitors from New York the year that we lived in ABQ - and they were clearly not impressed....they didn't like all the brown and the lack of green grass and huge trees and the spareness and starkness of it all. Some people like the desert and some don't.

Santa Fe is a little more green than ABQ, and in either city you can go up in the nearby mountains and see huge trees. But I would suggest a visit to the area if you are considering a move .... just to see if you are one of the people like me who fell instantly in love with NM, or like my relatives, who did not. It is very different from NY, both the city where you are, and upstate NY where I grew up. And it's not for everyone.

[Leaving NY]

Admittedly, I have never been to New Mexico.

I am attracted to the idea of moving to Santa Fe, as it is a small city with good climate and low crime and jobs that pay reasonably well. I am not terribly particular about being "impressed" by architecture or whatever. One thing I DO NOT want is a place to sparse or rural. That is why I wouldn't want to live on the outskirts of Santa Fe (Even though within 15 years, they probably will not be outskirts any longer).

I'm basically just a lower-middle class guy who has always hated NY and is looking for some dry heat and tranquility. Looking to spend between 150K and 220K on a 2BR Condo or a 1300-1500 sq. ft. starter home.

[criss]

You don't want to move to SF. And not just because we are fresh out of room for any more NY transplants.

Seriously, SF is a weird and wonderful place, a unique visual and sensory experience, but it ain't a nice, normal, affordable place with good jobs. It has high stats for median income, but that's because of all the very, very rich people. The *average* job...well, let's just say a few years ago when I was making $8.50 and hour, that was considered good by most people I knew. It's a great place to live if you're going to take part in the unique culture, if you're going to relish the wealth of outdoor activites, organic food (5 organic/gourmet/crunchy food stores in a city of less than 70K people), great restaurants, etc. If you just want a good job and a decent, boring condo in a decent, boring neighborhood, in a place without humidity, do yourself a favor and move to, I don't know, Denver?

Oh, and to the person who lives in Eldorado and avoids downtown like the plague...YOU are the reason dowtown has been taken over by tourists. GO DOWNTOWN! It's OURS! Eat at the Plaza restaurant, bank at First National, buy your food at the farmers' market, shop the sale racks at the chi-chi boutiques you think you can't afford. It's all we have left of the "real" city, and the longer we avoid it, the more it becomes Disneyland and the less we have left. Heck, if you're really broke, go to Canyon Road--going in the galleries is free, and while there's a lot of dreck, there's also a lot of great art.

[Towanda]

If you are referring to me as the person who "lives in Eldorado and avoids downtown like the plague" .... well, when I DO live in Edorado I WILL go downtown but not often. I am not moving to the area to support the businesses downtown. I am moving to the Santa Fe area for reasons that don't include hanging out a lot downtown.

Of course downtown has been taken over by tourists!!...it is that kind of place. I have no interest in paying the downtown prices. I will take visitors there because I feel like it is special and wonderful and not a place to be missed by people coming to Santa Fe. But when shopping or eating out, I will be more interested in affordable places away from the downtown area. That is just the kind of person I am; I live ten miles from downtown Kansas City right now and rarely go there.

I am moving to the Santa Fe area to retire, to enjoy a new home and a slower pace of life, to enjoy the mountains and to be a good steward of the environment, to enjoy the culture and the food and the atmosphere and to watch the sky and the sunsets.

It may be a different priority than yours, and maybe different than that of Leaving NY .... but we don't all have the same reasons for why we choose to live where we do.

[criss]

Originally Posted by Towanda

Of course downtown has been taken over by tourists!!...it is that kind of place.

NO! It's not. This is just false. Dowtown, in any city with a once-charming-now-touristy dowtown, is "the kind of place" that NEEDS locals in order to remain charming and special.

When I was a kid (not too long ago, I'm under 30), Sears was still dowtown in SF. The more locals feel as you do, the more dowtown will cater only to tourists, and the more of its soul it will lose.

You can have whatever priorities you want, as it's still a free country so far. But don't kid yourself--it is people like you, and your desire to shop at the big-box stores at the south end of town, and your rationalizing that dowtown is too expensive for residents but still "special" for tourists, that will eventually remove any semblance of local flavor from places like Santa Fe. I'm not trying to be a jerk, I'm just trying to present the facts in what may be a new way for some people.