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Hi Everyone - My husband and I have been visiting Santa Fe for many years and are considering a relocation to Santa Fe in the next year. We have always found folks here friendly - which is a big part of the draw for us. We're looking for a sense of community and opportunities to get involved and feel a part of things. We met an older couple on our way here that had lived in Santa Fe for 10 years and currently live in Portland and were very surprised by their account of living in Santa Fe. They said that "educated white people" (sorry - direct quote) were treated poorly by locals and long-time residents and that it was a hostile enviornment to move to. They described an environment with Mexican gangs, feeling unsafe and high crime. We'd love to hear thoughts on their comments - it just didnt' fit for what we've experienced here over the last 15 years of visiting. Thanks!
I guess if you come in to an area and expect everyone to bow down and listen to your bashing of why things are better where you come from, then some people may become hostile...
I live 60 miles South of Santa Fe, but have pretty much found all of the locals in Santa Fe to be friendlier than most places I have ever been...
I would pick another older couple to talk to....
Last edited by Poncho_NM; 03-12-2013 at 08:40 PM..
mswagner - Say what???? Wow, I kinda feel sorry for those folks in Portland. I've found in life that the attitudes of others are a mirror of the attitude we display. So I agree with Poncho_NM, no one's any better than anyone else - so if you act superior then that isn't going to cut it here.
Sounds like that couple who moved to Portland should stay there, although I think that they will find the same negativity confronting them there if they don't change their attitudes. We've lived all over the country and find the people here as friendly and accepting as any other place, if not more so.
I can't say I've had that experience with locals at all. I was down in SF for a few months over the summer working on my rental house and had a lot of long time local guys coming by to fix things, all of them were kind and helpful. Frankly some of my "educated white" neighbors are some of the rudest people I've ever encountered. There is some crime and gang activity, but I never felt unsafe and just used common sense. If you treat people with respect you will get it in return.
Let's just say the couple has it a little backwards. White people (educated or not) have been coming to Santa Fe for over a century and treating the locals like dirt (not all of them, but enough of them), buying up property, forcing them into English-only schools, marketing it as an artist's mecca, driving up the price of housing and everything else. So there is a current of resentment on the part of SOME locals towards newcomers and deservedly so. And if you think that being "educated" should afford you privileged treatment, you'll be disappointed.
Those who have an understanding of the local history and have a respectful curiosity about other cultures, and are down-to-earth, unconcerned about their own social status, will do fine here.
let's just say the couple has it a little backwards. White people (educated or not) have been coming to santa fe for over a century and treating the locals like dirt (not all of them, but enough of them), buying up property, forcing them into english-only schools, marketing it as an artist's mecca, driving up the price of housing and everything else. So there is a current of resentment on the part of some locals towards newcomers and deservedly so. And if you think that being "educated" should afford you privileged treatment, you'll be disappointed.
Those who have an understanding of the local history and have a respectful curiosity about other cultures, and are down-to-earth, unconcerned about their own social status, will do fine here.
Let's just say the couple has it a little backwards. White people (educated or not) have been coming to Santa Fe for over a century and treating the locals like dirt (not all of them, but enough of them), buying up property, forcing them into English-only schools, marketing it as an artist's mecca, driving up the price of housing and everything else. So there is a current of resentment on the part of SOME locals towards newcomers and deservedly so. And if you think that being "educated" should afford you privileged treatment, you'll be disappointed.
Those who have an understanding of the local history and have a respectful curiosity about other cultures, and are down-to-earth, unconcerned about their own social status, will do fine here.
Couldn't have said it better.
I'm willing to bet that what actually happened was that couple waltzed in, tried throwing their status around, and got mad when people didn't bend down to lick their boots in awe.
As an "educated white person" who lived in Santa Fe (and would love to move back once I can), I can tell you that this couple's experience is not the norm at all. I had absolutely NO problems with Santa Fe. The people were friendly, and I never worried about driving or even walking around at night by myself. It's like anywhere else, I'm sure there are bad elements somewhere.....but I never ran into any of them.
Although I live just a little bit up the road in a very atypical New Mexico town (Los Alamos), my wife works in Santa Fe and I spend a lot of time there. I find the people to be very friendly and relaxed, and I don't find crime or safety issues to be any worse than cities in the Southeast where I came from. The comment about "Mexican gangs" is pretty amusing, considering that Hispanic folks have been living here for 400+ years. I've found that people tend to bring their prejudices and notions with them wherever they go. When I hear people say that living in northern New Mexico feels like "living in another country" what that translates to in my mind is "I don't see a majority of white people like I'm used to". Personally, I like it here and feel very comfortable.
Last edited by Poncho_NM; 11-21-2011 at 11:15 AM..
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