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So what? Its already out of reach for the average person. Nominations like this do NOTHING to change that, and will only help exacerbate it. More people with money (the kind who read Conde Nast) will come in, and finding it less expensive than the exclusive places they live now will help drive prices even further out of reach for the average chump. This is great for real estate agents of course, but bad for most people.
I am "the average person," and I can afford Santa Fe just fine. Perhaps the problem lies with your income, not with Santa Fe's cost of living.
Housing in Santa Fe and surrounding area are above average for the US. Therefore, average housing is excessively expensive or out of reach for the AVERAGE person who works and lives on (IMO) New Mexico's sub-average wages. Many well educated government employees who work decent jobs (certainly qualifying as "average") in the capitol can not afford to live there, and commute from Albuquerque. I have talked to a bunch; almost all say the same thing. During my interview for a state job in Albuquerque the director of the division said I was welcome to live in Santa Fe, but joked "nobody can afford to live in Santa Fe". Of course that's an exaggeration, because people with a lot of money, or people who are willing to live in sub-average housing, or willing to throw their money down the toilet on rent are able to live there. It may not be impossible, but its hard for the average income person to survive there.
Anyway my point is that these "awards" are no reward at all to those average people they only drive prices up. They can be windfalls for people engaged in separating rich people from their money.
Of course you don't, because it's a counterexample to your position.
Believe whatever you want. I'm here to tell the people reading this thread, however, that I am an average guy making an average salary, and I live in Santa Fe comfortably. I do not blow money on fast food, electronics, cars, alcohol, or daily restaurant meals, so maybe that's what separates me from the "average spendthrift." I wonder how many people who whine about not being able to live in Santa Fe also fritter away their money on the crap I listed above.
Of course you don't, because it's a counterexample to your position.
Believe whatever you want. I'm here to tell the people reading this thread, however, that I am an average guy making an average salary, and I live in Santa Fe comfortably. I do not blow money on fast food, electronics, cars, alcohol, or daily restaurant meals, so maybe that's what separates me from the "average spendthrift." I wonder how many people who whine about not being able to live in Santa Fe also fritter away their money on the crap I listed above.
So what? Its already out of reach for the average person. Nominations like this do NOTHING to change that, and will only help exacerbate it. More people with money (the kind who read Conde Nast) will come in, and finding it less expensive than the exclusive places they live now will help drive prices even further out of reach for the average chump. This is great for real estate agents of course, but bad for most people.
We had no large sums of money. I am married and we had two children and we made it. We could live in Santa Fe now, but we prefer to stay in Rio Rancho.
Yes, Santa Fe has some expensive areas. Albuquerque has some $1,000,000 homes.
Except for Santa Fe, these are places we have lived and have owned a home:
Of course you don't, because it's a counterexample to your position.
Believe whatever you want. I'm here to tell the people reading this thread, however, that I am an average guy making an average salary, and I live in Santa Fe comfortably. I do not blow money on fast food, electronics, cars, alcohol, or daily restaurant meals, so maybe that's what separates me from the "average spendthrift." I wonder how many people who whine about not being able to live in Santa Fe also fritter away their money on the crap I listed above.
A counterexample hardly proves me wrong. How much is your salary?
This site says the cost of living is 120, with housing at 167, which I think is more accurate than the rosy picture some people want to paint.
Moderator cut: Sorry, links to competing sites not allowed
Why didn't you own a house in Santa Fe? What was your family income?
I got the statistics from City-Data, which is this site... You can believe whoever you wish. But you are not allowed to list certain sites. If you don't trust or believe me, check with Yac or Marka.
When we moved here in the 90's it was a promotion for my wife to a job in Albuquerque (ABQ) and that is why we bought a house in the ABQ area, not Santa Fe. I stayed behind for a while living in PA and working out of the DC area. Then we also bought in Rio Rancho as some family members followed us. I eventually started the 1,800 mile work commute to DC and other places from ABQ. I needed a major airport to fly out of. Contrary to what some say Santa Fe does not have a full service airport...
My family income? A bit nosey. It varied, calculate a Federal GS-11 with 10 years service in with benefits for my wife in 1998. I had a pension and I worked as a consultant earning "enough"...
Last edited by Poncho_NM; 11-26-2014 at 10:03 PM..
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.. tmi, huh?
