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The great thing about living in a small town is that everyone knows you. The bad thing about living in a small town is that everyone knows you. No thank you.
However, I don't want to live in a huge city either.
25K to 300K population is ideal.
The great thing about living in a small town is that everyone knows you. The bad thing about living in a small town is that everyone knows you. No thank you.
Taos county has 33,000 people. Reported crime there is really high in the city, just high for the total county.
Santa Fe is often criticized for being "for" or "run by" the middle aged to elderly. If the college population were to grow in next 20 years that would probably be a good thing. Or maybe the 25-44 year olds need to step up and make their scene more viable, noticeable.
So I am considering moving west again and since real estate has gone through the roof in Denver area, (can't buy back into my old neighborhoods) thought I might look further south. Seems that Santa Fe is the same. Sounds like Albuquerque is overrun with cockroaches so, as a techie and artist, looks like I may have to rethink this. Any other suggestions besides Las Cruces for a balance of culture, tech, fishing....the usual stuff for us older gals?
I fulfilled my long held desire to move to New Mexico this year. I lived in the Rancho Viejo neighborhood, which is very nice. But after a few months there Santa Fe's charm lost it's appeal. First reason, and most irratating, is how horrible the town is layed out! It certainly has the worst traffic pattern that I have encountered in the many states that I have lived in. And this seems to be unique to SF and not the other areas of NM that I have been in. There are hardly any, if any merge lanes to get on the highways, and aften tmes 2 to 3 lanes melt into one too too short merge lane! Then annoyingly all the main shopping seems to be converged into about a quarter mile area with stop signs every 50 feet. From my home in Rancho Viejo I had to go through a total of 12 stop signs/traffice circles/traffic lights to get to the nearest grocery store that was only 3 miles distance! So it would take me about 15 minutes to go 3 miles!
It seemed that the city agencies and utility companies are run by people that are just a little too confused by what they are supose to be doing, so a lot of patience is required in order to deal with them. Like you are living in a backward hick town that just overnight became a huge city (84k population). Oh and the cost of utilities in SF is unusually very high, (especially compared to where I now live: Las Cruces).
Then there's the fact that after you do all the tourist sights, it's pretty boring there, because there's not much else nearby to visit. And I say this knowingly excluding Albuquerque. I see no reason and have no desire to go to Albq ever again. And Taos is a one off thing. Just a minni version of SF.
But the area has very very friendly people, and a nice choice of eating out. But too cold in the winter and way too expensive rent and real estate.
And it just comes off as a touristy town with a lot of people from somewhere e!se. I like living in a town that feels "hommy". By that I mean most people that I encounter are from there and not new arrivals, like me!
And I want to add that the most awesome part of living in New Mexico is the fact that I am living in a predominate Latino and Native American culture! It is what makes living here so welcoming and beautiful. I have lived all over the US and the people here (predominate latino) are the warmest, most friendly, best mannered, people that I have ever lived around. So put that in you pipe and smoke it! I am now in Las Cruces and this place is the best kept secret in the good ol USA!
I don't want to bragg too much on LC because I don,t want a lot of people moving here and turing it into Santa Fe!
It was fun to be a teenager in Santa Fe. I loved it - one of the best phases of my life. I wouldn't trade it.
So, my view is radically different. I worked in Miami, FL one year, and it can take 30 min just to go a couple of miles during rush hour. Try the Dolphin Expressway at rush hour near MIA. Santa Fe traffic pales by comparison.
But a big problem with Santa Fe is the cost of homes. I understand it has gone too highup since my time in the area decades ago. The city also has far more outsiders than when I was there. It reminds me of Sedona with a lot of "California" types or "New Agers". They are more prevalent now than back in the 80s. It has become sort of a "hippie" or "new age" scene to some degree.
However, the heart of New Mexico's three cultures still thrives in Santa Fe. My favorite teen memories are running through the arroyos and the hills near Fort Marcy to train for sports while locals were heating wood stoves in the adobe homes. I loved it. My VO2 max was ridiculously high back then. Then after sports games we would eat the traditional local food or NM-based chains like Lotaburger. I had the best of times as a teen in Santa Fe.
One thing that surprised me about Santa Fe was that De Vargas Mall is still thriving. I am a very experienced software engineer now. I know that e-Commerce like Amazon has put many shopping malls out-of-business across the country. Here in Phoenix big malls that had been open in the 80s are now closed: Fiesta, Los Arcos, Tri City, etc. It's bizarre that De Vargas is still very busy. I had traditional New Mexican food there and loved it.
If you have a teenage son or daughter that you want to elevate the VO2 max for sports, then have them train in Santa Fe. It works really well.
It was fun to be a teenager in Santa Fe. I loved it - one of the best phases of my life. I wouldn't trade it.
So, my view is radically different. I worked in Miami, FL one year, and it can take 30 min just to go a couple of miles during rush hour. Try the Dolphin Expressway at rush hour near MIA. Santa Fe traffic pales by comparison.
I grew up in Miami, FL...
Quote:
Originally Posted by grad_student200
But a big problem with Santa Fe is the cost of homes. I understand it has gone too highup since my time in the area decades ago. The city also has far more outsiders than when I was there.
The house my parents bought for $10,000 in Miami is now valued at "$151,345"....
Ruth4truth i take your point of things to do in SF and area. But for me my objective is to have a variety of destinations and activies. Basically I just like taking day trips that offer up a change. So i did those things in the time i spent there and looked for other places within a day that offers a change, so to get that I would have to do some distance from SF. Those SFpaces are one time things for me, how many times can you go to Alamogordo? Or Taos? Once you've been to a publo celebration is it really something you want to do again and again? All that is is for tourist. I did all the mesums too and they were great. But getting in my car and checking out other cities and parks are something I never get bored with.
Yes, once I've been to a pueblo celebration, it's something I want to do again and again. But that's me. And Taos is so beautiful, I never tire of going there. There's also Los Alamos, which I enjoy for an occasional visit, checking out their downtown art gallery, seeing what's new at the science museum. And the Valles Caldera nature preserve; good for hiking, good for viewing seasonal migrations of deer and elk herds. Probably good for cross-country skiing, too.
As to the bolded, is seems like there's a lot more potential for that in & around Santa Fe, than in Las Cruces. What cities and parks can you drive to from there, for a day?
Quote:
Originally Posted by joqua;
For all of the reasons you mention and more that I can think of, I wish I could afford to live in Santa Fe! I'd certainly have chosen it over Ruidoso for my retirement if COL hadn't gone through the roof by the time I made my choice. Most of the artists with whom I am (was) acquainted were being forced to move to more affordable locales and some of them had been in Santa Fe for many years prior to about 1990.
Some of the people who got pushed out of Santa Fe due to COL increases stayed nearby, in Glorieta or Lamy. Close enough to still be part of the art scene, and everything else.
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But that's me. And Taos is so beautiful, I never tire of going there. There's also Los Alamos, which I enjoy for an occasional visit, checking out their downtown art gallery, seeing what's new at the science museum. And the Valles Caldera nature preserve; good for hiking, good for viewing seasonal migrations of deer and elk herds. Probably good for cross-country skiing, too.
