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I prefer to live in Santa Fe but might also consider Taos. Please let me know your thoughts regarding Taos. I also posted on the New Mexico forum but there was no response.
Taos tends to be a little cooler, but still its hot in the summers. More snow in the winters, which is good, because there's a ski basin that attracts skiers from around the world.
I hadn't noticed it was unsafe.
Resataurants---good restaurant scene.
Housing: you can find affordable housing here and there, if you look. A lot of the houses around the edges of town look like summer places that have become winter places, though. They look kind of touristy. Like super-cute, quirky adobes. But if you look around in town, or to the south, in Ranchos De Taos, you should find rentals that are cheaper. Will you be renting, or buying?
My feeling is, that Taos is nice for a 3-day visit, but by the end of the 3rd day, you start noticing that it's just another dusty little town. There are motorcycle clubs that roar through, and roar around the plaza in circles, right when people are settling into the restaurants for dinner.
On the positive side, there's a lot of art and culture happening, for a small community. There are good people there. There was also a hippie contingent, as if Taos were the last bastion of the hippie movement, among some of the younger people, but that was years ago. I don't know if that's still true. There's a nice teahouse, a local business making a variety of dry teas for sale, lots of cottage businesses of that sort. THere's a popular grocery store. There used to be a summer international music festival; I don't know if that's still happening.
Traffic can be slow on the main drag through town, which is also a major highway, and gets trucks going through, as well as tourists, but there are side roads the locals use, to avoid that.
Anything else you'd like to know? I like it as an escape from SF, because it has more water, and it's greener. It's like my little respite from the "big city" of Santa Fe. There's a lot of scenic beauty there.
Oops, I never saw your reply, Ruth4Truth! Good information. I prefer Santa Fe, but it is getting so expensive. My plan is to buy. Rancho de Taos looks nice. I’m concerned about medical though since I’m of retirement age. I do love snow though, so that would be nice.
Oops, I never saw your reply, Ruth4Truth! Good information. I prefer Santa Fe, but it is getting so expensive. My plan is to buy. Rancho de Taos looks nice. I’m concerned about medical though since I’m of retirement age. I do love snow though, so that would be nice.
I don't know the medical care situation in Taos. There must be a hospital somewhere around there. Santa Fe, with the new hospital, is well set, medically, by comparison.
Alternatively, you could consider Glorieta, outside Santa Fe, which is significantly cheaper, and you'd still have access to SF medical care and hospitals. Taos isn't cheap for buying, but as I posted earlier, you can find more affordable places scattered around, with a little patience. They might not be quaint or grand architecture, but they'll be solid and cozy.
I was just in Taos a couple weeks ago (before the snow). It is a nice place that caters to tourists and is in a beautiful setting. They have a new University of New Mexico campus just south of town. There's a lot of literary and art history and things to see. A lot of galleries and museums. The Earth Ship community is west of town across the Rio Grande gorge. Taos is close to skiing if that is important. Skiing in the winter and tourism in the summer keeps the place busy. I found it hard to get around but I suppose locals know how to get through the bottlenecks. Taos is pretty small and is a little isolated but nice.
Santa Fe is a lot bigger version of Taos -- very artsy, lots of tourists, skiing, history, scenic. Lots of museums. Canyon Road is possibly the best gallery row in the US. Traffic can be frustrating but they are trying to make it better and once you figure out the pattern it is mostly OK. There is a shuttle around town. The economy includes state government which is stable from year to year. There's a new hospital. Santa Fe is on the interstate and that makes it less isolated. My impression (might be wrong) is that Santa Fe has a stronger civic awareness and involvement.
Housing Costs -- I only know people who have built homes in Taos ($$$)-- Santa Fe can be pricey depending on where you are in town but there are reasonable neighborhoods.
Safety -- not a serious issue in either place as far as I know.
Medical -- Santa Fe wins this topic with the new hospital
Restaurants -- I have never gotten a bad meal in Santa Fe and some have been very memorable. Taos is just OK, not bad. This is the land of red or green chile but it can be a crutch for mediocre cooking.
Weather -- Taos will be colder and probably has more snow. Summers are probably about the same. Both are at about 7,000 ft in elevation. Some people can't handle the elevation.
I was just in Taos a couple weeks ago (before the snow). It is a nice place that caters to tourists and is in a beautiful setting. They have a new University of New Mexico campus just south of town. There's a lot of literary and art history and things to see. A lot of galleries and museums. The Earth Ship community is west of town across the Rio Grande gorge. Taos is close to skiing if that is important. Skiing in the winter and tourism in the summer keeps the place busy. I found it hard to get around but I suppose locals know how to get through the bottlenecks. Taos is pretty small and is a little isolated but nice.
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For an isolated community, Taos has a lot going on. I know of no other communities of that small size, that have so many cultural offerings, and Taos offers a wide variety of them. With a new college campus nearby, that makes it even more attractive. It also brings jobs to the area. And yes, locals know how to avoid the main bottleneck in town.
For an isolated community, Taos has a lot going on. I know of no other communities of that small size, that have so many cultural offerings, and Taos offers a wide variety of them.
City, Population, County, Category
Taos 5,716 Taos Town
Less population than Taos, but yet thriving, popular, and some nice features:
Tucumcari 5,363 Quay City
Placitas 4,977 Sandoval CDP
Bosque Farms 3,904 Valencia Village
Edgewood 3,735 Santa Fe Bernalillo Town
Peralta 3,660 Valencia Town
Less population than Taos, but yet thriving, popular, and some nice features:
Tucumcari 5,363 Quay City
Placitas 4,977 Sandoval CDP
Bosque Farms 3,904 Valencia Village
Edgewood 3,735 Santa Fe Bernalillo Town
Peralta 3,660 Valencia Town
To some extent, Los Alamos, which has a symphony, and art fairs, and science lectures, but still, it's nothing compared to Taos, and it doesn't have Native culture nearby, like Taos does.
I actually meant, when I made that "no other communities' statement--nationwide, not NM. There may be a few around the US, like Asheville, that have local cultural events going on, crafts, bluegrass music, and the like. But they still don't have the wide variety that Taos does: fine art galleries up the wazoo, Native art galleries, a number of museums, the winter and summer Native community feast days, a chamber music ensemble and orchestra, lecture events--even more so, now that there's a college nearby, I think a member of the Nikolai Fechin family still runs a summer fine art school up there, and so on. Of course, Santa Fe has all that and more, but it's 10 times the size of Taos.
I'm not familiar with what the towns you list have to offer.
I'm not familiar with what the towns you list have to offer.
I have, or had friends living in three of those towns. I have been to all those towns probably 10 times or more. In all honesty, Taos is worth visiting if you are in the area...
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