Considering moving to Santa Fe: Advice? (Albuquerque, Rio Rancho: subdivision, live in, zoning)

[Devin Bent]

EnjoyEP,

You wear me down with the length of your responses.

I am willing to concede that that SF is zone 1, five miles south of the North Pole, and this is Santa's workshop and we are all elves.

But working conditions are good, the pay is decent, and Mrs. Santa bakes cookies.

And -- the guy in charge in LC-EP is red all over, he sports horns, and his satanic grin doesn't compare to Santa's Ho-Ho-Ho.

[TigerLily24]

Cathy, I think the turning brown, etc. is a natural reaction to the cold winters. Just a month ago, virtually all of the palm fronds in my LC neighborhood were brown and looked really pitiful. This week most of them are green on top and look beautiful. I love the palms and am still greatly amused by the fact that I have both a palm tree and a pine tree within five feet of each other in my back yard.
Great debate on the hardiness zones I've taken to just wandering around the neighborhood and the local nurseries to get an idea of what grows here. The fact that the nurseries sell rows and rows of herb and vegetable plants leads me to believe that they will grow locally with the right amount of attention.
Anyway, good luck everyone with your moving/visiting plans. Enjoy!

[Lovehound]

Originally Posted by Dancingearth

I think I prefer the mountain towns--have you been to Silver City? I've never been there but am tempted except I might have to sell pottery to supplement my income when I retire and am concerned about the size.

I have an Internet friend who lives in Silver City. He and his wife contributed a recipe to my website, Pedernales River Chili, which is probably not the kind of chili discussed in this thread. Anyway they wanted to make one of my other recipes (My Big Fat Greek Hamburgers) and couldn't even find ground lamb in Silver City. He says that their supermarkets don't have quite the variety that big city supermarkets have. I don't want to live in a town that doesn't have most of the big city benefits. That's one reason that Santa Fe appeals to me. They've got every big city benefit that I want and need. I'm sure however that Silver City is a nice place to visit, and probably a good place to live for those who aren't as finicky as me.

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by EnjoyEP

It isn't so much that I love palm trees or hate them (although admittedly I do tend to love them), it is what they REPRESENT.

If palms are growing commonly and freely over a particular area, it means that the climate is warm enough to support them. Except for a very bare minimum species, palms will only grow in climates respectably warm year-round (zones 7 and up).

To me, that is the good stuff. It isn't so much the actual palm tree, but it is the climatic zone that growing and thriving in represents!

Ok, I see what you mean!

It's just too bad that the palms here don't seem to be very well taken care of. It may also get too cold at rare times for some of them, though there ARE cold-hardy varieties and another class of related plants that are not actually palms--but whose name I cannot remember right now!!

Right now, it's perfect outside......72, 18% humidity and nicely cloudy.

I have green tomatoes now that will soon ripen....I did all container plants here, and was able to bring them in at night when it got below the mid-40s.

I plan on starting them even earlier next year, as I usually start my own transplants rather than buying them. With mobility, you have so much more control!!

[Towanda]

Cathy:

I appreciate your posts about your movable plants. I was not even thinking about that when I mentally have been planning my vegie garden in Santa Fe.

Now I have learned that I must put my plants on wheels to bring in at night.

Man I LOVE fresh tomatoes!!!

[ziaAirmac]

Originally Posted by Towanda

Hey, Dancingearth:

I heard Horseman's Haven has a reputation for the hottest green chile in Santa Fe....do you agree?

Haven't been there yet....

Had a buddy of mine that grew up with me in Santa Fe, but left to Virginia and was back on a vacation. We hit Horseman's so he could take a trip down memory lane. Apparently it's a built up resistance, because he looked like Ben Stiller in that 'spicy food' scene in Along Came Polly. Literally sweating profusely and considering not finishing the meal. I know some people like to mess around with restaurant's reputations, but Horseman's is no joke! BTW, traditionally red isn't anywhere near as hot, especially there.

[Xavious Orgus]

I know this appears to be a bit off the current subject. But..... Anybody know anything about the Airport Road area?

While it appears that you can buy more home for the money than other locations in and around Santa Fe, it looks as though there are an awful lot of homes for sale in that area. Is this an undesirable location?

Thanks

[EnjoyEP]

Originally Posted by Cathy4017

It's just too bad that the palms here don't seem to be very well taken care of. It may also get too cold at rare times for some of them, though there ARE cold-hardy varieties

To me, the best palm trees to grow (that are readily available) for an Alamogordo or a Las Cruces would be the a) Washingtonia Filifera (California Fan Palm) or the b) Trachycarpus Fortunei (Windmill Palm)...both are pretty common in the Las Cruces area (would imagine also Alamo) as well as El Paso and are well-suited to grow in that climate.

Generally, winter temps will "burn" some fronds brown - especially on the smaller / younger palm trees or on the fronds on the lower section of the "crown" - but once spring returns, the full crown should be brilliantly green, and on the palms that are low enough to the ground, owners should generally ideally cut off the brown / dead fronds.

What you might be seeing is some "pushing" of palms like Washingtonia Robusta (Mexican fan palm) - a less cold hardy palm (cousin to the Washingtonia Filifera) - that likely could grow in Alamo successfully in the correct microclimate, however, would indeed require more TLC and care, even more than what would be required in the super nice thermal zone that is El Paso.

Other ones that would fall into this category - better suited for El Paso / Juarez, etc., but *could* be done under the right circumstance in Alamo likely but would require a lot more TLC / care otherwise they could look pretty bad or die:

Phoenix Canariensis and Phoenix Dactylifera...these two varieties have a different look to them, and they are commonly found in El Paso (although not quite as common as the Washingtonia varieties)...they are neat looking and have a more "tropical" look, perhaps more like you'd imagine seeing in Florida. They are not terribly cold hardy though, so would require just as much care as the Washingtonia Robusta.

Originally Posted by Cathy4017

and another class of related plants that are not actually palms--but whose name I cannot remember right now!!

I bet you are talking about cycads? A commonly used palm in El Paso / Las Cruces is the sago palm - a really neat looking palm - but *truly* it isn't a palm, it is a cycad.

I bet that is what you mean. Otherwise, surely a lot of the yucca varieties (Yucca Faxonia) have a palm tree look / similarity and are used ultra frequently.

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by Towanda

Cathy:

I appreciate your posts about your movable plants. I was not even thinking about that when I mentally have been planning my vegie garden in Santa Fe.

Now I have learned that I must put my plants on wheels to bring in at night.

Man I LOVE fresh tomatoes!!!

Glad to help out......the nights are just now getting to the upper 40s and 50s, so plants of this size tolerate them pretty well. I even forgot about them one night, down to 36, but it didn't seem to bother them that much.

You can see the container here, though these two plants are not the ones that have tomatoes on them...but they're loaded with blooms. They are in a fenced corner now for protection from wind...and as it gets hotter, I'll move them to a location where they can get more fresh air and a little more shade in the hottest part of the afternoon.

This is my first year to try these, so I'll let you know if I get decent production!!

The dirt here at the house is heavy clay, gooey and sticky. I have no experience with this type of soil at all. I'm used to well-draining sand, so the container plants in a potting mixture are probably a good idea!!

[ziaAirmac]

Originally Posted by Xavious Orgus

... Anybody know anything about the Airport Road area?

There was a huge glut of houses built out there, and they're a bit cookie cutter (even in a town known for two driving architectural themes: brown and square.). Rio rancho and the west side of Albuquerque has a lot of this too. If you missed an architectural detail you wanted to see, don't turn around, just go down a few more houses. I think that cookie cutter feel leads people to think of the houses as transitional, leading to a lot of turnover, but I digress...

Back to Airport. It's spotty and as far from what some people (realtors, mostly) consider the desirable center of Santa Fe is (the Plaza). By spotty, I mean that those subdivisions aren't terrible, but some of the convenience stores along Airport are well past 'filled with character' and straight into 'mental note: don't go in unless its daytime and you have no other choice.'. It's a mixed bag, with a country club, mobile home parks, older low-end apartments, some small businesses/art centers & schools and the Santa Fe County Detention Center. You're also out on the 'flat' side of town, with none of the interesting mountains or views nearby like downtown and not much in the way of trees, except for the ubiquitous short, round pines.

That said, you are:

Minutes from Santa Fe place and the Outlet stores (shopping)

Minutes from downtown or I-25 via the 599 relief route.

Looking at some of the lowest price per sq. ft. homes in Santa Fe.

Minutes from regional chartered flying service (no big jets...yet) at Santa Fe airport (hence the moniker 'Airport Road'.).

Minutes from a great community center, Down Rodeo Road called the 'Genoveva Chavez Community Center, with multiple huge pools, nice exercise areas and all that.

Minutes from the Santa Fe Rodeo grounds (Rodeo Road).

Minutes from the Community College in case you're interested in doing some continuing education.


Like any spotty area, I wouldn't give it a blanket 'undesirable' but would absolutely not buy/rent sight unseen.