Pros & Cons of living in Santa Fe ??? (sales, transporting)

[Lovehound]

Originally Posted by mortimer

Vinegaroon asserted:

> Mortimer continues to disprove the infinite monkey theorem.

By definition, that theorem cannot be disproven.

Actually I think that given enough time City-Data will prove that you don't even need an infinite amount of monkeys and an infinite amount of time. In fact I expect to see Shakespeare and the Bible coming out on C-D any day now!

[lemon&lime]

I don't live in Santa Fe, I live in Albuquerque, but I will offer this: New Mexico is more conventional to some degree than Portland. Don't let the artsy thing throw you off. There are artistic people here and people *can* have a live and let live vibe, but the state is also pretty left wing judgemental and politically correct.

If you don't move to Santa Fe, don't move to New Mexico period.

Originally Posted by acs.1979

Hello All…

I am currently living in Portland, OR, which I like very much. However, the winters here nearly drive me insane. The summers here are wonderful, but each winter is 6 months or more of cold, dark, damp days. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind the cold once in a while, I grew up in New England… but combined with a wet climate, and very little sunlight…I find myself feeling like a corpse by the time each January ends...and winter drags on ‘till April…some say ‘till July in these parts.

Despite that, I do love Portland for its culture, its “live & let live” vibe, and the quantity/variety of its bars & restaurants. So, the thought of leaving it makes me a bit nervous. I am looking for a city that can offer me at least some of what Portland can, but with way more sunny lazy days. Can anyone give me some pointers on what is nice and what is not so nice about living in Santa Fe? Is it tough to find a job (I work in waste management & also freelance art & design) ? Is it tough to find affordable rental housing in a decent neighborhood? Does Santa Fe have a variety (or…any?) of affordable bars & restaurants that cater to it’s locals, not just tourists??? That last one may sound petty, but to me it is one of the best things about Portland…tons of reasonably priced, non-touristy bars & restaurants with great happy hours. Thanks in advance!!

[Towanda]

Originally Posted by catrinac

but the state is also pretty left wing judgemental and politically correct.

I ignore the politically correct stuff no matter where I live.

[kathleenssal]

On another note, if anyone out there is able to post a good comparison of SF, ABQ, and maybe say, Las Cruces...(or anywhere else you find relevant) I would love to hear it...

I relocated to Las Cruces from California about 8 months ago. I work here full time, was hired from California with excellent references. I am extremely disappointed in how labor is viewed here, very little respect. I have heard this same observation and experience from others who have relocated here to work and from students who are in the University system and looking to leave once they graduate. The people here are very nice and that is a great attribute to this city. However, it sort of ends there for me. I am looking for work in Albuquerque or Santa Fe. I think Portland is a great city - has vision, sophistication, variety. You will not get that here in LC. This doesn't mean this is not a nice place, it just is not a place for me.
Hope this helps a bit.

[Towanda]

kathleen:

Perhaps you could post a thread on the general New Mexico forum, and you will probably get more response from people about all three areas.

In my own opinion, I think there are great differences among those three cities ... and we all have our favorites, so it might be hard to get a real objective viewpoint.

But it would be interesting to see the response you would get.

[kathleenssal]

Towanda-

Thanks for responding. I will pass on a general thread post. Last time I did that, I asked if there were other Californians living in Las Cruces that could respond and tell me how things were for them OMG! I heard from people who did not like people from California!

My sense of Santa Fe is that is has more of the vibe that I like, that I am happy with and that is somewhat exhilerating. (spelling??)

Of the three cities (LC, Albuquerque and Santa Fe) which is your fave?

thank you

[Lovehound]

I'd like to see that topic. I hope I see and recognize it. Yes I do routinely scan the NM forum, as I am very serious about possibly relocating to NM.

[nhRN]

Have you thought of Salt Lake City or that area? It is beautiful, mountainous, has 4 distinct seasons but spring really comes in March and winter doesn't seem to arrive until early December. My daughter & her family live there and I am thinking of moving there (still exploring my options)...primarily because I want to be near my grand kids, but also because where I live the winters seem exceptionally long and the days too short. Just a thought!

Originally Posted by acs.1979

Thank you for your in depth and well thought out response. It sure beat "buy a plane ticket" lol. I guess the moral of the story is that you can't have everything, and/or the grass is always greener (make that browner on yours...j/k) on the other side. My ideal city COULD be smaller than Portland, but I know I would not deal well in a true "small town". 65,000 is smaller than I usually prefer, but it is not so small that it would be intolerable I suppose. Some of it is all in community feel...though Portland has 500,xxx people, it still manages to feel like a small town......with lots of different neighborhoods. On the other hand, in say, South Florida, even the suburbs feel like massive cities because of poor planning, traffic, and general angst among its citizens.

Ironicly, most plants that I have here that like a lot of water, I kill. I do far better with cacti & succulents...another reason I am strangly interested in a dry sunny climate. Also, though I never had them before, I have developed allergies here in Portland...most probably because of all the moisture & mold spores in the air. I could be wrong, but isnt a high & dry climate like SF supposed to be gentle to allergy sufferers?

[loborick]

Originally Posted by nhRN

Have you thought of Salt Lake City or that area? It is beautiful, mountainous, has 4 distinct seasons but spring really comes in March and winter doesn't seem to arrive until early December. My daughter & her family live there and I am thinking of moving there (still exploring my options)...primarily because I want to be near my grand kids, but also because where I live the winters seem exceptionally long and the days too short. Just a thought!

My ex-girlfriend was from SLC and she liked the weather better in SF. She said they got snow until May and sometimes got it in October. And I visited once and it had a very strange "vibe" to me. The city is, of course, dominated by Mormons. I have met many Mormons and they are some of the nicest people I've met. But their culture is different and attitudes toward things. Very different from SF. I think the difference in the cultures is what finally broke us up.

[Lovehound]

That's exactly why I haven't looked in UT for my relocation. Mormons are great people in my experience (camping in UT a lot) and they take great care of their cities and state. It's just that for the most part they socialize within the church, and I believe that a non-Mormon could get pretty lonesome there. Since most of the people in most of the smaller towns are Mormon I'm pretty sure the people I dealt with in stores, gas stations, camp grounds, etc., were Mormon, and they were without exception very nice to me, very helpful. If I was willing to switch to Mormonism I would seriously locate there, but I'm not religious.

Cedar City and St. George have large non-Mormon populations and would be more hospitable to non-Mormons (IMO).

I love visiting UT, and in fact one reason in favor of my moving to Santa Fe is that it's closer to UT than where I am now.