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My wife and I moved to Santa Fe from Maine last year. Awesome move! ABQ is about 10 degrees hotter in summer, SF is probably 10 degrees cooler in winter. ABQ has more crime, poverty, and traffic. SF does have more wealth and some are pretentious but not everyone. The people here are generally very friendly and relaxed. Cost of living in ABQ is lower than SF. Corrales is a lovely town but read the book, "Boiling Frogs" before a home buying there.
When we knew we wanted to live in NM, each year we would rent a house in a different city... Las Cruces, Taos, Rio Rancho, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, East Mountains, etc... to get a real feel for the city and its neighborhoods and people. For us, Santa Fe won hands down. Four mild seasons, tons of culture (art, music, crafts), nice friendly people, loads of picturesque hiking trails, dog and bicycle-friendly. It has been a great fit for us.
Last edited by musicbook; 07-08-2014 at 09:00 PM..
I had the same impressions as the OP when I drove through the state. I have been through several states (10+ maybe, not all of them), and I clearly see why they call New Mexico the "Land of Enchantment," as it is the most beautiful state I have seen so far. At least from an outsider's perspective, the air seems really crisp, like a fresh mountain, and the low humidity helps. Not sure how it would be in reality day-to-day, but I definitely can see myself retiring somewhere within NM. That will be X number of decades from now, but I'm sure I will re-visit NM before then.
Much thanks to the previous poster re. the Boiling Frogs book. I had no idea.
Yes, saw the book, did not read it. Someone told me about it. If you believe the author Barbara Rockwell and her group, well, you have a right to believe whatever you want.
Intel is still where it was built.
The village of Corrales, keeps growing. They even have a new entrance on Highway 528 and Northern Blvd. One entrance lane, four exit lanes (Not kidding, might dig up the photos some day)
I had the same impressions as the OP when I drove through the state. I have been through several states (10+ maybe, not all of them), and I clearly see why they call New Mexico the "Land of Enchantment," as it is the most beautiful state I have seen so far. At least from an outsider's perspective, the air seems really crisp, like a fresh mountain, and the low humidity helps. Not sure how it would be in reality day-to-day, but I definitely can see myself retiring somewhere within NM. That will be X number of decades from now, but I'm sure I will re-visit NM before then.
Budgetlord: New Mexico was originally our retirement plan, too, until we found the perfect home in Santa Fe while here on vacation last year. We decided to go ahead and make an offer and then go back to Maine, sell our home and prepare to move. I tell friends "We closed our eyes and held hands and jumped... and, somehow, landed on our feet." We're in the middle of four mountain ranges and see incredible sunrises and sunsets daily. The Plaza has free concerts each night. Santa Fe National Forest is a 20 minute drive away (1.6 million acres, in case we miss trees). Easy access to Albuquerque, Taos, Madrid, hiking trails, pueblos, etc. Ten months later, living here still feels like we're away on vacation. We'll retire when we're OLD! (6 or 7 years from now.)
Poncho_NM: I did not mean to rile anyone regarding Corrales. Someone once suggested we check out Corrales as a desirable town to settle in. We visited and looked at a few homes... tons of them were for sale even back then... we came away with a good impression. Then we read "Boiling Frogs". It contained enough documentation and meeting minutes and letters to convince us to cross Corrales off our list. I only suggested that the original poster check out the book. Obviously, people will make up their own minds, given the facts from both sides.
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(Not kidding, might dig up the photos some day)
