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I am a retiring New York teacher ( 64 days) . I have always wanted to try Santa Fe. But, Las Cruces sounds nice, too. Is there a big difference in ambience , style and price between the two ? Yes, right? Santa Fe is a lot more exdpensive. Is Las Cruces as charming, though? Would you recommend that I rent first or just plunge in and buy a small condo (and how much would they cost , would you think) . Thanks for any help.
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I agree: rent first. Even if you rent in Santa Fe and end up buying, your knowledge of the different areas will make a huge difference in the quality of your ultimate buying decision. As to pricing, you can get a nice 1 bed (450 sq ft) condo here for $140,000 - or a nice 1 bed condo for $800,000! Just like everywhere else, it's all about location - the closer you are to the East Side the more you'll pay. Realistically nowhere in town's more than 25 minutes from anywhere else, but once you see the phrase "walk to Canyon Road", you know you'll be paying premium prices... Me, I prefer being close to Trader Joes & the Santa Fe Baking Company than art galleries, but that's a personal preference ;-]
I've always had a sort of longing to live in the desert, in NM in particular, but I've never been sold on any of its cities. I visited Albuquerque and there was absolutely nothing going on, and the people were not at all interesting. Santa Fe seemed a little better, but still pretty quiet.
Understand that I am coming from Minneapolis, Minnesota - a place overflowing with talented musicians and artists. Walking down the street in Uptown is an adventure. Always something new to see and do. I don't need to be in a place as big as Minneapolis/St. Paul by any means. In fact I like small towns, as long as there are things going on.
The East Mountain area is my favorite for Activities and Summer Recreation throughout the Summer and Fall. And its Close to Smog Ridden and Traffic Congested Santa Fe and Albuquerque. These Cities are nice to Visit and Shop but they are getting too crime ridden and i prefer the country life. The East Mountain has cool summer temps sometimes getting the 40s at night but rarely get to 100 in July. Lots of hiking trails and ski areas around and lots of small towns and friendly people. And Talented Musicians and Artist. el pintada kid
The East Mountain area is my favorite for Activities and Summer Recreation throughout the Summer and Fall. And its Close to Smog Ridden and Traffic Congested Santa Fe and Albuquerque. These Cities are nice to Visit and Shop but they are getting too crime ridden and i prefer the country life. The East Mountain has cool summer temps sometimes getting the 40s at night but rarely get to 100 in July. Lots of hiking trails and ski areas around and lots of small towns and friendly people. And Talented Musicians and Artist. el pintada kid
This sounds like a lovely place. Is there a website we could go to for more info?
Smog Ridden Santa Fe? I don't think so, Pintada Kid - you need to check your facts. As to crime-ridden, again, it's not South Central LA we're talking about here.
Smog Ridden Santa Fe? I don't think so, Pintada Kid - you need to check your facts. As to crime-ridden, again, it's not South Central LA we're talking about here.
Here's a couple of websites about the East Mountain Area (including the Estancia Valley - which slightly overlaps the East Mountain Area around Edgewood).
I've never lived in either Minneapolis or Santa Fe, but have been to both many times. Minneapolis is ok. The "Uptown" they talk about is really a small neighborhood that's being gentryfied by yuppies, there really isn't anything original about it. It's not Soho or Hell's Kitchen in NYC, and it is not Wicker Park, or Lakeview in Chicago. I like Minneapolis, but it pales in comparison with Santa Fe when you compare how interesting the two cities are. The art scene in SF is pretty amazing considering the size of the city. I'd take SF any day.
All big Cities have lots of Traffic smog and Crime but Santa Fe and Albuquerque are not as Bad as other Cities in the U.S. And i would think the Streets in Santa Fe are a lot safer then like Central in Albuquerque. I say rent in the Center of N.M.or rent to own and explore N.M. before spending money on a Place you might not like and end up stuck with it. el pintada kid
Goon, you might like Austin, TX better, if artists and music and "happening" scene are important. I think the "official" population figures puts it about the same size as ABQ, although the metro area might be larger.
As for music here, we just bought our tickets to Etta James. Top tier are already sold out Bummer.
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My Favorite
Bummer.
