Is Santa Fe Suitable for 30 year olds who want variety in their city? (Albuquerque: rent)

[junk4kate]

Hello,
My husband and I want to live in a city that has a lot of people in their mid-twenties to 40's. Is Santa Fe for us? We are looking for a variety in our life and enjoy many different outdoor activities, music, art, food, different cultures, but want a social scene that goes with it. We currently live in Las Cruces and really look at the city as a retirement community. I am starting to get that vibe from what I am reading about Santa Fe, which is great for some, but we are doers. We want to meet a lot of young interesting people so we can do different activities with them.

I have also read that rent is high and wages are low. My husband would not have a problem getting work, but I might. I am mostly trained as an administrative assistant but I am wanting to branch out to other fields. Are there many opportunities for growth- new companies? Or has the business sector been stagnant?

I have been reading that Santa Fe is a tourist trap, which can drive up gas prices and restaurant bills. Is this correct?

Although Las Cruces is a beautiful place to live it has really been lacking in variety, the social scene is very low and pay is as well.

Please don't sugar coat Santa Fe. There are always Pro's and Con's to every location. What are they when it comes to what I have asked? Any additional info is welcome, but please be sure to answer my main questions first. We will take your info to heart.

I appreciate your time and answers. We will be visiting this weekend to get another perspective. If nothing else, it will be a nice trip.

Thank you!

[Poncho_NM]

Originally Posted by junk4kate

Hello,
My husband and I want to live in a city that has a lot of people in their mid-twenties to 40's. Is Santa Fe for us?

There is a "Santa Fe age breakdown" here:Moderator cut: link removed, competitor site

And a lot of Santa Fe data here: //www.city-data.com/city/Santa-Fe-New-Mexico.html

[funkymonkey]

Santa Fe is not really a young city. There is a variety of things for a city its size, but the young population is not extensive.

[SunGrins]

"A lot" is relative -- we only have 2 million people in the state so statewide there's not a huge number of anything and it gets spread pretty thin. Plus, people in that age group are often focused on kids. I think the place feels vibrant on some levels (arts, music, etc.) but not really "young". There is a large and growing retiree community in Albuquerque and probably Santa Fe for those who can afford it. Santa Fe is a unique place and is popular with tourists and it caters to tourists -- that has an impact on prices. There are a number of excellent museums so lots to see there and plenty of performances in a wide spectrum of music. There is an interesting craft brewing scene. I have limited experience with Las Cruces, but Santa Fe, even while being smaller, probably has more activities of interest. I think it might depend on what you like to do and how you make friends.

[GreatSantaFe]

You can check with the folks at Meow Wolf. It's a wildly successful organization with several hundred employees - virtually all in their 20s and 30s. They'd be able to best tell you about the scene here for that age group.
There are plenty of restaurants to go to that won't break the bank at all. It's a town with wealthy folks and poorer folks but the majority are in between.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by GreatSantaFe

You can check with the folks at Meow Wolf. It's a wildly successful organization with several hundred employees - virtually all in their 20s and 30s. They'd be able to best tell you about the scene here for that age group.
There are plenty of restaurants to go to that won't break the bank at all. It's a town with wealthy folks and poorer folks but the majority are in between.

I immediately thought of this. There are new enterprises like that, springing up, that are keeping Santa Fe 20-somethings and 30-somethings here, and drawing more to the city.

As to "tourist trap" and restaurants, the touristy part is downtown, though there are good places for locals to hang out around the periphery of downtown, too. But the popular restaurants with the locals tend to be just past the city limits, where rents are cheaper. Once you become a local, you'll find out where those places are. The tourist shops, galleries and eateries are pretty much confined to two areas of town: the downtown core, and Canyon Road.

Still, it IS a small town, OP. You won't find scads of younger people, like you would in NYC, Berkeley/Oakland, CA, or Seattle.

As to wages, if you can get an admin assistant job at one of the charitable foundations or think-tanks in town, your pay scale will be more like a West/East Coast pay scale. Organizations that are funded by grants tend to reflect the pay scale of their major funders, with some exceptions. There's also St. John's College, which has admin openings occasionally, and the community college. You could start out as a temporary worker at the CC, then work into a permanent job.

A new hospital under construction just held to big hiring fairs for office workers. Santa Fe's growing, the job market is expanding here and there. That said, there are still a tone of service jobs, a lot of gallery jobs, that have a base wage, but are commission-oriented. If you can sell art, OP, you'll do well.