Living in Santa Fe, NM

[trubbaman 36]

I can back up the health care comments. I've got a brother-in-law who has lived there for a few years, mother-in-law lived out there for a bit and we had begun to consider moving there eventually as well because so much really does seem great. Our visits were very enjoyable and we did see that there are some things that do stand out - it's dry, dry, dry, the kind of dry that sneaks up on you in ways you don't expect. Think skin considerations, from dryness and from UV exposure, and they're not kidding about staying hydrated. There's predators that will take cats or small to medium sized dogs, depending on where you live. 

My brother-in-law had a mild heart attack last week. Pretty minor, something dealt with easily and daily here but in Santa Fe, outside of basic stent insertion, he was going to have to be moved to ABQ for anything more complicated. Fortunately it wasn't necessary, but we did find out that Santa Fe is still a lot more small town than it is growing city and that is very much reflected in the quality and availability of health care beyond preventive and first-level needs so if you anticipate the potential for health problems that require more, know that you will likely have to travel for it and put up with the housing and extra costs that'll involve.

[MalibuSheriff 1090]

I’ve spent a lot of time in Santa Fe and for most part, have loved the vast majority of my experiences.  Great people, great food, climate for bulk of the year is stellar.  When we lived in Austin, our plan was also moving to Santa Fe in some capacity - full time or half the year.

NNM hits all the points.  The tri-culture is a constant source of angst among the three (my in-laws have a place in Chama and Rio Arriba County takes it up a few notches, although they’ve never had any direct property problems.)  The best way to describe it is it always seems like someone has been wronged, everywhere you look.  Artist Eli Levin has many paintings that relate to the tri-culture:

Crime can be bad in Santa Fe and some downright mean shit has happened nearby some places we’ve stayed.  There is a darker side to the City Different.

We love Ski Santa Fe.  It’s damn sure not Vail but if good snow year (many years in a row now for good snow) it’s great to be able to drive 30 minutes up the mountain, hit the slopes, and then back to town for fantastic dinner.

Now that we’re in Tulsa, we’re looking for at places in Colorado or even Wyoming for a place down the road.  With that said, there is no finer place to be in the Fall than Santa Fe.  Aspens on the Sangres, roasting chilies, great weather - tough to beat.  Santa Fe will always be special place for me.

[Hagbard Celine 10907]

Spoiler

 

sssssshhhhhh

[jimmyjazz 46046]

11 hours ago, Hagbard Celine said:

sssssshhhhhh

A little on the cold side for us.

[Texzilla58 4742]

We love Santa Fe and the area as tourists. We used to go down a lot when we lived in Denver. While it does have four seasons it is high desert and it’s a dry cold just like it’s a dry heat. As in Denver, 20 and sunny is way warmer than the 10 months of 44 and rain we shivered thru in Portland.

We first went there back in the 80’s when the primary influence from outside was Texas; thru the years we did not like the influx from California there anymore than we disliked their influx into Austin or PNW.

There are similar places along the southern tier of Colorado like Durango, Ouray, and Pagosa Springs. We love that area as well. Or Kingman AZ. We’re a bit different. We’ve travelled all over the world for work, I’ve tired of the foodie restaurant scene to cook myself, and like small town living as long as we’re an hour to a city.

[thrillhammer 684]

• we moved to austin the exact same time, 1982.  i'm too thinking of moving one day soon.  santa fe is on the list but i dont think it would make the top 5.   cost of living for one.  the tri-culture factor is a plus to me, not a downside.  the cold also is more of a pro than a con.   my concern for you would be that you're not into southwestern art of culture.  santa fe is the hub of that.  if you dont like paintings of desert landscapes, you're not going to like living in the desert, nor the view from your living room for that matter.  if you dont like clay pots, you're not going to like the clay your house is built on.  i do believe new mexico is the land of enchantment.  i feel that way way every time i go there.  its a special place, and has a special feeling when you get out of your car.  i've been to santa fe ten times or more, and love it, but as a residence i feel it's  30 years too late.  been done already.  would you consider a smaller town, something like springdale, kanab, or st george, utah?

[next2naus 439]

22 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

OK, fine.  Not a MAGAt.  Good enough for you?

Yeah, I wasn't angling for politics, or trying to be an asshole, just curious what you meant or what your intent was/is. 

[Hagbard Celine 10907]

1 hour ago, thrillhammer said:

• springdale, kanab, or st george

if you have children or want to leave behind an estate, buying in southern utah or the 4 corners should be carefully considered around the water situation in any given location

southwestern utah especially simply does not have the water resources to sustain current growth rates

kanab is extremely well placed for exploration of the secret places but as with other options, long-term health care is 5 hours away in vegas or gslc

[thrillhammer 684]

27 minutes ago, Hagbard Celine said:

if you have children or want to leave behind an estate, buying in southern utah or the 4 corners should be carefully considered around the water situation in any given location

southwestern utah especially simply does not have the water resources to sustain current growth rates

kanab is extremely well placed for exploration of the secret places but as with other options, long-term health care is 5 hours away in vegas or gslc

good point about us aging and needing more ready access to healthcare as we age.  those places i mentioned are far from a decent hospital.   i almost mentioned water in my comments about santa fe.  not sure it's any more sustainable there than southern utah.  shitloads of subdivisions and homes built in the last few decades.

[jimmyjazz 46046]

It seems to me that living on the SW side of Santa Fe would put one fairly close to Albuquerque and better healthcare facilities.  How good they are, I don't know, and I have no idea what that area is like as far as living conditions go.

[billfromlaketravis 11521]

On 7/7/2023 at 5:54 AM, jimmyjazz said:

My wife and I are slowly reaching the end of our rope in Austin.  She was born and raised here, and hasn't ever lived anywhere else.  I got here as soon as I could (1982).  Neither of us are as disilllusioned with the explosive growth and inherent change as many Austinites, but at the same time, a little less daily hassle would be nice.  With our two youngest currently in school at UT, it's time to consider a move.

We originally wanted to find a beach community for eventual retirement, but for various reasons, those we find attractive are either too expensive or too far removed from our "demographic" to be optimal.  So, we're thinking about Santa Fe.  I work remote most days, even though I live 7 miles from my office.  7 or 700 doesn't make much difference, and I can fly in when I need to.

Have any surlies lived in or near Santa Fe in recent years?  We spent part of our honeymoon there many years ago, and honestly, we really enjoyed it.  It's a small city, the food is fantastic, and although we don't really enjoy cowboy & southwestern art, it seems to be pretty vibrant, regardless.

Any firsthand thoughts on daily life there?  Weather, outdoor activities, shopping, etc.?  Are the locals friendly or are Texans less than welcome?  I appreciate any input.

I'd wait until your kids finish school. It was a real blessing having my folks nearby. Free laundry and food are given, but I never felt closer to them. I'd meet my mom and dad every Friday at Player's for an early dinner. It was really nice. 

[MAUFRAIS 6632]

Nerd. Got it.

[Rimbo 26037]

On 7/7/2023 at 4:14 AM, jimmyjazz said:

Eh, fine art is pretty far down on our list of "gotta haves".  I'm more interested in learning about the people, the outdoor life, etc.  How easy is it to go skiing, for instance?  The idea of a day trip to a ski slope without dealing with hotels, etc. is pretty attractive.

Really easy. The locals go to Pajarito over in Los Alamos.

[CycleTex87 2980]

This is a great thread and timely for my wife and me. Kids are done with college, we can’t permanently leave Houston for reasons, but would love a place in a different climate than hot and wet. Great thoughtful discussions on real issues like water and healthcare.  

[dmtx 159]

Also to add... friends had a vacation townhouse in Santa Fe for 15 years. Sold it in 2020. They are now building their retirement house in St George UT l. FWIW 

[Bozo_Casanova 26521]

I'm almost ready to go. I think I could handle Amarillo, but nobody seems to like it there but me. Last kid out of high school in 11 months, basically my only requirement is to be someplace dry and close to an airport. I've looked at Santa Fe and my pal lives there. I never wanted to live anyplace other than Texas but between the increasing humidity and the influx of mean spirited assholes I don't know if I have the stomach for what comes next.

[Hank Scorpio 17729]

Bunch of old fucks talking about Santa Fe. Who would have guessed. 

Edited July 8, 2023 by Hank Scorpio

[DalTxHornFan 3114]

7 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

I'm almost ready to go. I think I could handle Amarillo, but nobody seems to like it there but me. Last kid out of high school in 11 months, basically my only requirement is to be someplace dry and close to an airport. I've looked at Santa Fe and my pal lives there. I never wanted to live anyplace other than Texas but between the increasing humidity and the influx of mean spirited assholes I don't know if I have the stomach for what comes next.

I have cousins in AMA, and my daughter worked as a nurse there.  They all think that it is a great under the radar place.  Cool stuff going on downtown and plenty of non-chain food these days.  Well situated for quick trips to mountains in NM and CO.

[Bozo_Casanova 26521]

4 minutes ago, DalTxHornFan said:

I have cousins in AMA, and my daughter worked as a nurse there.  They all think that it is a great under the radar place.  Cool stuff going on downtown and plenty of non-chain food these days.  Well situated for quick trips to mountains in NM and CO.

That's what I'm saying mane!

Look at this shit

Edited July 8, 2023 by Bozo_Casanova

[PRONG HORN 3150]

5 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

A little on the cold side for us.

 

Nearly identical average temps all year.  January high/low:   SAL 43/12,  SF 42/17.

 

Salida

 

Santa Fe

[jimmyjazz 46046]

Makes a difference.  Prong away.

[Hank Scorpio 17729]

Is 10,000 waves still open? That place is awesome. Shit, I’m an old fuck too. 

[Butch Had Not 2991]

For me this could be anecdotal. I lived in New Mexico for about 15 years. My parents and my brother still live there. I have no desire to go back. The best way to describe it is that the state sucks the life out of you. It is really hard to escape your past. I would never recommend young people to move there either. If your committed to the outdoors and that will be a large part of your new life you will be pleased with the recreational activities. If you plan to live in the cities and try to enjoy that kind of life, you might end up painfully bored. Only so many blue corn enchiladas one can eat. It does have a unique history and places and things that are completely different from the Texas experience but even with that you could get tapped out quickly. 

If you are looking for higher elevations (7000 ft elevation) with nice summers and skiing in the winter, Pinetop has Sunrise and flagstaff has Snow Bowl. A little lower and Durango has a lot of the same things nearby. 

[Hermanator 7129]

58 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

I'm almost ready to go. I think I could handle Amarillo, but nobody seems to like it there but me. Last kid out of high school in 11 months, basically my only requirement is to be someplace dry and close to an airport. I've looked at Santa Fe and my pal lives there. I never wanted to live anyplace other than Texas but between the increasing humidity and the influx of mean spirited assholes I don't know if I have the stomach for what comes next.

Most of the mean assholes were always here they just were shamed into keeping that shit to themselves for the most part. Something has happened in the last decade to change that...

[thrillhammer 684]

1 hour ago, Butch Had Not said:

Only so many blue corn enchiladas one can eat.

what in the holy fuck?  there is no end.

[jimmyjazz 46046]

Just now, thrillhammer said:

what in the holy fuck?  there is no end.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I could eat New Mexican food morning, noon and night for the rest of my life and never be unsatisfied.  It's absolutely glorious.

[MAUFRAIS 6632]

Cool. I’m not the one that needs to move away from my hometown.

[jimmyjazz 46046]

4 minutes ago, MAUFRAIS said:

Cool. I’m not the one that needs to move away from my hometown.

Do you have a point?

[DalTxHornFan 3114]

1 hour ago, jimmyjazz said:

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I could eat New Mexican food morning, noon and night for the rest of my life and never be unsatisfied.  It's absolutely glorious.

I always answer "Christmas" when asked if red or green!

[MAUFRAIS 6632]

Do you have a point?

Good luck out there.

[jimmyjazz 46046]

15 minutes ago, MAUFRAIS said:

Good luck out there.

Thanks, Dad.

[Hagbard Celine 10907]

flagstaff is interesting except the airport is barely served.... typically a single RJ on a 1-hour hop to PHX every day, except like for this next week where there are ZERO flights for a week

at least st.george has some air service - AA 1x to/from dfw, AA 1x to/from phx, DL 2x to/from gslc and UA 1x to/from den

sgu seems to have reach critical mass on air travel

[jw4381 3093]

We've lived in northern New Mexico for over 25 years. 

We absolutely love it here. The architecture, the art, music, food, the mountains, the culture, the Pueblos, the climate all make a great place to live.

There's stuff I'd change, but it's a bit minor (the medical stuff mentioned above is correct).

We went in to Santa Fe and Albuquerque all the time when we lived in Los Alamos. Since moving to Taos, we don't leave here much unless it's to go up into the mountains to camp, hike, or mountain bike, snowshoe or ski. 

Let me know if you make it out this way. Maybe we could drink a beer or something.

[MAUFRAIS 6632]

More pictures of wife pls

[BottleRocket 647]

The wife and I just got back from a trip to Red River, Angel Fire, and Cimarron.  We're thinking about a move to Angel FIre in the next five years.   I'm concerned that the community is too small, but dang it's beautiful.  I think access to healthcare would be the big issue.

[jw4381 3093]

4 minutes ago, BottleRocket said:

The wife and I just got back from a trip to Red River, Angel Fire, and Cimarron.  We're thinking about a move to Angel FIre in the next five years.   I'm concerned that the community is too small, but dang it's beautiful.  I think access to healthcare would be the big issue.

do it gif

[jw4381 3093]

2 hours ago, BottleRocket said:

The wife and I just got back from a trip to Red River, Angel Fire, and Cimarron.  We're thinking about a move to Angel FIre in the next five years.   I'm concerned that the community is too small, but dang it's beautiful.  I think access to healthcare would be the big issue.

Just a little more info on my experience - Angel Fire is really remote. 30 min to Taos, another 1.5 to Santa Fe. But damn is it beautiful over there. We went for the 4th on the motorcycle. Went to the Viet Nam memorial and for a beer at the brewery. Good times. The drive between here and there is really spectacular, up and over Pelo Flechado Pass. You'd have to be ready for being in the middle of nowhere, for sure.

[rage-a-holic 4440]

3 hours ago, jw4381 said:

do it gif

I love Taos, been visiting there since I was a kid in the 80s, but you gotta drive to Santa Fe anytime you want something bigger/better than a shitty Walmart. 

Hard to live there unless you're a hippie or a rich asshole that sends the servants to SF for shopping.

[RPM 26336]

Apparently they have commuter rail service.

 

[CycleTex87 2980]

$9.00 one way from Santa Fe to ABQ.  Pretty cheap. 

[CHIEF 5094]

I lived in Durango for a year and a half, and really loved it. It has a small liberal arts college, Ft. Lewis, where I went my freshman year. Had a season pass to Purgatory (25-30 minutes away). Durango is in the "banana belt". Overnight snow tended to melt off by the middle of the day. There are great streams to fish, hiking trails, golf courses, bars, restaurants, City Market grocery stores, etc.

Mesa Verde is over in Cortez, you have Silverton and Ouray to the north with hundreds of miles of jeep trails, public land to hunt, with thousands of elk coming downslope to the Animas river valley in winter. You will have professors from the college, to meet, for intellectual conversations and a place to go to concerts. There would be likeminded musicians, if you wanted to start up a band. 

I'm not sure about the healthcare, but MoJames should know because he lives there and is a physician. There are direct flights into Dallas, or Houston from La Plata County Airport. Jump on a connecting flight, and you are back in Austin.

CHIEF

[jw4381 3093]

Mrs JW says hook ‘em y’all. 

[Butch Had Not 2991]

3 hours ago, RPM said:

Apparently they have commuter rail service.

 

My brother's wife is an attorney and she did or does this trek daily. I never asked how it goes though. 

[Carl Spackler 3488]

18 hours ago, Hagbard Celine said:

flagstaff is interesting except the airport is barely served.... typically a single RJ on a 1-hour hop to PHX every day, except like for this next week where there are ZERO flights for a week

Flagstaff also gets almost as much snow per year as Buffalo. 

Flag is great in the summer.  The winter?  You better like snow and cold temps.  It's beautiful country up there, though.

[Hpara759 1780]

23 hours ago, DalTxHornFan said:

 Well situated for quick trips to mountains in NM and CO.

Yep

[Texzilla58 4742]

Flagstaff also gets almost as much snow per year as Buffalo. 
Flag is great in the summer.  The winter?  You better like snow and cold temps.  It's beautiful country up there, though.

But it’s a dry snow in AZ. Half of Lake Erie dumps snow on Buffalo; it’s heavy and wet and fucking ball killin cold. I wouldn’t live there with nfl money.

[BottleRocket 647]

Just a little more info on my experience - Angel Fire is really remote. 30 min to Taos, another 1.5 to Santa Fe. But damn is it beautiful over there. We went for the 4th on the motorcycle. Went to the Viet Nam memorial and for a beer at the brewery. Good times. The drive between here and there is really spectacular, up and over Pelo Flechado Pass. You'd have to be ready for being in the middle of nowhere, for sure.

We were at the memorial in Angel Fire on the 3rd and then in Cimarron on the 4th for their rodeo. I have strong ties to Philmont and plenty of friends in Colfax county which is the main reason we would consider this move. It would be a big change from Austin for sure. Thanks for the feedback.

[RPM 26336]

29 minutes ago, Butch Had Not said:

My brother's wife is an attorney and she did or does this trek daily. I never asked how it goes though. 

I consider any rail a positive, but I understand the frustration. The TRE was pretty bumpy service/schedule wise when it started. 

[CooterBrown 18022]

1 hour ago, CHIEF said:

There are direct flights into Dallas, or Houston from La Plata County Airport. Jump on a connecting flight, and you are back in Austin.

Southwest now has direct flights from Montrose to Austin.

From the press release:

The 2-hour and 20-minute flight will operate once a week on Saturdays. Outgoing flights depart Austin at 11:05 a.m. and arrive in Montrose at 12:25 p.m. local time. Incoming flights from Colorado leave at 1:05 p.m. and arrive at 4:25 p.m.

[Butch Had Not 2991]

1 hour ago, Carl Spackler said:

Flagstaff also gets almost as much snow per year as Buffalo. 

Flag is great in the summer.  The winter?  You better like snow and cold temps.  It's beautiful country up there, though.

And trains. You better get used to that fucking train going through town 10 times a day.