Denver or Santa Fe? (Boulder, Aspen: real estate, crimes, homes)

[Lainya234]

I currently live in California, having moved out here from Denver. I absolutely loved Denver and have a desire to move back in about two years. However, I am also very curious about Santa Fe, but I never lived there. How do the two compare on the following issue: weather (prefer lots of sunshine), city life, outdoor activities, cost of living. I know I could answer some of these questions through web searches, but if anyone has lived in both cities or simply has inside knowledge of both, I'd love to hear from you. Thanks!

[tfox]

Well, the glaring differences between the two is that Denver has plenty of jobs and Santa Fe doesn't. Also, Denver is a metro area of 2 million people, whereas Santa Fe and all its surroundings together have less than 100k, though within an hour of Albuquerque with roughly 500k people.

Climate in Santa Fe is very similar in terms of temperature and sunniness, but it is a bit drier, and less prone to the occasional big snowstorm that we get in Denver, with less snow on average as well. So, Santa Fe's climate is preferable in that sense. Santa Fe is higher in elevation and more in the foothills, whereas Denver is on the plains next to the foothills. I'd give a slight edge to Santa Fe in terms of climate.

Cost of living is relatively high in both places, but higher in Santa Fe. The main difference, however, is that salaries are much lower in Santa Fe for the same work.

Santa Fe is a great town to visit, but it's not IMO well suited for most given its lack of a significant private sector employment base. Many residents there have been able to bring their work with them or have independent means, so that's caused prices to be out of line with salaries in the area, much like many mountain communities here in Colorado.

[vegaspilgrim]

Denver vs Albuquerque would be a better comparison than Denver vs Santa Fe. That's like saying, should I move to Los Angeles, CA, or Sedona, AZ? Although even ABQ is much smaller than Denver. If I could live in Santa Fe, NM, I would, but for all practical intents and purposes Denver is the only real option between the two if you need to keep a career going.

[DenverAztec]

Very little middle class in Santa Fe, Vegaspilgrim gives good guidance in refering you to the Denver vs Albuquerque discussion. I drive down to Santa Fe twice a year for the art, food and opera. The blend of structures with the natural environment is unique, the art on Canyon is international and the opera is some of the best in the country. It is all about the arts there, however, few if any other industries have settled in that area, compared to other areas of New Mexico. Santa Fe is fantastic for a visit but living would be difficult to sustain unless you are independently stable.

[Vertigo7]

I've lived in both Santa Fe and Denver. I didn't like Denver because I do not like cities, but for a big city, Denver is much nicer than most. In the winter especially, Denver had "red pollution days" which would leave me feeling rotten and stunned. If you can stand that and rush hour traffic and still love Denver, you may not appreciate the zero pollution in most areas of Santa Fe. Also, the silence here and feeling that nothing is happening could bother you if you like big city stimulation.

It snows in the mountains right above Santa Fe where there is a ski area, but in Santa Fe, there isn't much snow. A big snow would be one foot, that sometimes melts within a few days. One of the biggest problems of living in Santa Fe is finding a good paying job. There are a lot of bright, underemployed people here.

Santa Fe is a tourist destination for the world, often ranked as one of the top ten or twenty unique places in the world. Santa Fe is also the "city different" in that people involved in alternative health or spiritual practices tend to come here. Some people don't like that. Others don't like that the summer opera and chamber music scene make it very high culture, along with 50% people of Hispanic origin and a lot of different Indian cultures nearby. If you don't like any of those things, you won't like it hear. For me, I find it a lot more interesting than Denver, because of those things.

Compared to Denver, Santa Fe is a small town, and as mentioned by another poster, comparable to Boulder, regarding high real estate prices and some other things too. Unlike Boulder, there's no major branch of a large university in Santa Fe though. There's a small college here and a community college. So, Boulder has a bigger youth culture and Santa Fe has more older and retired people. Per capita, there are a lot of bright and interesting people here though.

Hiking and the outdoors are extraordinary in areas around Santa Fe. Parts of the city of Santa Fe and some of the neighborhoods and surroundings have a charm and beauty that you can't find in Denver and Albuquerque.

The best thing about the summer here is it rarely gets above 93 or so. During the winter, it is rarely below zero. More sunny days than Denver.

[sxcarr]

I've lived in Santa Fe for the past 2.5 years and am moving back to the Boulder area, having been a Coloradoan (Denver/Boulder) for 40+ years. I only moved to Santa Fe to reconnect with the love of my life from 1975.

Santa Fe has the highest property crimes rate per capita in the Nation, according to the FBI and our home was burglarized last year; the burglary rate is up 100% over last year. The high school graduation rate is only about 50% and that doesn't count the teens who drop out because they're in jail or pregnant. The State has the highest prescription drug abuse rate in the Nation, and the government and judicial system is corrupt and lacking in any stern measures to control crime, allowing victims to suffer and perpetrators to go free (or be monitored by ankle monitors that they cut off in the jail parking lots). There are so many people who have multiple DUIs that are allowed to continue driving. The State is very poor economically and not enough money is put into positive programs to help citizens rise above their socio-economic level. AND, Santa Fe (and all of New Mexico) is UGLY--very little "green" (grass, trees, flowers, etc), no one takes pride in landscaping their homes and everything is adobe brown. A truly horrible place.

[SFgraphics2003]

Yeah Santa Fe is still the wild west for sure. On top of all that has been said here there is a friction among the native hispanic population and the anglos. There is resentment by the longtime locals that the rich whites have moved in and driven up prices. Corruption is everywhere in government and always has been. Probably since the 1800's. There are many negative things about Santa Fe that drive people back to where they came. If you move from a wonderful place like Boulder, CO you will have a hard time in SF. SF can't compare to a place like Boulder, CO. All that said, the negative things about Santa Fe have kept the masses of people from moving and staying there. If you can put up with the negatives it is still a beautiful resort town where you can actually afford to live. Its not cheap but most other resort towns in the country are untouchable. Some day when Santa Fe cleans up its act and is like Aspen it to will be only for the rich. I think there is opportunity there now if you can put up with the adversity.

[davebarnes]

Originally Posted by SFgraphics2003

since the 1800's

1800s
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