Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
On occasion I find myself out of state talking to some well-heeled people, and a frequently recurring theme is that they consider Santa Fe to be some sort of superior existence than Albuquerque (i.e. "once you have it made you can have a house in Santa Fe").
And the odd thing is that neither I nor anyone I know who lives in Albuquerque would ever want to live in Santa Fe if they ever hit it big. Lots of Albuquerqueans greatly dislike Santa Fe; maybe it's the perception of carpetbaggers, or corrupt politicians, or people with their noses in the air. Maybe it's the disproportionately bad traffic, colder weather, fewer amenities, or lower standard of living for the price.
Nothing against most Santa Feans; I'm sure many of them prefer living in Santa Fe and there's nothing wrong with that.
So what I'm racking my brain about is not so much what do these out-of-staters know that I don't, but what do I know that these out-of-staters don't? How does Santa Fe retain such a disproportionately positive reputation outside the state?
I have lived in Santa Fe all my life and I'm offended by your remarks. I would much rather live in Santa Fe than Albuquerque. The only reason I ever go to Albuquerque is concerts or sporting events. Santa Fe is unique. Arts, music, museums, history...it is a place many more people like to visit than Albuquerque. There is a mystique...a feel about it. I think people from Albuquerque are jealous of the attention Santa Fe gets, thus they put Santa Fe down. Yes, there are elite here, but it is a real community. I am Hispanic and am proud of my heritage here and the way it is celebrated.
Those people from out of state aren't worried that Albuquerque has a Macy's and Santa Fe doesn't. That Albuquerque has a baseball team and Santa Fe doesn't. What they love is Santa Fe is the second biggest art market in the country. That Santa Fe has a 400 year history and has retained it. That Santa Fe dining is some of the best around. That we have world class museums, opera, symphony, etc.
I used to travel a lot all around the country and they were surprised when I'd tell them that Albuquerque was the largest city in NM. Some had barely heard of ABQ. But everyone wanted to talk about Santa Fe, the opera, skiing, art, etc. Hundreds of thousands of people that visit here can't be wrong.
I love NM and all the cities. I hate it when Albuquerqueans love to take their shots at us. We are proud of our city. I, and many other people who have lived here all their lives or have just moved here thing it's the best place around to live in.
I have lived in Santa Fe all my life and I'm offended by your remarks.
Please elaborate on which remarks; I thought I made my remarks as inoffensive as possible.
Quote:
I would much rather live in Santa Fe than Albuquerque. The only reason I ever go to Albuquerque is concerts or sporting events. Santa Fe is unique. Arts, music, museums, history...
I'm not trying to turn this into a vs. thread, but reverse the two cities in those sentences and those are pretty common sentiments as well.. except for the reasons to visit Santa Fe.
Quote:
it is a place many more people like to visit than Albuquerque.
Is it, though? Albuquerque has 2.5X as many hotels.
Quote:
There is a mystique...a feel about it. I think people from Albuquerque are jealous of the attention Santa Fe gets, thus they put Santa Fe down.
Not disagreeing with that, but the reverse is also true.
Quote:
Yes, there are elite here, but it is a real community.
Could you describe a non-real community so I can tell the difference?
Quote:
I am Hispanic and am proud of my heritage here and the way it is celebrated.
Albuquerque has plenty more proud Hispanics; not sure how this is relevant.
Quote:
I used to travel a lot all around the country and they were surprised when I'd tell them that Albuquerque was the largest city in NM. Some had barely heard of ABQ. But everyone wanted to talk about Santa Fe, the opera, skiing, art, etc.
And that's been my experience as well. I started this thread to try to understand why.
Quote:
Hundreds of thousands of people that visit here can't be wrong.
That's an appeal to the masses fallacy. Take a look at the last 3 presidential elections and tell me hundreds of thousands of people couldn't be wrong then either (even if they got outvoted).
I don't love Santa Fe, but I admit that it: has a nicer architectural aesthetic, is smaller but not a 'small town', has a nicer climate, is closer to deeper wilderness and good skiing, has a high proportion of good restaurants and evening entertainment options.
Of course there are cons to Santa Fe as well: strange/uptight newcomers, strange/xenophobic locals, older demographic, lacks a larger university (this may be a pro to some), lack of affordable housing, tourist woes.
I know former Santa Feans in ABQ and former Albuquerqueans in Santa Fe. Even people who work in Albuquerque and used to live in Albuquerque but moved to Santa Fe and commute. It's just personal preference.
Tourists are drawn to Santa Fe for its unique "style" very loosely based on historic styles. The artists who moved to Santa Fe and Taos drew attention to those cities many decades ago and cultivated the mystique loborick mentions. There are plenty of towns in northern New Mexico that are more "authentic" as far as the historic native Hispanic culture goes, but they weren't colonized by the anglo artists that put Santa Fe and Taos on the map (and not Albuquerque, either). Albuquerque is a working person's city and a university town, while Santa Fe has become a playground for the rich and famous. Sometimes walking around downtown Santa Fe I feel more of an urban vibe than I get in Albuquerque, maybe because of the energy of the tourist trade, composed perhaps largely of people from more urban areas on the coasts and the sense of urgency they have about them.
Nowadays you don't have to hit the lottery to buy a house in Santa Fe, the prices have come down considerably. I could see myself living there, could get by without a swamp cooler, I like snow, and the size and layout of the town appeal to me. Sometimes I get tired of the road grid in ABQ, and get distressed over the growth of the city since coming here over 20 years ago. For me, smaller is better (but tiny is not good, either).
First, I tried, I really tried because I like taking pot shots at Zoidberg,
( for anything ) but I couldn't find anything offensive or that one
could get offended at in the OP. ... drat.
The author Tony Hillerman, who arguably "made it" has often made
a point of the fact that he likes Albuquerque better than Santa Fe
and chooses to make his home there.
As ABQConvict said; the climate is better in Santa Fe. Other than that, I can't
think of anything that would make me want to live in one town or another.
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
10,750 posts, read 23,822,981 times
Reputation: 14665
I came to NM scouting places to live and had an open mind about both cities. I really liked Santa Fe a lot, but I'd rather see myself living in Albuquerque and visiting Santa Fe often. To me Albuquerque is a perfectly sized metro area, though Santa Fe offers a lot more than your average city of 70,000 would. I think what makes Santa Fe special (architecture, food, history, the art galleries, museums) would ware off a bit quicker if I lived there and would hold it's a appeal more as a weekend destination and getting there from Albuquerque is pretty easy.
I also like Albuquerque's central location in the state a bit more, better access to Southern NM attractions, a major airport, and ABQ has a better climate for me with more balmy days. Albuquerque certainly has character with the University Campus, Nob Hill, and Old Town and the Sandias on the edge of town with the Rio Grande running through the middle of town make it a beautiful place. I can see why tourists would prefer Santa Fe and I'd rather be a tourist myself there as I think Albuquerque has more residential appeal. Honestly though I wouldn't complain about living in either place.
Last edited by Champ le monstre du lac; 09-18-2011 at 10:51 PM..
As a resident of a gentrified place which is a mecca for the urban wealthy, especially retirees, I find the "elite" element to be a mixed blessing. High housing costs, so that local workers cannot live in town, an aging population, closing schools,etc. An abundance of rather self-absorbed status-oriented people,etc. driving around in Mercedes, Audis,etc. There is a reason my town is attractive to the wealthy (it is beautiful), and I certainly can see the appeal in Santa Fe. Especially with the arts, the mountains so close,hispanic history,etc. Santa Fe is much more than this, of course, and I could imagine living there too, but the gentrification trend tends to yield some outcomes that I, as a working stiff, don't really find all that appealing. In contrast, ABQ strikes me as more of a diamond in the rough. Maybe a good place to call home, rather than to be seen.
Santa Fe, Boulder, Telluride, Bozeman, Ashland, Park City, Sedona, Durango, Sun Valley, Aspen are all great places in the West with outstanding scenery and unique histories and cultural roots, but at some level end up seeming very much the same. They appeal to wealthy coastal people who are bringing a boatload of cash and urban tastes. I like all these towns, but I would not put ABQ in this group, and in my book, that is a good thing.
Santa Fe, Boulder, Telluride, Bozeman, Ashland, Park City, Sedona, Durango, Sun Valley, Aspen are all great places in the West with outstanding scenery and unique histories and cultural roots, but at some level end up seeming very much the same. They appeal to wealthy coastal people who are bringing a boatload of cash and urban tastes. I like all these towns, but I would not put ABQ in this group, and in my book, that is a good thing.
You nailed it right on the head. A friend who lived in Santa Fe for years (he worked for the State of New Mexico) came to loathe the place and left as soon as he retired. He bitterly recalled that the monied transplants from elsewhere turned Santa Fe into "Aspen built out of adobe." The towns you mention in your post above have all essentially been wrecked the same way. That kind of growth is a cancer that is wrecking community after community all across the Rocky Mountain West.
My wife and I ended up in Santa Fe for work.
We bought a small house SE of town, with enough room for our two dogs.
Truthfully?
It was cheaper than anything we've seen in the suburbs of Washington, DC.
The idea that half of Santa Fe is driving around in limos and handing out $100 bills to the plaza panhandlers is absurd.
Is their money in Santa Fe.....sure.
But for every LA transplant wearing 20 pounds of Turquoise and Silver, there's a hundred plus working stiffs in Santa Fe, just trying to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table.
Just like Albuquerque.
Steve
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
