Move - Moving to Santa Fe? (Espanola, Mesilla: rental, house, subdivision)

[Natwbie]

My family and I want to move from San Antonio to the Southwest. SA has grown considerably, the crime rate is rising, pollution is increasing, and the construction thwarts any hope of driving without frustration. We are considering Santa Fe and have visited quite a bit. The Wharton School and Santa Fe Prep are 2 good private schools! Its a European sort of town where dogs are welcome in stores, various languages are spoken on the streets, and culture is plentiful (Museums, the opera, the Indian Market).

The air is very clean and there are many democrats.

[Devin Bent]

In Santa Fe, you will find some good elementary schools and now the charter high school is building a decent reputation. So you can get a decent education for your kids and stay in the public school system.

Housing does does cost more in Santa Fe, but the price differences in other areas are pretty minor.

You can buy in Rio Rancho and work in Santa Fe, but recently the New Mexican ran an article about the poor unfortunates who bought in Rio Rancho and are now getting squeezed by rising fuel cost. Generally, the economics are pretty simple and one-sided -- Buy in Santa Fe and put the additional expense in a mortgage wins hands-down over buying in Rio Rancho and putting the additional expense into transportation costs.

[ricky37]

Congrat's to your wife, are you going to be looking for employment? Most jobs are in Albuquerque. You may choose to pick some land in between. Placitas maybe. The highway from ABQ to SF can be tough in the winter snow. Let me know if you will need some employment suggestions. <Mod message: advertising employment is against the forum Terms of Service (TOS)>

[Vinegaroon]

Chances of finding a nice, 3 bedroom house in Santa Fe for under $200K are slim. In addition, just living here is expensive, although others seem to be constantly debating me on this. (Usually someone from L.A. or the like saying it cannot be as expensive as L.A.)

I could give you many examples of the expense, such as restaurant prices, gas prices, housing, however I can just give you one that I just experienced. I just went out and bought a hot dog off a vendor's cart. The thing cost $5.00! I was recently in Denver and bought a hot dog downtown for $2.50, and it was bigger. That's just Santa Fe to me, paying twice as much for not as much.

[faith007]

I am a 24 year old female from Chicago who is planning on moving to Santa Fe in August. Why? Because I fell in love with new mexico and long ago and am ready to leave Chicago. I don't want to go east or to Cali. I love art and am trying to break into the artworld. I know Santa Fe will be good for that. And it will be a beautiful place to live, but I want to be as realistic as possible about what its going to be like for a young person relocating there. I know it's small, and expensive. My real questions are. . are there many young people there- 20 somethings working to get by? I know it will be difficult at first; I think I can get a job that fills my time and a good apt. . . but I would like advice about meeting people. Should I live in a condo complex (thats what i am thinking so far), are there good groups/clubs I could join? I am going out there pretty soon to finalize it all. Any words of encouragment or advice are appriciated. Thanks!

[jsc23]

Though I'm an attached male in my 40s living in Las Vegas NM, I have too much experience in the hospitality industry (in places such as Boulder CO and Austin TX) and spend one or two days per week in Santa Fe.

Can't comment on best living situation, but shouldn't be too shocking by urban Chicago standards. Hospitality industry jobs pay fairly well, aren't too tough to come by, and you will be treated like gold if you are reasonably punctual, reliable and conscientious. Several art coops have recently sprung up, founded by artists in their 20s, helping shake the scene out of "safe market" doldrums.

SF has a solid arts/intellectual community in the 20-40 age range. They tend to avoid downtown. Guadalupe St just south of downtown has a couple of local hangout bars (The Cowgirl, Willee's) and Aztec Coffee (my black shirts aren't quite black enough). Baca St west of Cerrillos has some cool studios and Counter Culture Cafe... less Trustafarian than most, good food, beer & wine along with coffeehouse drinks. Second St between Cerrillos and Pacheco has a few hang outs catering to locals and lots of studios. Second Street Brewery is a great place to meet people, tell Ernie I sent you.
SF has practically no club scene... but I'm guessing this is a plus for you.

The Reporter is the local alternative weekly. They recently published their "Annual Manual"- a guide for newcomers and oblivious locals. The Reporter's offices are on Marcy St (downtown) about a block North of the Main Public Library (Marcy and Washington. I strongly recommend getting a copy of the "AM"... it lists most of the club and group info you're seeking. "THE" magazine is a tabloid (monthly? bi-weekly?) dedicated to the visual arts. SF suffers no shortage of freebie arts/entertainment publications... what's tough is finding the info online.

Hope this helps

[Karen INFP]

Hi -

We are considering moving to the Santa Fe area but cannot afford to buy a home in Santa Fe proper. Can anyone give me information on the surrounding area (20-30 mile radius) and suggest nice small towns to look at?

We are coming from a very rural part of Maine and first considered Silver City but we think it might be too small for us. I can work from anywhere since I teach online but my husband would need to find some work for at least a few more years. He is a Mechanical Engineer.

Thanks much!

Karen

[Devin Bent]

Originally Posted by Karen INFP

Hi -

We are considering moving to the Santa Fe area but cannot afford to buy a home in Santa Fe proper. Can anyone give me information on the surrounding area (20-30 mile radius) and suggest nice small towns to look at?

We are coming from a very rural part of Maine and first considered Silver City but we think it might be too small for us. I can work from anywhere since I teach online but my husband would need to find some work for at least a few more years. He is a Mechanical Engineer.

Thanks much!

Karen

South

Going southsouthwest you have Madrid/Cerillos. Madrid is an old mining town, Cerillos a Hispanic community. The area is becoming very arty. Houses will be a mix -- some of the old places may not have been build well. Water may be an issue. Some people down there live off the grid.

Southsoutheast. Eldorado and some of the surrounding communities offer newer homes -- planned with good amenities and covenants. Lots mostly i 1.5 to 3 acres, I THINK. There are always some homes for sale there.

Cienega? Southwest. Not familiar with it.

To the north.

Close north. Teseque. No price relief here. As expensive as you will find in NM. Las Campanas and surrounding communties. Ditto. Wealthy outsiders -- homes will be vacant for extended periods.

20 minutes north. Pojoaque Valley. A series of small traditionally Hispanic communities -- east to west are Nambe, Pojoaque, Jacona, Jaconita, El Rancho. A mixed area. You might find a 100 acre estate with a trailer next door on a small lot. A mix of Hispanics, Anglos, and Indians in that numerical order. But people take pride in getting along well. Three pueblos -- Nambe, Pojoaque, and San Ildefonso. Note that the Hispanic community and the adjacent pueblo often have the same name. I live in Nambe, the traditionally Hispanic community, two miles driving from the nearest reservation land.

Beautiful scenery. You can find a few consistently nice neighborhoods, but have to look. Mine is like that with five acre lots, only thing for sale right now is a vacant lot -- 5 acres with beautiful views. Well and septic in. Telephone line to lot. Good wireless -- Verizon.

Nambe is getting a little pricey even in the short time that I have been here -- that lot is $330K.

[greytercel]

I would really appreciate some information on housing in Santa Fe and some of the other cities , but esp. Santa Fe...how much does a one bedroom apt. run--(not shy about living in poorer areas to start out)ANY AND ALL REPLIES APPRECIATED AND READ--also what is the job market like--I hesitate to move to NM because some posts talk about the high incidence of poverty -----is it that bad for a working class female to land a job there? (again, willing to take a low end job at first)...thank you so much....

[Karen INFP]

Thanks Devin for the detailed reply. It still sounds pricey in the suburbs. I'm not sure what I was expecting. Have seen some decent properties for decent prices in the Silver City region, so I was hoping.....

I'll have to get my map out and look at where you talked about. We are planning to take a trip out there in January, so we will check out the areas you have mentioned. Sounds interesting anyway and certainly alot different than Maine!

Thanks again.