About Santa Fe NM
As I sat down to write about Santa Fe, I thought to myself, “How in the world can I begin to explain my deep love for this wonderful place I have called home and worked as a Realtor for the past 20 years? How do I put into words the feel, spirit, beauty and aroma of this old city?” Since most stories start at the beginning—the history, I’ll begin with that.
Many people don’t realize that Santa Fe was established several years before the Mayflower brought pilgrims to Plymouth. In 1610, Don Pedro de Peralta brought Spanish soldiers and Franciscan missionaries from the Spanish colonies of Mexico and established our city, naming it Santa Fe (Holy Faith). The Palace of the Governors, the oldest public building in America, was built where it stands today on the north side of the downtown plaza. The first Christian church in America was established by the Franciscan missionaries at the same time, which has grown through the years to become a cathedral basilica and a catholic archdiocese.
Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi
The quality of life in Santa Fe ranks close to the top compared to other cities of the US and world. From having the cleanest air, 300 days of sunshine and blue skies, mild summers and winters, beautiful Sangre de Cristo (Blood of Christ) Mountains on the east and the Jemez Mountain chain on the west.
Sangre de Cristo Mountains
Money magazine, AARP and many others have ranked Santa Fe high on their lists of the “Best Place to Retire”. Not only is it a great place to retire, but many also find it the place to call home while continuing their careers through the use of the internet– for consulting and other professions, in a much less stressful environment than the corporate arena.
There is literally more to do in Santa Fe than anyone could possibly imagine.
• Art: Santa Fe is one of the largest and most important art centers in the world, with more than 275 galleries. Many artists make Santa Fe their home and have for hundreds of years. The magnificent lighting and glorious landscape inspires artists to call Santa Fe home.
Collectors of fine art also choose Santa Fe as the place to house their art on old adobe walls, either as their permanent or secondary residence. Santa Fe is not limited to a particular art form offering sculpture to contemporary paintings.
You don’t have to be a collector to enjoy this beautiful art. There are more than a dozen state and private museums to visit that offer all art forms.
• Performing Arts: If your interest is the performing arts, you have found the place. Santa Fe hosts theater productions, global music jams, ballet, jazz quartets, blues, country, classical concerts, chamber music—hosting international and local stars. And, for me, the best part of all is our world-famous open air opera hosing opera stars, productions and audiences from around the world. There is such a variety offered in the performing arts alone, that one could literally attend a different event almost every night.
• Culinary: Santa Fe hosts more than 200 extraordinary restaurants (many world-famous). All types of cuisine—southwest, French, Italian, steak, Greek, Asian and most other foods. At noon on the Plaza, you can pick up a burrito or fajita for a lunch-on-the-run.
If this doesn’t keep you busy enough and you feel you need a little exercise, Santa Fe offers hikers a paradise of trails in the surrounding national forest—through the ponderosa pines, wildflowers and panoramic views. Mountain biking or horseback riding is also available.
Winter time offers skiing, snowboarding, showshoeing, or cross country at the Santa Fe Ski Basin which is only about 17 miles from the downtown Plaza.
One thing I highly recommend for newcomers is to take a walking tour of the downtown area. Not only will you come to appreciate your new home more, you’ll learn why Santa Fe is and will remain unique. Walking tours are offered from most of the downtown hotels.
In the spring when the snow begins to melt, a very popular sport is rafting down the Rio Grande River. There are several companies that leave from and bring you back to Santa Fe for this half-day sporting adventure.
• I haven’t forgotten the golfers. There are several municipal golf courses, as well as others, at the casinos near Santa Fe. The new Marty Sanchez Links de Santa Fe Golf Course, about 15 minutes from the downtown Plaza is the newest municipal 18-hole regulation course, as well as a 9-hole executive course. Las Campanas features two 18-hole Jack Nicklaus signature courses. Membership is required. For more details, see My Neighborhoods/Las Campanas. Quail Run also has a small 9-hole, par 32 course in a gated community in the city. See My Neighborhoods/Quail Run for more information.
Conclusion: I’ve only scratched the surface of things I could tell you about our wonderful “City Different”. I encourage you to ask questions and I will answer enthusiastically. If you’ll let me know when you will be here and what price home you are considering, I will email you details and photos of homes to look at and comment about. When you arrive, I’ll arrange for you to tour the different areas of Santa Fe and look at homes that meet your criteria.
It isn’t hard to fall in love with Santa Fe.
I look forward to personally showing you what’s in store for you.
Tagged as:
about santa fe nm,
purchasing a home in santa fe nm
