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"It's time to get over the notion that only large urban cities like New York or L.A. can make it as artistic centers. While it's true that large cities and metros dominate in terms of sheer numbers of artists, smaller communities are home to vibrant artistic communities as well - many with national and international reputations and reach."

"I used data from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey to rank the leading metros for both their numbers of artists and their concentration relative to their population. We use a measure called a location quotient, or LQ, which is basically a ratio that compares a region's share of artists to the national share of artists. An LQ of one implies that its regional share equals the national average; less than one is less than the national average and greater than one is more than the national average. An LQ of two, for example, means a region has twice the national average of artists."

The top scoring cities:

1. Santa Fe, NM  LQ: 7.587
2. San Francisco, CA LQ: 3.825
3. New York, NY  LQ: 2.573
4. Los Angeles,  LQ: 2.513

Source: The Atlantic Media Company (11/30/11)

Recognized as Best Place For Recreation And Culture, the magazine stated, "The creations of artists worldwide are also celebrated at a variety of annual festivals and markets, such as the Native Treasures Indian Arts Festival and the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market." The article offers an overview of Santa Fe climate, history, architecture, schools, jobs and more along with details, statistics, charts and ratings.

Basic information from the report
Population:  69,826 
Crime Rate:  Low 
Cost of Living:  Average 
Health Care:  Varied 
Median Home Price:  High 
Median Income:  Average

The U.S. News Editorial Pick: Santa Fe as Best Place To Retire For Single Retirees due to the number of singles over 65 years of age and abundance of outdoor activities. It's not surprising that just last year U.S.News called Santa Fe one of the 10 Places To Reinvent Your Life In Retirement.

Source: U.S.News & World Report (10/17/11)

There were 103 homes sold in April 2011. Thats up 11% from the 93 sold the previous month. It's an increase of 17% from April 2010, and up 50% from April 2009. There were 1244 homes on the market for sale in April 2011. That's up 4% from the previous month, down 9% from one year ago, and down 11% from the same month two years ago.

Median price is up quite a bit from the same month last year, but I think what we are seeing in this instance is the effect of the first time home buyers tax credit, which caused more lower-priced homes to sell than usual.

The really encouraging news is the increase in the number of sales - up 50% from the same month two years ago. Along with this, inventory is down 11% from that same month. I think this demonstrates the strength of the Santa Fe real estate market relative to the rest of the country. Sales up and inventory down... sounds like a recovering market to me.

Source: Santa Fe Association of Realtors® MLS (5-6-11).

View my most recent report on Santa Fe home prices April, 2011.

© 2011 Martin Wright, CRS^®, e-PRO^®, Realtor^®

A 24 percent decrease in median home prices over the past two years has helped drag the price-to-income ratio in Santa Fe to 1.8 for the fourth quarter of 2009, which is below its 2.5 average for the 15 years ending in 2003. The article cited a number of reasons why seniors should consider taking advantage of this increased affordability and buy property in the area. Attractions include great skiing, hiking, medical facilities, arts, as well as a rich cultural history. What people come here for: the sun sets, the mild climate and the friendly people.

Source: US News and World Report (5/25/2010)

To qualify for Tree City USA, a town or city must meet the following four standards which were established by The Arbor Day Foundation and the National Association of State Foresters. A City must have:

1. A Tree Board or Department.
2. A Tree Care Ordinance.
3. A Community Forestry Program with an Annual Budget of at Least $2 Per Capita.
4. An Arbor Day Observance and Proclamation.

These standards were established to ensure that every qualifying community would have a viable tree management plan and program.

"The City of Santa Fe is proud to have achieved this milestone during the same year the city celebrates the Santa Fe 400th Anniversary," commented Fabian Chavez, Parks Division Director.

"A community, its elected officials and its citizens that provide needed care for its trees deserves recognition and thanks," said John Rosenow, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. "Trees are a vital component of the infrastructure in our cities and towns, and they also provide environmental and economical benefits. Cities that are recognized with a Tree City USA designation go to great lengths to plant and care for the community forest."

More information about Tree City USA can be found at www.arborday.org/TreeCityUSA.

About the Arbor Day Foundation
The Arbor Day Foundation is a nonprofit, environmental, an education organization of nearly one million members, with a mission to inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. More information on the Foundation and its programs can be found at www.arborday.org.

Source: City of Santa Fe

The top places listed by AARP and explored on the show are:
 

1. Loveland/Fort Collins, CO 2. Las Cruces, NM 3. Rehoboth Beach, DE 4. Portland, OR 5. Greenville, SC 6. Sarasota, FL 7. Ann Arbor, MI 8. Tucson, AZ

9. Montpelier, VT 10. Honolulu. HI 11. Santa Fe, NM 12. Atlanta. GA 13. Charleston, SC 14. Northampton, MA 15. San Diego, CA

Source: CNBC, Paul Toscano (02/05/2010)

The Consumer Price Index average for the calendar year 2009 was -.4%. Many of the months in 2009 showed price declines with November and December showing increases of +1.2% and +2.2% respectively.

The Living Wage ordinance was adopted by the City Council to establish minimum hourly wage rates. All for-profit and non-profit businesses in the City are required to pay all employees, including part-time and temporary employees as well as city contractors, at least $9.85 per hour in 2010.

Comment is still being heard at sross@santafecounty.org or 986.6279.  The public hearing followed several public workshops and hearings regarding the draft.  During the meeting, the CDRC heard comment from members of the public and development community regarding the draft and process used to vet those chapters.  The unanimous feedback was that the process has been a success and the CDRC should request that the Board of County Commissioners authorize publication of title and general summary of the first five chapters of the draft code.

A copy of the draft code is available at www.santafecounty.org.

Source: Santa Fe County

The following question appeared on the ballot: "Shall the City of Santa Fe impose on purchasers an excise tax on the use by purchasers of transfer services to effectuate and facilitate the transfer of certain real property in the amount of one percent (1%) of the portion of the purchase price in excess of $750,000 to be used exclusively for affordable workforce housing?"

Opponents of the home tax had argued that it was illegal and inequitable tax, pointing out that it would not apply to all areas equally, because some areas of the city with newer homes were exempted. In a statement from the Santa Fe Association of Realtors last Friday, the President said "the election proved that the people of Santa Fe were listening, and were not willing to accept a poorly conceived Ordinance."

Sperling's Best Places and Businessweek.com in a 2007 Survey named Santa Fe the second best place in the United States for artists and creatives. View the slide show of the top cities. Read why Business Week calls Santa Fe a great place to invest in real estate right now.