Re: Anyone out there in Santa Fe?

[Guest guest]

I've been to the Santa Fe, NM area several times and it's a gorgeous

area. At the time I did not know

what it was that was making me sick but I do remember feeling better

somewhat in that high desert area.

Santa Fe is around 6000 foot elevation and the mountains surrounding

it (much wetter and there is snow in the winter)

go up to around 11,000 feet. Its spectacular country.

But, that part of New Mexico is also QUITE expensive considering its

semi-rural aspect and there

aren't many jobs there at all relative to the Bay Area. I have one

friend who moved there and IMO,

his career just died out there. Other people have more luck, it

depends on what you do.

There are lots of very smart, super qualified, perennially unemployed

people just getting by in Santa Fe.

On the other hand, for some other people, its exactly what they need,

a low key, fairly cohesive small community with

an international ambiance, gorgeous surroundings, year round sun,

clean air, pretty good schools, and perhaps 1000 ( I think!) art

galleries..

There are probably many thousands of working artists in Santa Fe and

the surrounding area..

Art is big business in Santa Fe. It is unique in that respect. For

certain kinds of artists, New Mexico is a very productive place.

This goes back to when Georgia O'Keefe moved from New York to Abiquiú

(~50m north of SFNM)

Its a GREAT area is you like to hike or explore.. Its an area I like a

lot. I just couldn't afford to live there now. " Real " jobs have always

been tight there.

Its very expensive. If you have a support network in a community,

thats great. That is worth a lot to your mental health. Moving

somewhere new and leaving frinds behind is hard. (But, who knows, some

might follow you or visit often?)

Leaving your friends and moving to a new town is not always a wise

move when you are sick and broke.

OTOH, the climate there may bring your health back.

For that reason, it might be worth trying, if you can find a way to

avoid putting all your eggs in one basket, so to speak.

Are you on the coast in Sonoma or inland? The climate in the high

desert isn't really like anything in Sonoma, but

perhaps it can resemble the dry, bright climate around Reno, NV. (But

perhaps its a little warmer in the winter, I don't know)

There are gorgeous mountains around Santa Fe, with conifer and aspen

forests.. lakes, etc. Spectacularly beautiful.

The area has a lot of history too, as it was inhabited by Native

Americans for thousands of years previous to the Spanish coming,

(Acoma pueblo i.e " sky city " south of Santa Fe is the oldest

continuously inhabited town in North America)

and then the area was I think the very first part of the contiguous US

to be settled by Europeans, around 1540.

I have seen old maps from the 16th century in which it is the only

part of the western US to have its own place

names (aside from the mythical island of California!)

On Tue, Nov 11, 2008 at 12:32 AM, rgilraine <rgilraine@...> wrote:

> Hello all. I'm really, really sick with mold illness, Lyme, and MCS

> and, yet again, my living situation is no longer safe and I have to

> move. I can't find anything clean where I am in Sonoma County CA and

> wondering if anyone is living in Santa Fe area. Are things better

> there? I need to get out ASAP and hoping to connect with others in the

> area. Thanks!

>

> _