Communities: Santa Fe Community Overview

shawna — Tue, 09 May 2006 10:58:09 -0600

Santa Fe Community Overview

In this new century, quality of life is more important than ever in making a choice about where to live and work. Although usually measured in affordable housing, scenic beauty, sports and recreation, public school system achievement, and arts and culture, quality of life encompasses some things that cannot be measured: the energy of the population; the purity of the air and luminosity of the sky at 7000 feet; multi-cultural stories that seep between the blocks of centuries-old adobe dwellings.

Cost of Living

As its reputation for art, tourism amenities and luxury living implies, the cost of living in Santa Fe is higher than elsewhere in New Mexico. While housing costs are significantly above the national average, they are still below that of large coastal cities. Wages hover around the national average, but above average for the state of New Mexico. ACCRA data has not been collected for Santa Fe County since first quarter 2004.

Cost of Living Index	2nd Quarter 2003	3rd Quarter 2003	4th Quarter 2003	1st Quarter 2004	2nd Quarter 2004
Composite Index	114.2	119.8	118.3	116.6	111.6
Housing	146.1	152.4	146.4	141.5	128.7
Groceries	103.3	115.7	103.2	110.6	111.5
Utilities	84.4	109.2	108.5	101.3	86.9
Transportation	99.4	100.4	107.1	104.4	108.0
Health Care	104.7	126.8	122.1	130.0	118.5
Misc. Goods/ Services	105.5	101.1	106.1	103.1	103.6

ACCRA Report - Santa Fe County

New Dwelling Units (city and unincorporated urban area)

1990-97	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004 (est.)	2005
3,674	841	443	638	488	1,033	1000	1055

In 2005, 268 new dwelling units were built or permitted for construction in Tierra Contenta, representing 42% of all new residential construction in the city and 25% in the region.

Source: City Permit and Development Review Division ; County Land Use Department ; Tierra Contenta Corporation

Housing Growth Rates (2005): City: 2.0% Urban Area: 1.6% Regional: 2.1%

Education

Santa Fe Community College has 3000+ students in continuing education and adult basic education courses. It is accredited by yhe Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Its programs in nursing and early childhood education have received national accreditation.

Colleges/Universities 2004 enrollment

College of Santa Fe (505-473-6011) 1,600
St. John's College (505-984-6000) 400
University of NM-Santa Fe (505-428-1234) 1,000
Santa Fe Community College (505-428-1273) 5,400 (credit headcount)
Institute of American Indian Arts (505-988-6495) 133
University of Phoenix (800-881-6618) 1,677 (Albuquerque and Santa Fe combined)
Southwestern College (505-471-5756) 160
EcoVersity (505-424-9797) 150
Southwest Acupuncture College (505-438-8884) 110
Hypnotherapy Academy of America (505-983-1515) 110
University of Natural Medicine, Inc. (505-424-7800) 82

Santa Fe Public Schools 2005 enrollment*

22 Elementary schools: 7,635
4 Middleschools: 1,901
5 High schools: 3,584
Total: 13,775 students including special education programs and charter schools
Students: 66% Hispanic, 27% Anglo, 3% Native American, 3% other
Annual budget (2004): $152 million

*Source: Santa Fe Public Schools

Private Schools

83 registered private schools serving 4,930 pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students

Quality of Life

Hike/Bike Trails
Since 1990, the city has constructed 4.5 miles of paved, off-road trails. Another 12 miles of designated bike routes have been established along city streets, including Siringo, Old Pecos Trail, Don Gaspar, Galisteo, and Yucca. During 2005, 1.25 miles of paved off-road trails were created in the Nava Ada neighborhood, 2.3 miles of unpaved trails in Las Estrellas, and 5 miles along Rodeo and Airport Roads.

Park Acreage per 1,000 Residents: 4.2 (2005)
The city's goal is 5 acres per 1,000 residents.

Air Quality
Santa Fe boasts the cleanest air in the nation. The air quality is consistently ranked good to very good, with an AQI of 0.7.

Obtaining a Business License:
Visit the City of Santa Fe Inspections and Enforcement Office at City Hall, 200 Lincoln Ave., for a Certificate of Occupancy packet. For standard businesses, the cost is $35, and your license will be mailed within 5 days, after all inspections have been completed and all paper work accepted. Phone: (505) 955-6551

Communities: Santa Fe Business Overview

shawna — Tue, 09 May 2006 10:57:12 -0600

Santa Fe Business Overview

Many types of businesses thrive on the creative soil of Santa Fe. The insights of painters, artisans, designers, writers, and chefs spice up the work of engineers, mathematicians, biologists, architects, and government employees.

The Santa Fe Business Incubator, considered one of the best of its kind in the nation, assists new businesses with all aspects of start-up.

Labor Snapshot

Labor force size: 79,715 (4/06)
Unemployment rate: 3.4% (4/06)

Major Santa Fe Employers

Organization	Employs	Description
State of New Mexico	7,643	Government
Santa Fe School District	1,850	Education
US Federal Government	1,750	Government
City of Santa Fe	1,459	Government
St. Vincent's Hospital	1,250	Medical
Santa Fe Community College	717	Education
Presbyterian Medical Services	531	Medical
County of Santa Fe	490	Government
Cities of Gold Casino	470	Gaming
Camel Rock Casino	425	Gaming
Thornburg Companies	150	Financial
Santa Fe Natural Tobacco	125	Manufacturing

Transportation

The Santa Fe Municipal Airport (505-955-2908) serves commercial airlines, corporate jets, and small private planes. The Santa Fe Airport will begin offering daily non-stop flights to Dallas-Fort Worth, Salt Lake City and LA in mid December 2007. The Albuquerque International Sunport (505-842-4366) is located about an hour south of Santa Fe on Interstate 25. Sandia Shuttle Service (505-474-5696) provides transportation between both airports and Santa Fe.
Greyhound Lines (505-471-0008) has routes around the country.
Amtrak's Southwest Chief (800-872-7245) provides service through historic Lamy, 20 miles east of Santa Fe.
Average Commute Time*: 21.1 minutes
Santa Fe is number one in the nation for telecommuters, with 4.9% of the population of workers telecommuting.

Development Project -To attract businesses that rely on high-speed technology, Santa Fe is constructing a 'Santa Fe Light Trail' system of digital microwave and fiber facilities; it will be a hybrid network available to the business community as well as educational facilities and local and state government agencies. See Santa Fe Railyard map.

Utilities

Gas and electric service is provided by the Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM), a publicly owned utility regulated by the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission.
Water, sewer and soild waste services are provided by the City of Santa Fe.
Fiber services provided by Qwest and Comcast
Other telecommunication services provided by Qwest and major mobile vendors - Verizon, Cricket, Qwest, AllTel etc.

NMSS - Communities: Santa Fe Main