kylemason

Santa Fe, New Mexico!

I just received a job offer for a position with the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and will need to decide by end of day tomorrow whether I accept or not. I am looking for advice on things to do in the area, long distance relationships, moving across country (from North Dakota), and anything else you want to add!

Exciting stuff - I have a month to get one jeep fixed and sold and the other ready for an 18 hours drive. And yes, the XJ is the keeper!

If a mod wants to move this to Off-Topic Discussion that'd probably be more accurate - my bad!

Martlor13

Hey man! Santa fe is absolutely awesome!! I live 20 minutes north of there. Honestly, northern new Mexico is beautiful. It's a mix of mountains and desert and it is a very unique terrain. Santa fe is known for its artists and has a pretty laid back vibe. 3rd largest city in new mexico but has a nice small town feel. You have plenty of natural forests and great places to visit and offroad all around the area. Cost of living is also pretty low. It's a great place. If you take the job you won't be disapointed in my opinion.

Martlor13

In terms of your xj, summers get to about 90-100 and it snows frequently in Santa fe in winter. Offroading consists of mountains, Sandy areas, lots of mud, but not too much rock crawling

kylemason

Thanks for the insight! Since I have been offered the job it has been a rollercoaster of emotions. The locations looks fantastic and cost of living is a little higher than what I have currently, but that's also because I get to split it with my girlfriend.

Any suggestions on apartments/housing rental? I have been looking down there but the pictures always show them at their best you know. Looking for something really basic, a studio or a one bedroom. Maybe a small house with a garage since I have a bunch of tools and parts I'll need space for too. Crazy how different things are from ND to NM, here every apartment has rows of garages otherwise noone would rent from them. This should be interesting to say the least.

kylemason

Not too worried, I just plan to use it for camping and getting up the mountain to rock climb with my hands and feet.

Martlor13

Well I mean it all depends on wear you want to be and how much you want to spend. I always see studios to rent downtown but are about 1000 or more a month. The Westside near airport road is probably the lower priced area of town and but I have family there and they love it. But in all honesty santa fe is a really good place in general. You never hear of many bad things on the news happening there. You won't find Apartments with garages. I usually look at craigslist for housing in the Santa fe area just because I am young and haven't decided where to move yet and there are some nice houses for rent.

kylemason

Want a roommate? hahaha. I am only looking for a 7-8 month lease while I wait for my girlfriend to move down. Found one Utility in Vista Alegre Apartments that is affordable. Just looking to stay under 800, and maybe have a gym. I work on Canam Hwy, West of 599 so in that area.

Martlor13

Haha I had know idea what canam highway was so I looked on Google maps. I had no idea I-25 was called that. 599 is typically called the relief route to us around here and that is because it goes around the city to avoid all the lights and stops. One of the main roads is called Cerrillos. If you find anything along or close to this road you shoulent have too much commute as long as its on the Westside of Cerrillos because it travels east to west. All the apartment complexs look relatively nice so just pick one you like I woukd say

AceWhite

Gorgeous country out there. My grandpa had a hunting cabin in the mountains not far from Santa Fe. You will have plenty of terrain to enjoy the XJ. Congrats.

extrashaky

I spent a week in Santa Fe on an audit and would love to go back for more leisure time. I did get one day to myself, so I drove over through Los Alamos to the Valles Caldera, a 13 million year old volcanic basin that has some spectacular scenery. I highly recommend it. A drive up to Taos has no shortage of "holy sh*t" scenic moments as well, especially coming down the mountain into Taos, looking out over a high plain cut through with a deep canyon with the Rio Grande at the bottom.

If I were going back, I would make time to go see the cliff dwellings at the Bandelier national park, which is not far from the caldera. I would also take my sports car. There is no shortage of twisties there, and I was stuck in rental Camry. It was particularly sad climbing the winding road up to the caldera's rim, but there are great canyon roads all around that area.

I would also head back to The Pantry while in Santa Fe for some good New Mexican cooking. I had to try the burrito with both red and green chile sauce, but if I ever get the chance to go back I'm going to try something from their breakfast menu. I envy you that you'll be able to eat there any time you want.

Martlor13

All great points. Soon he'll have to answer the traditional new Mexican question. Red or green?

kylemason

All of your feedback is making me less nervous about the move! I love this forum and the community it provides. Thank you all, I accepted the job and move in late September/early October!

Martlor13

Sweet man Goodluck! Right in time for some beautiful fall drives. And to get acclimated before winter storms arrive

robertj

As a person that lived in ND for a year, I know you'll like Sante Fe x10 to Fargo just based on weather alone. Is it a civil service position or a contract one? Do you currently work for the federal government?

kylemason

I don't currently work for the federal government, and I'll be working for the state government when I get down there. It isn't either a civil service or contract.