Santa Fe is the capitol city of New Mexico. Its name is Spanish for 'holy faith.' At 7,199 feet above sea level, it is the highest capitol city in the US. The climate is very dry, with almost no humidity. The backdrop to the city is the beautiful Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range, and all of the homes have a wonderful, old south-of-the-border look. Few things are as great as sitting outside in your golden years watching the sun set over the mountains.
Santa Fe is the type of place you either love or you hate: The entire city has a single style. As it turns out, most people love it! Santa Fe actually has an ordinance for new houses to be built with Pueblo Indian or Spanish Territorial architecture. The buildings are painted tan, to match the earthiness of the terrain around them. It looks very much like it did a couple hundred years ago.
If you are still active and love art, we strongly recommend moving to Santa Fe for retirement. It is affordable, and jam-packed with artsy things to do. Shops are filled with crafts and wonderful knick-knacks, plus there are always art walks to see the different galleries. There are about 12 museums in Santa Fe showcasing the city's art and history. If you do not feel like venturing off on your own, take a tour! Or, you can even throw in your own hat into the artists' ring by taking some art classes and workshops to improve your natural ability (there is no shortage of art classes in Santa Fe).
Special to Santa Fe are the Pueblo Feast Days, and skiing. There are two minor league baseball teams, and a rodeo happens every year. Santa Fe has day-spas and a dozen golf courses to keep you feeling relaxed. There is even a weekly farmers market.
The contrast between the plains and mountains makes for wonderful road trips. The three major highways that intersect in the city make it a popular motorcycle destination. (Definitely consider moving here, if you take your own bike out on tour!) About 70 miles away (in opposite directions) are Taos and Albuquerque. Taos is EVEN MORE art-centric, while Albuquerque offers all the luxuries of a big city (it has 8 times the population of Santa Fe). There is even a little airport in Santa Fe.
Although Santa Fe is a very attractive environment to active-seniors, it also has resources for you, as you get older. There are home health care agencies ready to send over a home assistant, and lots of live-in facilities.