Reviews & Comments
Santa Fe, NM
Pros n Cons -
9/1/2009We moved here from Maine 3 years ago. On paper, Santa Fe has it all over Maine. 300 sunny days a year, beautiful mountains, clean air, amazing scenery, bobcats and coyotes in the yard, dark skies with bright stars, great hiking, art, no mosquitoes, etc. Santa Fe is beautiful downtown as well, and we really enjoy the culture here. There are a thousand good reasons to live here.
Here are the things to really and truly consider, though, if you are considering a relocation . . .
1. The economy is tight. If you are moving here for a job, make sure to look to see that there are ample back-up plans, because if it doesn't work out, it can be difficult to find a suitable situation.
2. Education here is terrible. The schools are underfunded, and despite the efforts of a great many dedicated people, the system is hamstrung.
3. Healthcare here is abysmal. I cannot tell you how many horror stories I have heard about our local hospital St. Vincents, or as it is know here, St. Victims.
4. This is a small place, and much of the population is transitory. People live here for a few years and then go away. So, we have found it difficult to establish community.
Denver, CO
re: A wonderful City - 9/17/2007 -
11/9/2008How long have you lived there?
Denver, CO
re: I love the Denver Public Library - 10/12/2007 -
11/9/2008You know, I heard that! Believe it or not, that is very important to us. We are considering moving from Santa Fe.
Portland, ME
Working in Portland, living in Scarborough -
5/5/2006Portland is a wonderful little city. There is a lot of art and culture there. I live in Scarborough, about 15 minutes south, and I am moving away. So, here is my assessment:
Good: good schools, beautiful summers, wonderful architecture, art and culture in Portland, great restaurants, good symphony, fantastic minor league baseball (Red Sox farm team), Acadia National Park is worth weeks of time.
Bad: Living in Scarborough, there are monster mosquitos. Count on winter from November through April. That is 6 months. In January, there is very little light because the days are so short, and I find that hard to live with. I don't mind the cold, but it is the dark that is difficult. We have the highest taxes and the lowest discretionary income in the nation. Housing costs have been very high, and my wife and I have had to buy a house on a busy road just to afford something decent. Property taxes in Portland are a lot higher than they are in Scarborough. There has been a massive influx of Bostonians over the past 10 years that I have lived here. I teach at a private school, and the high-powered population spurs a frenetic pace that is uncharacteristic of the more northern parts of Maine. Portland is no longer Maine, but northern Massachusetts.
This is a great place to live for 5 months out of the year if you are wealthy.