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Santa Fe County
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() is the capital of
New Mexico , a
State of the
United States Of America .
It has a population of around 62,203 (
2000 ) and is the
County Seat of
Santa Fe County . The elevation of Santa Fe is nearly 7,000 feet (2,132 meters) above
Sea Level compared with approximately 5,352 ft for
Albuquerque, New Mexico .
walls were constructed around A.D. 1610]]
, 1609-10]]
Santa Fe was the capital of
Nuevo México , a province of
New Spain explored by
Coronado and established in
1598 . The city was founded by Don
Pedro De Peralta , New Mexico's third
Governor . Peralta gave the city its full name, "La Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asís", or "The Royal City of the Holy Faith of
Saint Francis Of Assisi ".
A settlement on the site that would become Santa Fe was first established by
Juan Martinez De Montoya in
1607 .
The town was formally founded and made a capital in
1610 , making it the oldest capital city and the second oldest surviving city founded by the European colonists in what land was later to become part of the
United States , behind
St. Augustine, Florida (
1565 ). (
Jamestown, Virginia was also settled in 1607).
Except for the years 1680-1692, when the native
Pueblo People drove the Spaniards out of the area known as New Mexico, later to be "reconquered" by Don
Diego De Vargas , Santa Fe remained Spain's provincial seat until 1810 at the outbreak of the
Mexican War Of Independence . In 1824 the city's status as the capital of the Mexican territory of Santa Fe de Nuevo México was formalized in the
1824 Constitution .
In 1841 a small military and trading expedition set out from
Austin , Texas with the aim of gaining control over the
Santa Fe Trail . Known as the
Santa Fe Expedition the force was poorly prepared and was easily repelled by the Mexican army. In 1846, the United States declared war on Mexico, and General
Kearny led a troop of US Cavalry into the city to claim it and the whole New Mexico Territory for the United States. By 1848 it officially gained New Mexico through The
Treaty Of Guadalupe Hidalgo .
Colonel
Alexander William Doniphan under the command of Kearny recovered ammunition from Sante Fe labeled "Spain 1776" showing both the quality of communication and military support New Mexico received under Mexican rule. (Garrard, Lewis H., Wah-to-yah and the Taos Trail, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman Oklahoma, 1955, originally published in 1850)
In 1851,
Jean Baptiste Lamy , arrived in Santa Fe when he began construction of the Saint Francis Cathedral. For a few days in March 1863, the Confederate flag of General Henry Sibley flew over Santa Fe, until he was defeated by Union troops. Via a spur, Santa Fe was connected with the main line of the
Atchison, Topeka And Santa Fe Railway in 1880. With the railway and the invention of the telegraph , Santa Fe and New Mexico underwent an economic revolution.
Santa Fe was originally envisioned as an important stop on the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad, from
Atchison, Kansas , to Santa Fe, and then to points west. However, as this railroad progressed into
New Mexico , the
Civil Engineer s in charge realized that building the line through the
Sangre De Cristo Mountains surrounding Santa Fe was impractical. Hence, they built the line through
Lamy , a town in
Santa Fe County to the south of Santa Fe. However, the net result was the gradual economic decline of Santa Fe as the railroad moved further West through
Albuquerque . The first aeroplane to fly over Santa Fé was piloted by
Rose Dugan , carrying Vera
Von Blumenthal as passenger. Together they started the development of the Pueblo Indian pottery industry, a major contribution to the founding of the annual Santa Fé Indian Trade Fair.
In 1912 New Mexico became the country's 47th state, with Santa Fe as its capital.
Santa Fe is located at 35°40'2" North, 105°57'52" West (35.667231, -105.964575).
According to the
United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 96.9
Km&2 (37.4
Mi&2 ). 96.7 km&
2 (37.3 mi&
2) of it is land and 0.2 km&
2 (0.1 mi&
2) of it is water. The total area is 0.21% water.
Santa Fe is located nearly 7,000 ft. above sea level, making it highest located State Capital of all 50. These are State Capitals whose altitude is 4,000 ft or above:
# - 6,989 ft
#
Cheyenne, Wyoming - 6,067 ft
#
Denver, Colorado - 5,260 ft
#
Carson City, Nevada - 4,730 ft
#
Salt Lake City, Utah - 4,266 ft
#
Helena, Montana - 4,090 ft
Source: ''
City-Data.com ''
The average temperate in Santa Fe ranges from a low of 14°F (-10°C) to a high of 40°F (4°C) in winter, low of 55°F (13°C) to a high of 86°F (30°C) in summer. Santa Fe receives 1-2 inches (25-50 mm) of rain per month in summer and about 5 inches (12 cm) of snow per month in winter.
Pueblo Revival style building near the Plaza in Santa Fe]]
The Spanish laid out the city according the “Laws of the Indies”, town planning rules and ordinances which had been established in 1573 by
King Phillip II . The fundamental principle was that the town be laid out around a central plaza. On its north side the
Palace Of The Governors was located while, on the East, was the church which later became the
Cathedral Basilica Of Saint Francis Of Assisi .
One other principles of style of city planning was the grid of streets radiating out from the central Plaza. Many were narrow and included alley-ways, and they gradually merged into the more casual byways of agricultural areas around the town’s perimeter. As the city grew throughout the 19th Century, it increasingly reflected the many varied styles of the times, so that by Statehood in 1912, the eclectic nature of its building styles which had evolved caused it took like “Anywhere USA” (as Hammett notes). The city government realized that the economic decline, which had started more than twenty years before with the railway moving west and the Federal government closing down Fort Marcy, might be reversed by the promotion of tourism.
To achieve that goal, the city created the idea of imposing a unified building style – the Spanish Pueblo Revival look, which was based on work done restoring the Palace of the Governors. The sources for this style came from the many defining features of local architecture: vigas and canales from many old adobe homes, churches build many years before and found in the Pueblos, and the earth-toned, adobe-colored look of the exteriors.
In 1912??? this style was to become official: all buildings were to be built using these elements. By 1930 there was a broadening to include the “Territorial”, a style of the pre-statehood period which included the addition of portals and white-painted window and door pediments. The City had become “Different”.
However, as Hammett notes, “in the rush to pueblofy” Santa Fe, the city lost a great deal of its architectural history and eclecticism”. Among the architects most closely associated with this “new” style is
John Gaw Meem .
By an ordinance passed in 1958, new and rebuilt buildings, especially those in designated historic districts, must exhibit a Spanish Territorial or Pueblo style of architecture, with flat roofs and other features suggestive of the area's traditional
Adobe construction. However, many contemporary houses in the city are built from lumber, concrete blocks, and other common building materials, but with stucco surfaces (known by the locals as "fake adobe", pronounced as one word) reflecting the historic style.
In 2005/2006 a consultant group from
Portland, Oregon has been preparing a “Santa Fe Downtown Vision Plan” to examine the long-range needs for the “downtown” area, roughly bounded by the Paseo de Peralta on the north, south and east sides and by Guadalupe Street on the west. In consultation with members of community groups, who are encouraged to provide feedback, the consultants will make recommendations on whether to proceed with the present policy of focusing on the Territorial and Pueblo styles.
The city is well-known as a center for many arts and all reflect the multi-cultural character of the city.
There are many outdoor sculptures, including many statues of
Saint Francis , and several other saints, such as
Kateri Tekakwitha . Given that Saint Francis was known for his love of animals it is not surprising that there are great numbers of representations of crows, bulls, elephants, livestock and other beasts, all over town. The styles run the whole spectrum from
Baroque to
Post-modern .
Canyon Road , east of the Plaza, has the highest concentration of art galleries in the city, and is a major destination for tourists and locals. Santa Fe's art market is the third largest in the United States, after
New York and
Los Angeles , and the Canyon Road galleries showcase a wide array of contemporary
Southwestern , indigenous American, and experimental art, in addition to older
Russia n,
Taos Masters , and
Native American pieces.
The town and the surrounding areas have a high concentration of artists. They have come over the decades to capture on canvas and in other media the natural beauty of the landscape, the flora and the fauna. One of the most well-known New Mexico-based artists was
Georgia O'Keeffe , who lived for a time in Santa Fe but primarily in
Abiquiu , a small village 35 miles away. The
Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe is named after her, and it is devoted to exhibitions of her work and associated artists or related themes. As of March 2006, it will hold about one thousand of her works in all media.
Music and opera are well represented in Santa Fe with the annual
Santa Fe Opera productions, which take place between late June and late August each year, and the
Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival which is also held at the same time, mostly in the recently-refurbished movie theatre, the
Lensic Theatre , now a major performing arts venue.
Santa Fe has lots of world-class museums. Many are located around Plaza in downtown, and Museum Hill district.
- Georgia O'Keeffe Museum
- The Museum of New Mexico
- Museum of Fine Arts - collections of Southwestern Arts.
- Museum of International Folk Art - various kinds of artistic stuff for every-day use, from jewerlies to toys.
- Museum of Indian Arts and Culture Laboratory of Anthropology - exhibits Native American arts and photographs
- Wheelwright Museum of the American Indians - Native American potteries
- Institute of American Indian Arts Museum - Native American arts with political aspects.
- Museum of Spanish Colonial Art - arts during Spanish-colonial era.
Performance artists and authors followed the influx of specialists in the
Visual Arts . Famous writers like
Cormac McCarthy ,
Roger Zelazny , and Jack Schaefer have been long-time residents.
After State government, tourism is a major aspect of the Santa Fe economy, with visitors attracted year-round by the climate and related outdoor activities (such as skiing in years of adequate snowfall; hiking in other seasons) plus cultural activities of the city and the region.
Most tourist activity takes place in the historic
Downtown , especially on and around the
Plaza , a one-block square adjacent to the
Palace Of The Governors , the original seat of New Mexico's territorial government since the time of
Spanish Colonization . Other areas include “Museum Hill”, the site of the major art museums of the city, and the Canyon Road arts area with its galleries.
Some visitors find Santa Fe particularly attractive around the second week of September when the
Aspen s in the
Sangre De Cristo Mountains turn yellow and the skies are clear and blue. This is also the time of the annual Fiesta to celebrate the "reconquering" of New Mexico by Don Diego DeVargas, a highlight is when Santa Feans burn
Zozobra , a fifty-foot puppet also called "Old Man Gloom".
Within easy striking distance for day-trips is the town of
Taos , about 70 miles North and the historic
Bandelier National Monument about 30 miles away. Santa Fe's
Ski area, Ski Santa Fe, is about 16 miles north of the city.
As of the
Census of 2000, there were 62,203 people, 27,569 households, and 14,969 families residing in the city. The
Population Density was 643.4/km&
2 (1,666.1/mi&
2). There were 30,533 housing units at an average density of 315.8/km&
2 (817.8/mi&
2). The racial makeup of the city was 76.30%
White , 0.66%
African American , 2.21%
Native American , 1.27%
Asian , 0.08%
Pacific Islander , 15.29% from
Other Races , and 4.20% from two or more races. 47.82% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
There were 27,569 households out of which 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.6% were
Married Couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.7% were non-families. 36.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the city the population was spread out with 20.3% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 28.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 91.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was
$ 40,392, and the median income for a family was $49,705. Males had a median income of $32,373 versus $27,431 for females. The
Per Capita Income for the city was $25,454. 12.3% of the population and 9.5% of families were below the
Poverty Line . 17.2% of those under the age of 18 and 9.2% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. The
Minimum Wage in the city of Sante Fe is $9.50.
Santa Fe is served by
Santa Fe Municipal Airport . However, due to the very limited air service, most people choose to fly into the
Albuquerque International Sunport , about an hour's drive south of Santa Fe.
Santa Fe is located on
I-25 . In addition,
U.S. Route 84 and
U.S. Route 285 pass through the city along St. Francis Drive.
Hammett, Kingsley, ''Santa Fe: A Walk Through Time'', Layton, Utah: Gibbs Smith, 2004
1-58685-102-0
