Santa Fe, New Mexico

Founded in 1610, Santa Fe is a favorite with artists, foodies and historians as well as retirees. It’s the oldest capital city in the United States and a somewhat remote place, sitting high in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of northcentral New Mexico. Outside of town, peaks and the high desert sprawl, home to old mining towns and cattle ranches. Inside, a sophisticated, understated world of art, music, award-winning cuisine and Pueblo architecture awaits.

Spanish Colonial churches ring bells that first rang 300 years ago. Brightly painted wooden doors bedeck century-old dwellings.  Elegant art galleries beckon from every corner. Five-star, open-air restaurants with well-worn floors and tiled porticos serve everything from northern Italian cuisine to eye-watering spicy chili rellenos. 

With its Anglo, Mexican, and Native American influences—along with both Catholic and Indigenous spiritual traditions—Santa Fe feels a little mystical. This is especially vivid inside the Loretto Chapel, where the famed “miraculous staircase” has captivated visitors since 1878. Constructed without nails and seemingly lacking a central support, the spiral staircase was built by an unknown carpenter who accepted no payment and disappeared soon after completing his work.

The annual Indian Market is the largest Native art market in the world, with 200 tribal nations participating. The centuries-old Fiesta de Santa Fe, a celebration of the city and its people, is the longest-running community event in the country. The expansive, year-round Santa Fe Farmers’ Market started in the 1960s and is still going strong.

The outdoor Santa Fe Opera is world famous, attracting renowned guest artists, and it has a vibrant summer season. The six-week-long Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival brings in musicians from around the globe. The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum houses more than 1,000 of her sculptures and paintings.

Nearly all homes, even new ones, are adobe or adobe-style with a tile roof, a courtyard and garden walls. All residential construction adheres to building codes that first began in the 1920s to preserve the city’s unique architectural heritage.