Santa Fe is 7,000 feet above sea level in the northern part of beautiful New Mexico, also known as the "Land of Enchantment". Nearby peaks in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains are 12,000 feet just 16 miles (30 minutes) from the heart of Santa Fe beginning at the summit of Chicoma Peak and San Pedro Parks Wilderness. The Santa Fe Ski Basin is 45 minutes from the Plaza and starts at 9,000 feet.

Santa Fe lies at the Southern tip of the Rocky Mountains (Sangre de Cristo Range) and is surrounded by 3 other mountain ranges - the Jemez, the Ortiz, and the Sandias. There are10 golf courses within 1 hour.

Santa Fe (Town of the Holy Faith) is known as "The City Different" and is America's oldest capial city.

The climate is dry but prone to weather changes. The average temperature 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 2-3 inches (50-75 mm) of rain per month in summer and about 5 inches (13 cm) of snow per month in winter.
There are many warm, sunny days in winter, but it can snow from November through April.

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 holy people, 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 Russian, 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

Santa Fe has lots of world-class museums. Many are located around the Plaza downtown:

• Georgia O'Keeffe Museum
• The Museum of New Mexico
• Museum of Fine Arts - collections of Southwestern Arts
• Institute of American Indian Arts Museum - Native American arts with political aspects.

And in the Museum Hill district:

• 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 Indian - Native American potteries
• Museum of Spanish Colonial Art - arts during Spanish-colonial era.

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 aspens in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains turn yellow and the skies are clear and blue. This is also the time of the annual Fiestas de Santa Fe, celebrating the "reconquering" of Santa Fe by Don Diego De Vargas, a highlight of which is the burning 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.

Smokers should be aware that the City Council recently passed a strict anti-smoking ordinance that bans smoking in all businesses and public places in the city. Bars are no longer allowed to set aside a smoking area.

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 62,203 people, 27,569 households, and 14,969 families living in the city. The population density was 643.4/km (1,666.1/mi). There were 30,533 housing units at an average density of 315.8/km (817.8/mi). 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. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 47.82% of the population.

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. About 9.5% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.2% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.

The minimum wage in the city of Santa Fe is $9.50 per hour, which makes it the highest in the nation. There are plans to increase this wage to $10.50 per hour in 2008.