COMMUNITY PROFILES

Newcomers to Santa Fe will be pleased to find a quality public education system that is complemented by a number of private schools, both parochial and independent. The institutions of higher education in Santa Fe County are as diverse and unique as the environs, with many centered on alternative medicine and healing modalities. St. John’s College provides a truly innovative curriculum that focuses solely on the reading, study, and discussion of the most important books of the Western tradition. Traditional programs of study on both undergraduate and graduate levels are available as well.

The crown jewel of educational resources is the University of New Mexico, serving more than 33,000 students across various campuses and education centers. Branch campuses are located in Los Alamos and Taos, although graduate and upper-division programs are also available in Santa Fe. Course offerings and degree programs are remarkably diverse and well respected. Several UNM School of Medicine programs have been listed in the Top Ten in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, and the rural medicine program consistently holds the number two spot in the nation. The university libraries, museums, galleries, and Center for the Arts represent a rich cultural resource for the entire state.

Since the railroad first brought visitors from the East in the early 1900s, Santa Fe has been recognized as a healing destination that provides a healthful and relaxing environment. Many healing practitioners and therapists have been attracted to this area, blending with highly respected institutions of traditional medicine. Anchoring the network of healthcare facilities and services, St. Vincent Regional Medical Center serves patients in a vast seven-county region that covers 19,000 square miles. Distinguished as the largest hospital between Albuquerque and Pueblo, Colorado, St. Vincent Medical Center provides the only Level III Trauma Center in northern New Mexico.

Santa Fe has a little bit of something for everyone and offers an unusually relaxed lifestyle to both new residents and old.