TAOS COUNTY
County Offices
105 Albright Street
Taos
575-737-6303
www.taoscounty.org
Chamber of Commerce
1139 Paseo Del Pueblo Sur
Taos
800-732-TAOS
575-758-3873
www.taoschamber.com
Services
Although Taos offers the friendliness and charm of a small-town setting surrounded by spectacular natural beauty, the community provides first-rate services. Recent additions include a new library and a 42-bed state-of-the-art regional medical center. Holy Cross Hospital provides an impressive range of medical services including surgical suites, family-oriented birthing rooms, the latest diagnostic technology, and rehabilitation facilities. The hospital also complements the advanced intensive care unit with a high-tech, 24-hour emergency room. For the added convenience of area residents, the hospital offers a Prime Care program with walk-in service during those times when most physician and clinic offices are closed. The Taos Living Center adjacent to the hospital specializes in long-term nursing care.
The University of New Mexico operates a two-year campus in Taos that offers more than 200 courses as well as associate’s degrees and certifications in a number of career and vocational fields. The campus also provides an affordable start on a four-year degree through a wide range of general education and pre-professional courses. Public and private colleges and universities are available within a reasonable commute from Taos, including Santa Fe Community College, the College of Santa Fe, and the University of Phoenix. Metropolitan Albuquerque adds a wide variety of institutions of higher education including the main campus of the highly respected University of New Mexico.
Quality of Life
Taos County draws together the charm of adobe architecture, Native American influences, and spectacular recreational opportunities set against the backdrop of breathtaking natural beauty. More intimate than Santa Fe yet brimming over with cultural enrichment, the leading community of Taos offers an appealing retreat. The arts are well represented, including live theater, chamber music performances, poetry readings, dances, and outdoor concert events. The Historic Taos Plaza springs to life each summer, while a variety of fine museums and the Taos Center for the Arts preserve the area’s unique cultural legacy. The arts tradition in Taos County thrives in the footsteps of such luminaries as Ansel Adams, DH Lawrence, Georgia O’Keeffe, Willa Cather, Aldous Huxley, Carl Jung, Thornton Wilder and Thomas Wolfe. Each generation of artists and writers are captured by the enchantment and breathtaking beauty of northern New Mexico.
Outdoor enthusiasts will discover a paradise of pristine settings within Taos County and the surrounding region, from deep forests to sparkling lakes and streams. Popular leisure activities include hiking, mountain biking, off-roading, climbing, camping, backpacking, horseback riding, golfing, boating, swimming, ice-skating, fishing, hunting, league sports, and first-rate skiing when the snow flies. The annual Taos Mountain Balloon Rally, special ski races and events, the Taos Rodeo, running and cycling competitive events, the Taos Autumn Run car show, and other festivals and celebrations bring throngs of visitors to the area each year. Many families who live in Taos County have called this area their home for generations, adding to the atmosphere of genuine warmth and Southwestern hospitality.
Las Trampas
County Offices
575-737-6303
www.taoscounty.org
Chamber of Commerce
575-758-3873
www.taoschamber.com
The quiet country village of Las Trampas is best known for the San Jose de Gracia Church constructed circa 1760. This exquisitely beautiful adobe structure is one of the finest surviving examples of Spanish Colonial Mission architecture, fully stored in the 1970s to its original glory. The church was once used by Los Hermanos Pentitentes, a flagellant Catholic order of the colonial Spanish era. Situated approximately midway between Santa Fe and Taos, this historic and picturesque community lies along the scenic Taos High Road or NM Highway 76. Los Trampas received the status of a National Historic District through the National Park Service in 1967 and the church designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1970.
Red River
Municipal Offices
575-754-2277
www.redriver.org
Chamber of Commerce
575-754-2366
800-348-6444
www.redrivernewmex.com
Claiming tourism as its major industry, the alpine town of Red River is nestled in the southernmost tip of the Rocky Mountains. The pioneering spirit of the past still prevails, and many corporate executives have escaped the stress of urban life by launching a business in this four-season vacation paradise. Surrounded by the breathtaking beauty of Carson National Forest, the town is part of New Mexico’s Enchanted Circle Scenic Byways. Each year, the town rolls out the red carpet for a half a million visitors who are drawn to the area’s cool mountain valley and hometown friendliness. Visitors and residents share the common pastimes of fishing, bird watching and nature study, photography, hiking, biking, rock climbing, and every imaginable winter sport. Although Main Street is less than a mile long, the corridor is lined with unique shops and convenient services.
Taos
Municipal Offices
575-751-2000
www.taosgov.com
Chamber of Commerce
575-758-3873
www.taoschamber.com
Serving as the leading city and seat of government for Taos County, the town of Taos is situated near the Taos Pueblo, the Native American village and tribe from which the area took its name. This growing community is famous for the nearby resort of Taos Ski Valley but also for the legacy of notable artists and writers who have been drawn to the region’s spectacular alpine beauty. Although the traffic and bustle of
the city remain at a distance from Taos, the city now boats a growing airport, a campus for the University of New Mexico, a state-of-the-art regional hospital, complete convention facilities, and a new library. A phenomenon unique to Taos is called the Taos Hum, a low-frequency noise that defies explanation.
