Taos, New Mexico - what is it like as a town .. a place to run .. to live .. or retire?

Hummin'.

In my very humble opinion, it is the most beautiful place in the country.

As a town, it is probably not to the liking of most. It is in many ways very stark. Despite what most know about it--fantastic ski town, artist community, several famous residents--it is a poor town. One of the last vestiges of the Old West. Not always openly hospitable at first, once you settle in, the communities within take great care of their own. A wide variety of characters live there. You find in Taos a live-and-let-live philosophy deeply rooted in the history of the place.

As a place to run, probably not the liking of most. Very small--very few runners at all. Shorter and Pre trained there, so you run in the footsteps of greatness. The Pueblo Revolt of 1680 began there, so you run in the footsteps of history. If you don't mind running solo 98% of the time, then it is a great place to explore. There are many trails and dirt roads to spend your hours. (Don't run on the Mesa, where they don't take kindly to, well, anyone.)

The winters can be snowy at times, but nothing out of the ordinary. A big snow will often be gone in a few days, at least around town.

The summers can be hot, but morning or evening runs are quite beautiful.

Work there is often hard to find. Several friends work two or three jobs to feed their ski/bike-bum lifestyle, and prefer it that way. So to make a living there often takes some creativity.

It is my favorite place in the world.

Don't know the town that well but it is an awesomely beautiful place. I've bicycled the High Road a couple of times.

wow this is a powerful description of Taos - really nails the complexity of the place.

Very introverted (self-centered) population, don't expect to find a lot of social welcoming.

lots of no talent east coast hacks pretending to be southwestern "artists".

I changed one word in your quote below to describe Boulder, CO to a tee. By the way, I've spent a lot of time in New Mexico, and Isaacson nailed it with his description of Taos. But I don't think it would appeal to a lot of people, as with most of New Mexico.

taos tattler wrote:

lots of no talent east coast hacks pretending to be southwestern "runners".

Do not ever even think of speeding on the road to Taos Pueblo. Not even two miles an hour over the posted limit. This activity is a major cash cow for the tribal government there. Moo.

You're a no-talent hack when it comes to descriptions. Boulder in fact has a high number of no-talent hacks from the west coast, too. On the other hand, it still has been home to more marathon Olympians, medalists, and world record setters than your town has, so there's that.

Shorter tried Taos before he settled in Boulder. There is an interesting story on his experiences in Taos in "Running with the Legends."

Santa Fe area might be a better choice than Taos. There are still plenty of dirt roads and mountain trails to choose from in Santa Fe yet it enjoys at least a little more refined level of civilization. Probably more training partners to choose from there, too.

Chief Niwot wrote:

Shorter tried Taos before he settled in Boulder. There is an interesting story on his experiences in Taos in "Running with the Legends."

Is that the place where he chased off some kids in a gang who were robbing somebody, then had to have a friend drive behind him with a shotgun while he ran for a few days for protection?

777 wrote:

Is that the place where he chased off some kids in a gang who were robbing somebody, then had to have a friend drive behind him with a shotgun while he ran for a few days for protection?

Better yet, the gang was raping a girl.

therapist wrote:

Better yet, the gang was raping a girl.

Hopefully there is more resistance to that happening now.

What is wrong with the Mesa?

And how does Taos compare with Alamosa as to climate and dirt roads for running?

I was thinking of Alamosa as a place to retire, and found out they spray there for mosquitoes twice a day, which is not to my liking.

And you're just a no talent hack period.

Yes, of course, you must be right.

I spent a couple days in Taos and really liked it. Like any resort town, you have to avoid the tourists. But given the economic malaise, there may not be too many tourists shortly. That doesn't bode well for the economy in the short term, but may allow it to go back to being a bit more self-sustaining. They have a great food co-op, cheapish rents, some decent priced restaurants, and a very live and let live vibe (from what I saw). Combined with lots of dirt roads, tons of forest to run in, etc., seems like a great place to go change. Plus, you're only a few hours from heading somewhere warm to train over the winter.

Of course, I've only visited, not lived there...

I'm hoping for some advice .... I'm planning on spending several days in the area in late December.

One of my options is a casita in Arroyo Seco...seems to offer a nice trade-off of a short trip to town and to Taos Ski Valley, as well as solitude and amazing country.

But it also seems really small and remote, and I wonder about safety -- would I be easily marked as a vistor and possibly targeted for a break-in?

Is it a possible to run there -- are the roads/traffic hazardou or too snowy in winter? Or is it one of those areas where the neighbors might not look too kindly at a guy running past, and act on their feelings?

Would it be better to stay at Ski Valley? Some of the lodging options seem either far more than I want to pay, or potentially pretty rough (based on tripadvisor.com anyway, even ones that Frommer's liked).

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

I visited in December two years ago. Of course, we did the "tourist on a budget" thing and stayed at the Motel 8 in town. We skiied all day and didn't have a lot of time for other things in town. But it does seem like a nice place....incredible ski mountain. I wish I could have seen more of the art galleries etc. Beautiful place.

Arroyo Seco in my opinion is the most beautiful area in/near Taos. Close to the trails in and above the Gorge, close to the coffee shops and cafes north of town, and close to the trails in the mountains. If you're there in December you aren't going to be using any of the mountain trails (snow). Being up by the ski area, for that reason, is not the best idea if you're planning on getting in miles. If you want to get in some skiing during your stay it would only be a 10-15min drive. Highly recommended. If I knew someone was staying that close to the hill and didn't find time to ski (or at least have a beer at the St. Bernard) I'd think there was something wrong with them.

Nobody's going to give you grief for running, they may not give you a wide shoulder on the roads though. The only safety issues i'd worry about are unfenced dogs and intoxicated drivers. Likely not an issue, but should you run across any no-trespassing signs its generally a good idea to find a different route.

Thanks for the help. Skiing is the main reason for going to Taos, but I am hoping that I can run every morning before the lifts open. And it weould only be a couple of days, will be spending several days before then in Santa Fe, where I know a few runs .