Serving as the state capital, Santa Fe's major industries are the art, tourism, construction and the real estate development. For many years the city with its cultural attractions and fertile intellectual climate has attracted new residents with a high average income and an educational level. Thus, a Santa Fe vacation is an acquaintance with elite artists, architects and businessmen, who have developed the modern style, appearance and climate of Santa Fe. Many artists and famous writers, like Cormac McCarthy and Roger Zelazny, have come over decades to Santa Fe to capture on canvas the beauty of landscapes or to find an inspiring Santa Fe muse for writing. Totally, Santa Fe's art market, resulting from thousands of working artists, consists of more than one hundred and fifty galleries. Santa Fe has always inspired many artists to create; a Santa Fe vacation provides any traveler with an ultimate rest and many new, creative ideas.
Many tourists prefer a Santa Fe vacation, for they like historic appearance of the city. The city administration consciously attempts to preserve and display a regional architectural style. Even new and rebuilt buildings, especially those in designated historic districts, exhibit a Spanish Territorial or Pueblo style of architecture with flat roofs and other suggestive features of the area's traditional adobe construction. Many contemporary houses in the city are built from common building materials, but the design reflects the historic style. The city has an impressive number of outdoor sculptures of saints and different animals.
Like most cities of the Hispanic origin, Santa Fe has a plaza in the center of the city, surrounded by tall trees and grass lawns. As a modern tourist center, Santa Fe features a wide array of restaurants, boutiques and galleries, lining the streets of the city center and the Canyon Road, a narrow, mostly one-way street. However, many of Santa Fe attractions are located in old buildings, conforming to the entire style of the city.
What else makes a Santa Fe vacation different? Among all distinguishing features, making the Santa Fe tourism legendary, travelers note a possibility of great accommodations and unmatched hospitality. The Santa Fe Lodgers Association represents more than thirty local hotels, conveniently located next to city's major attractions.
The closest hotel to the city center is the La Fonda Hotel. It is not necessary to stay at the hotel, since there are a lot more options, but a stroll through it gives you a sense of ancient Santa Fe. Originally, La Fonda was an inn, hosting traders, merchants, trappers and notables, such as the President Rutherford B. Hayes. The inn has seen several renovations through the years, but preserves the pueblo revival architecture and interior design, though combined with modern additions like a Spa, Sauna and Jacuzzi.
Santa Fe is a city of romance, antiquity, art in all forms and high-tech intellectuals. A Santa Fe lifestyle is the major draw for new tourists and residents, and the city makes a notable difference from other New Mexico towns.