The cultural center of the remote New Mexican high desert
Around 25 miles north of Santa Fe in the remote high desert, Española offers area-affordable housing, proximity to major New Mexican employers, and a rich sense of history and culture. “There are two main things about Española that newcomers understand,” explains Emery Maez, a Qualifying Broker with the Maez Group, who was born and raised in the city. “The first is that it’s perfect for younger workers at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, who might be on a shorter contract and are looking for more affordable housing. The second is that artists who want a place to create their art find it here. All our old churches inspired Georgia O’Keeffe, after all.”
Originally home to the Tewa Indians, Española was settled by the Spanish in the late 1500s. Many of their original churches are still in use in the villages that surround the city, where Spanish, Native American and Anglican families have lived for centuries. “We're a multicultural, trilingual community here,” Maez says. “We’re surrounded by Native American pueblos, and most people’s names are the names you’d hear if you traveled to Spain."
Although only a city of about 10,000 residents, Española has long been the commercial hub for northern Santa Fe County’s rural communities. “In the beginning of the 1900s, this was the trading center for mountain communities because of all the rivers and stores that met here,” Maez says. “It’s still like that in a lot of ways today, but now the stores are Walmart and Lowe's.”
Around 25 miles north of Santa Fe in the remote high desert, Española offers area-affordable housing.
Pathways Indigenous Arts Festival is held each year just a few miles away to the south.
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Northern New Mexico-style and Pueblo Revival homes
As of early 2025, Española’s median home price is $285,000, less than half of Santa Fe’s roughly $600,000. Early 20th-century Northern New Mexico-style and Pueblo Revival homes are prevalent throughout the Española area. Within city limits, most sit on compact lots of exposed earth. Those in river-bound villages like Santa Cruz and Sombrillo often come with acreage, fruit orchards and detached art studios. The southern village of El Valle de Arroyo Seco offers mobile home options amid a more desert-like landscape.
The estimated average home price in Espanola is around $285,000.
Farms and small ranches are strewn along the Santa Cruz River Espanola.
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Local eateries, big box retailers and casinos
Once the center of Colonial Spanish expansions in the 1600s, Española remains the commercial anchor of northern Santa Fe County’s remote communities. Downtown Española’s streets are dotted by Spanish and New Mexican eateries, the latter of which are known for their heavy use of red and green chiles. Riverside Drive forms the city’s new commercial corridor and continues to grow with casual eateries, grocers and big box stores. “It used to be that we only had a few mercantile stores that had a bit of everything, but now there’s a Walmart, a Lowe’s, a Chili’s. We have a lot of stores, and all the communities from the mountains come for them.”
The Santa Clara and Pojoaque Pueblos south of Española are also home to casinos. “You know they’re busy because their parking lots are always full,” Maez says. The Buffalo Thunder Resort and Casino hosts the Pathways Indigenous Arts Festival every August, attracting hundreds of Indigenous artists and dancers to the area. The Cities of Gold Casino not only has its own bowling alley but also the only dollar-coin slot machines in the state.
The popular Santa Fe Plaza & St. Francis Cathedral are located less than 30 minutes away.
Santa Cruz locals have enjoyed the great dinning at La Cocina for over 20 years.
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The Jemez Mountains and Rio Grande
Set at the base of the Jemez Mountains, Española is only a few miles away from ponderosa forests, ancient pueblo ruins and sprawling volcanic calderas. “Come here on a Friday before a three-day weekend, and people are on the moon prepping to go into the mountains,” Maez says. “Everyone goes there in their motorhomes with their four-wheeled beasts in tow. They go off-roading, crisscrossing through the calderas and little mountain communities.” Around 30 miles south in the mountains, the Bandelier National Monument is famous for the pueblo ruins etched into its sandstone hillsides. In the winter, the Pajarito Mountain Ski Area — simply "Ski Hill" to locals — offers steeper, more challenging slopes than in other nearby ski resorts.
The Rio Grande also crosses through the center of Española and is a popular spot for fishing. “A lot of folks will head up north toward Taos to a little town called Pilar for fishing,” says Maez. “New Mexico Game and Fish does weekly reports about when and where they’re doing fish restocking, and everyone’s super in tune with it.”
Santa Cruz locals can enjoy a day of fishing at the nearby Santa Cruz Lake.
La Puebla Recreation Area offers ample hiking trails and desert scenery near Santa Cruz..
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The Pilgrimage to Chimayo and local studio tours
Art and religion are central to Española’s various villages. “Each has its own chapel, which is usually hundreds of years old and filled with Spanish and Catholic art,” says Maez. Every Easter, thousands of residents make the Pilgrimage to Chimayo. This 10-mile trek leads to the Santuario de Chimayo, where the sacristy's dirt is believed to have healing properties. In the fall and winter seasons, the villages also host tours of local artists' studios; work ranges from Native American quilt weaving and pottery to marble sculptures and glass blowing.
Española Public Schools
Española Public Schools earns a C from Niche and serves both the city and its surrounding villages and pueblos. The district offers bilingual Heritage Language Programs in both Spanish and Tewa, the language of the area’s First Nations.
Espanola Valley High earns a C from Niche.
Convenience to Santa Fe and Los Alamos
U.S. Route 285 runs through the center of Española, leading 25 miles south to Santa Fe. New Mexico State Road 30 also runs 20 miles between Española and the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Although the city is heavily reliant on cars, North Central Regional Transit District buses also service the community. The Santa Fe Regional Airport is 32 miles south, and the Albuquerque International Sunport is 90 miles south.
Declining crime rates in Española
According to the most recent FBI data, between 2014 and 2023, Española’s reported rate of property crime fell by 72%. In this same period, its reported rate of violent crime fell by 62%.
Caroline van Steen is a seasoned, full-time real estate professional with over 25 years of experience in sales, marketing, and customer service. She has honed the skills and expertise necessary to excel in the real estate industry, demonstrating proven success across various property types. Caroline thrives in every aspect of her role, from luxury homes and horse properties to income properties (including 1031 exchanges), historic houses, new construction, off-grid properties, and land sales.
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