Nambé offers a peaceful retreat near Santa Fe
Nambé lies in the Nambé River Valley to the north of Santa Fe . While many area waterways stay relatively dry, the Nambé River flows throughout much of the year. “It’s a very verdant valley,” says Mark Rochester, a qualifying broker at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Santa Fe who has lived in Nambé all his life. “Our community is deeply rooted in agriculture and Hispanic culture.” For residents, the natural surroundings provide a calm sanctuary within the greater Santa Fe area, and proximity to job opportunities at the Los Alamos National Laboratory is also a major draw.
Pueblo-style architectural influences and varying lot sizes in Nambé
Along the winding, dirt roads, houses with neutral-toned stucco or traditional adobe walls rest on lots of about half an acre in size or larger. “There are also some multimillion-dollar ranches — it’s very diverse,” Rochester says. “The house I grew up in is 320 years old, with double adobe walls and a river rock foundation.” Although most homes were built much more recently, their designs often reflect the influences of traditional, Pueblo-style architecture. Very few listings come on the market, but recent sales have ranged from $280,000 to $1.25 million. Prices not only depend on the size of the home and parcel, but also on the water rights.
Water rights are a part of life in New Mexico
There are some community wells, but the majority of residents of Nambé maintain their own wells and septic systems. In New Mexico, water is a scarce, publicly owned resource. Many properties have existing wells, and water rights may be eligible to be transferred to the new owners. Each well is metered, and owners are required to report their water usage to the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer to ensure that they do not exceed their allotted usage. A regional water system is being installed, but there is no official estimate of when the service will be available.
Children can attend Pojoaque schools
Students are served by the Pojoaque Valley School District, which gets a B-minus from Niche. From prekindergarten through third grade, children can attend the B-rated Pablo Roybal Elementary School. Pojoaque Intermediate School serves fourth and fifth graders, and it earns a C. Sixth Grade Academy holds a C-plus. Both Pojoaque Middle School and Pojoaque Valley High School get B-minus ratings. High schoolers can participate in a variety of extracurricular activities, including bowling, esports and choir.
Exploring badlands, the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and Nambé Falls
Nambé Falls & Lake Recreation Area lies within the Nambé Pueblo just east of the community, and its waterside trails make it a popular hiking spot. While the land to the east of Nambé belongs to the pueblo, there are thousands of acres of publicly owned Bureau of Land Management, or BLM, land in the badlands to the north. Here, multiuse trails cross rolling hills and meander through arroyos, and there is access to Santa Cruz Lake, a destination for trout fishing and boating. The Santa Fe National Forest spans even larger stretches of land to the east and west. “Outdoor spaces are everything where we live,” Rochester says. “The badlands have some absolutely gorgeous terrain, and as you go up into the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, it’s all tall, cool pines.”
Nearby restaurants include Sopaipilla Factory and Rancho de Chimayó
Nambé is largely residential, but neighboring Pojoaque is home to several stores, including Pojoaque Ace Hardware, Pojoaque Supermarket and a Family Dollar. The community also has a few eateries, and Sopaipilla Factory is a casual dining favorite. Rochester says that he regularly eats at Rancho de Chimayó, a landmark Southwestern restaurant in an old hacienda about 10 miles north of Nambé. “Sometimes I get home from work and my wife says, ‘Let’s go out to dinner,’ and we head back into Santa Fe,” he says. “Santa Fe has world-renowned restaurants and arguably the finest culinary experiences you can imagine.”
Annual Good Friday pilgrimage to Santuario de Chimayo
State Route 503, also known as the High Road to Taos, runs through the community. On Good Friday, it becomes part of a pilgrimage to Santuario de Chimayo, an 1800s adobe church a few miles north. Pilgrims often stop at Nambé's own Sagrado Corazón de Jesús church before continuing their journey. “I have an employee who walks all the way from Santa Fe,” Rochester says. “There are thousands of people — you can’t drive on highway 503 all throughout Easter weekend.”
A relatively traffic-free drive from Nambé to Santa Fe
Nambé is a car dependent, and the two-lane state Route 503 connects drivers to U.S. Route 285. Los Alamos National Laboratory is less than 25 miles away, and Santa Fe is about 20 miles south. “It always takes me 22 minutes to get there,” Rochester says. “When you live in Nambé, you don’t really have to deal with traffic. Santa Fe has the inability to grow to the north because of tribal land.” The closest emergency room is at the Presbyterian Española Hospital, a little over 10 miles northwest. Santa Fe Regional Airport is around 30 miles away.
