Why Placitas?

Ask three Placitans what they like best about living in Placitas and you may get six different answers. One will say it is being so far from everything, another, being so close to everything - and both will be right. For some it is the peacefulness, for others the proximity to hiking trails. Most will mention the perfect weather, four distinct seasons without harsh extremes. But almost everyone's answer will include something about the views. Many homes look north toward the hills and mesas, all the way to the Jemez range and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains north of Santa Fe. Others face the mountain, that smooth yet imposing spine of the Sandias which covers with snow in the winter. Some homes get both views. In another pleasant paradox of Placitas life, these comforting views are always the same, and yet they change constantly thanks to the sun's evolving angles and the seasonal rebirth of high desert flowers and shrubs.

For drama you can't beat the full moon rising over the mountain, except perhaps by the sun setting behind the distant stump of El Cabezon on the summer equinox. Even seasoned residents stop to take in the double rainbows of a summer storm, the lightning light shows and fire-red sunsets. These are spectacles that have awed Placitas residents for centuries, from the ancient peoples who lived in nearby caves thousands of years ago, through the Pueblo Indians and Spanish settlers who have come here more recently. The same feeling of closeness to nature that was so much a part of their lives can now be part of yours. With modern amenities, of course.

These days in Placitas, those amenities and conveniences are many and growing in number, located comfortably close yet not right next door. If you don't want to make the short drive to Bernalillo or into Albuquerque, the Homestead Village Shopping Center has a grocery store, hair salon, cleaners and informal eateries among other services.

Just off the Placitas exit of I-25 are all the usual fast food restaurants, easy stops for Placitans on their way home from work. On neighboring Bernalillo's main street is the venerable Range Café, a local favorite, and just as close to Placitas is the new Milagro Grill with its mountain views and tables outdoors. For more elegant dining there are the restaurants on the Santa Ana Pueblo, the Prarie Star and the Corn Maiden. And you can dine there after enjoying golf on either of two championship courses on the pueblo, a total of 45 scenic holes just across the river from Placitas.

The musical arts shine here with the popular Sunday afternoon Placitas Artists Series concerts that run most of the year. The series usually includes exhibits by local artists since Placitas is itself a thriving artistic community. Many of these artists exhibit in Bernalillo, whose reputation as a gallery town is growing constantly. Both Placitas and Bernalillo have arts fairs which draw people from all over the state.

Those fairs are not the only unique events you will find in and near Placitas. July 4th is special here, starting with an old-fashioned community parade which sometimes has as many participants as spectators. That evening are the fireworks on the Santa Ana Pueblo, visible from many Placitas homes. In August is the Rodeo, and on Labor Day weekend the crowds appear for the Bernalillo Wine Festival, a national affair which celebrates New Mexico's heritage of wine making, the oldest in the USA. That tradition continues today in Placitas thanks to the Anasazi Fields Winery.

While many Placitans commute into Albuquerque, to the Intel plant in Rio Rancho, or even up to Santa Fe and Los Alamos, many of us work at home, and not just the artists. Thanks to the availability of high speed connections, home offices are now almost as common in Placitas as, well, mountain views.

Indeed, it always seems to come back to those views . . .

Placitas Artists Series concert photo: Jackie Ericksen