Santa Fe, New Mexico

New Mexico's capital, Santa Fe, is located on the banks of the Santa Fe River in the scenic foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

Founded in 1609, Santa Fe is the oldest capital in the United States, and takes its name from the Spanish for "holy faith." The city has preserved most of its historic buildings, representative of the Spanish Territorial or Pueblo style, and maintains a low skyline due to a 1957 law prohibiting any structures over five stories tall.

Downtown Santa Fe centers on a one-block plaza adjacent to the Palace of the Governors, a 17th-century adobe structure that is one of the oldest public buildings in the country, and now houses the state's museum. The downtown core is also home to the Museum of International Folk Art, the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, and the Museum of Fine Arts.

And with all that history, it might not come as a surprise that Santa Fe isn't just state capital, it's also a center for the arts and culture in New Mexico. The city boasts a symphony and an opera, and the critically acclaimed Shakespeare in Santa Fe Festival has been bringing the bard to residents and visitors alike for over a decade. The art galleries that line Canyon Road are world renowned, and the principal reason why the city is considered by some to be the third-largest art market, after New York and Los Angeles, in the United States.

Of course, outdoor lovers will find their needs looked after in Santa Fe, too. The region around Santa Fe is offers just about every recreational activity imaginable, from hiking and biking along the Atalaya and Windsor trails in the Santa Fe National Forest, to rock climbing and skiing at Ski Santa Fe in the nearby Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

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