Santa Fe is Spanish for "holy faith." The city’s full name is “La Villa Real de la Santa Fé de San Francisc de Asís,” or “the Royal City of the Holy Faith of St. Francis of Assisi.”

Santa Fe is the capital of the state of New Mexico and the county seat of Santa Fe County. It’s the oldest capital city in the United States.

Santa Fe has been a seat of government under the flags of Spain, Mexico, the Confederacy, and the United States of America.

Eight sovereign Indian pueblos are located near Santa Fe.

Some Santa Fe families have been in the area for hundreds of years, but many people who live here came to visit, fell in love with Santa Fe, and stayed.

The city sits at an elevation of approximately 7,320 feet (2,231 meters) above sea level. It occupies a total area 37.3 square miles.

Santa Fe is located between the Sangre de Cristo and Jemez mountain ranges. Nearby peaks soar to more than 12,000 feet.

The Santa Fe area averages 300 days of sunshine, 14 inches of rain, and 17 inches of snow per year. Temperatures range from 14°F (-10°C) to 40°F (4°C) in winter and from 55°F (13°C) to 86°F (30°C) in summer.

The economy depends heavily on government and the tourism/hospitality industry. Other industry clusters include biotech/biomedical, publishing, information technologies, medicine, new media, and financial services. Los Alamos National Laboratory, 30 miles from Santa Fe, employs more than 12,000 people.

Home to more than 250 art galleries, Santa Fe is the third largest art market in the nation. The city also has more than 225 restaurants.

Santa Fe was named as one of the top two cities to visit in the United States (just behind San Francisco) by the readers of by Condé Nast Traveler.

Taos is about 70 miles north of Santa Fe. Historic Bandelier National Monument is about 30 miles away, and the Santa Fe ski area is about 16 miles north of the city.

Smoking is not permitted in businesses and many public places in Santa Fe, including restaurants and bars.