As if Santa Fe hasn’t had enough attention, AARP has decided the City Different is one of "America’s Healthiest Hometowns," suggesting it’s a great place to retire — even with its median housing price of $499,900.
 
The September/October issue of AARP Magazine places Santa Fe in the No. 4 slot in its list of 10 healthy cities, saying:
 
These cities have made robust living—and active retirement—a priority. After reading why, you might want to move there too.
 
Not surprisingly, Sotheby’s International Realty is touting the article in its Internet sales material.
 
Among Santa Fe’s healthy claims to fame: The article says the American Lung Association ranks it #2 in the nation in terms of air quality. [The association's ranking list for 2004 actually puts Santa Fe/Española at No. 1, with Albuquerque closely behind at No. 5.]
 
The AARP article also points out that hiking opportunities abound in the nearby Santa Fe National Forest and the city has a thriving farmer’s market. It lists as "totally unexpected" the fact that Santa Fe boasts the nation’s highest art-per-capita rate — higher than that of New York City.
 

Santa Fe has been blending Spanish and Native American cultures since it was founded as a Spanish trading post 400 years ago. The result is an unparalleled range of artistic and cultural influences — it is “the artiest, sculpturest, weaviest, and potteryest town on earth,” according to travel writer Jan Morris. Artists flock to Santa Fe for the kind of light you get by combining low humidity, clean air, and an elevation of 7,000 feet.

 
"Of course, those are some of the same qualities that make Santa Fe a healthy place in which to live and retire, too." the article continues. 
 

Its rates of diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol are among the lowest in the country, in part because of a city-funded health campaign aimed at older residents. In addition to offering a 268-bed hospital and easy access to specialists in nearby Albuquerque, Santa Fe is teeming with alternative medicine specialists who graduated from the local University of Natural Medicine or the New Mexico Academy of Healing Arts.

 
The article also says:
 
Despite its relatively small size, the city has its own symphony and community orchestra, plus an opera with an international reputation and the annual High Mayhem Emerging Music and Arts Festival. 

 

AARP says it combed through the government records of hundreds of cities for more than 20 measures of vitality to come up with its list, which also includes Ann Arbor, Mich.; Honolulu; Madison, Wis.; Fargo N.D.; Boulder, Colo.; Charlottesville, Va.; Minneapolis/St. Paul/Bloomfield, Minn.; the San Francisco Bay area and Naples/Marco Island, Fla. There’s also a list of runners-up.
 
 … We looked not only at the physical aspects of a community (clean air and water, for instance) but also at the health and habits of the people who live there. The two are closely linked: if you live near a hiking-and-biking trail and all your neighbors use it, you’ll probably use it, too. If a farmers’ market is just down the street, you’re likely to eat more fruits and vegetables. If your city has multiple hospitals, there’s a good chance you’ll get superior medical care. 
 
Santa Fe routinely is listed as a destination, but usually for travel.  In 1992, Santa Fe received enough write-in votes from Conde Nast Traveler readers to be named the No. 1 travel destination in the world.