Eldorado at Santa Fe

The Eldorado subdivision was created in the 1970s as a solar community. I remember back at the beginning our cousin in Santa Fe believed that there was not enough water in the area to support the number of homes planned for the subdivision. His predictions never came to pass, but the solar concept did not last as other kinds of affordable energy became available. There are still accommodations made to draw in solar energy in most of the homes.

Eldorado is located off U.S. Highway 285 10 miles southeast of Santa Fe and 55 miles from Albuquerque. Small towns nearby are Lamy (4.6 miles), Galisteo (10 miles), and Glorieta (11.7 miles.) Interstate 25 is just a couple of miles to the northeast.

There are approximately 2700 homes in Eldorado; the population in 2000 was 5,799. The median age of residents is 44.2. Eldorado is predominately Anglo (82.6%) and Hispanic (13.5%). 98.6% of the residents have a high school education or higher, 62.2% bachelor’s degree or higher, and 32.4% a graduate or professional degree.

Eldorado is comprised of 1-2 acre homesites. Water comes from the public Eldorado Area Water and Sanitation District or by private or shared wells. Homes are served by septic systems. All utilities are underground. Most of the lots in the subdivision have been developed. The best feature of Eldorado for many residents is that nearly every home site has a view of the Sangre de Cristo, Jemez, Ortiz or Sandia Mountains, as well as a dramatic view of the sunsets and the night sky.

The subdivision is supervised by the ECIA (Eldorado Community Improvement Association), which uses a covenant system, with the “express purposes of protecting the natural beauty and environment of the community of Eldorado at Santa Fe, providing an attractive rural setting for residential neighborhoods and home sites and preserving property values.” The covenant covers the architectural design required in homes (architectural styles of Santa Fe”); this is from the covenant statement:

…“characterized by stucco or adobe walls, flat or pitched roofs, red tile or metal roofs, earth colors, vigas, portals, verandas, courtyards, patios and walkways, occasionally incorporating design elements of metal, stone, brick, wood and stained glass. These design motifs are derived from the Spanish Pueblo.”

Some might consider the covenant to be strict, but to me it is a way to preserve the charm of Eldorado.

Property owners in Eldorado enjoy a community center with swimming pool, tennis courts, soccer fields, a dog park, hiking trails, horse stables and a 4,000 acre wilderness area for hiking and horseback riding. The subdivision has a fire department, an elementary school, a library, and a senior center, as well as a small shopping mall, The Agora, with a supermarket, several stores and restaurants. A new business park is being developed, with more restaurants, a video store, and a fitness center.

To me, there is a lot of energy in Eldorado: social and educational activities and community events, pride in the appearance of the homes, continuing improvement and development … and always the glory of the wonderful views.

It’s exciting looking forward to becoming a resident of Eldorado, a responsible homeowner and a good neighbor.

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Information from:

http://www.eldoradocommunity.com/index.html

http://www.city-data.com/city/Eldorado-at-Santa-Fe-New-Mexico.html