Life In Angel Fire

Life In The Pines

While the views in and around Angel Fire are panoramic postcard, there is also a certain rough-around-the-edges quality to life here, a ruggedness you might call “life in the pines.”

We like it that way. But that also means that if your style is more geared to Mall of America, “bright lights-big city” than mountain living, let’s be honest: this lifestyle may not be for you.
It’s a different rhythm here in the mountains of New Mexico. Sure, there are plenty of hardworking folks rising early to feed cattle, or working nights grooming ski slopes. But we also subscribe to the work ethics that says enjoy life while you can. So you might find a “Gone Fishing” hanging on the front door or a sticky note saying, “The snow’s great, we’re skiing for lunch.” And you might encounter a dog or two lying beside a desk at work or notice a snowmobile parked outside or find that it’s Friday afternoon and the crew is off playing Beat The Pro, a local favorite among hackers. Small inconveniences in most cases.

There are times most winters when almost everybody’s away from work and school-blizzard days. Days we endure or enjoy though it might mean slow mail or digging the 4-wheel drive out of a snow bank. It’s rarely a problem for the kids who get Fridays off anyway, a schedule we’re growing used to, even growing fond of.

Despite a few idiosyncrasies in the business world, for the most part everything seems to run pretty smoothly. There is plenty of peace and quiet, just enough kicked back evenings; a lot less of the hectic day-to-day grind found elsewhere around the world. And that suits most of us just fine. Nobody ever went to their grave wishing they had worked another day!

Angel Fire Facts:

• Elevation: 8,420 feet
• Population: 1,216 (2010 census)
• Registered Voters: 945
• Village Council: Mayor and 4 Councilors
• Village Area: 18, 450 acres
• Average Lot Size: Residential .786; Commercial/Business .726
• Road Miles Improved and Accepted: 77 total
• Road Miles Paved and Chip-sealed: 8
• Road Miles Unpaved: 30
• Homes: 1,695
• Condos: 813
• Registered Businesses: 252
• Average Snowfall: 160 in valley; 210 inches on ski mountain
• Average Year-round Temperature: 65 F
• Average Days of Sunlight: 345
• Average Annual Skier Days: 165,000
• Ski Area Summit: 10,680′
• Vertical Drop: 2,077′
• Gross Receipts Tax Rate: 7.0625%
• Lodgers Tax Rate: 5%
• Property Tax: Non-residential – 24.834 mils; residential – 24.412 mils
• Property Valuation: $165,356,687
• Airport Runway: 100′ x 8900′
• Construction (new building) permits in 2003: 78
• Average Cost of New 3 bedroom home: $334,143
• Average Cost 2 bedroom condo: $108,979
• Average Cost long term rental rate: $500-$1,000
• Electricity Rates” $0.12 per kwh
• Water & Sewer Rates: see Village of Angel Fire Public works