©
Efraín M. Padró |
©
Efraín M. Padró |
Location - Los Alamos is located on
the Pajarito Plateau at the foot of the majestic Jemez Mountains. Located about
90 miles north of Albuquerque and 35 miles from Santa Fe, it is a one-hour
drive from the regional airport at Santa Fe and less than a two-hour drive from
the international airport at Albuquerque. Los Alamos also has an active general
aviation airport, servicing both private and corporate air traffic, along with
air freight service.
Driving to and from Los Alamos has been made
easier by the completion of the Santa Fe bypass highway, which created at least
a four-lane route nearly the entire distance from Albuquerque to Los
Alamos.
History and Population - This small
northern New Mexico town offers both spectacular scenery and intriguing
history. The Anasazi ancestors of current Native American tribes inhabited the
land of Los Alamos as early as 1150 AD. Some 800 years later the Manhattan
Project, which developed the atomic bomb, established its home base in Los
Alamos. When the Manhattan Project evolved into Los Alamos National Laboratory,
it positioned the region at the forefront of technological change. The Los
Alamos National Laboratory currently has a fiscal year budget of over $1.7
billion and employs over 7,000 people (almost half the population of the entire
county)!
As of 2002, the population of Los Alamos
County was around 18,000 people within 109 square miles, at an elevation of
7,355 feet.
Special Attractions - Los Alamos is
noted for its excellent schools, safe neighborhoods and abundant outdoor
recreational activities. Just a short distance away is the Bandelier National
Monument, with over 23,000 acres of wilderness and ancestral Pueblo dwellings.
Skiing is available at the Pajarito Mountain Ski area. And traveling only 35
miles away to Santa Fe, you can find many world-class museums, galleries,
shops, restaurants, and performances.
Education - Los Alamos has a superior
educational system. In 2000, The Wall Street Journal's "Offspring" magazine
rated the Los Alamos Public School system as the number one public school
system in the Southwestern United States. More than 80% of Los Alamos High
School graduates go on to four-year colleges, and SAT scores have historically
exceeded national averages by more than 30%.
Six institutions of higher education are
located within 40 miles of Los Alamos County. The University of New Mexico -
Los Alamos provides undergraduate degrees and coursework in computing,
engineering, and technology in support of local businesses and Los Alamos
National Laboratory. Other schools in the area include Northern New Mexico
Community College, Santa Fe Community College, St. John's College - Santa Fe,
and multiple other New Mexico colleges that offer in-person, online, and
correspondence study.
Healthcare - Los Alamos Medical
Center includes both in-patient and out-patient care, including a birthing
center, acute care, rehabilitation services, and pharmacies. Other smaller
healthcare facilities are available throughout the county, as well a large
selection of hospitals and clinics in the metropolitan areas of Santa Fe and
Albuquerque. Alternative healthcare is readily available in New Mexico, with
several Acupuncture schools in the area.
Financing Your Home >Hybrids Offer Low Rates In the field of home financing, "hybrid" mortgages have grown in popularity with homebuyers. With interest rates gradually rising in today's market, the hybrid mortgage product saves money, provides a period of fixed-rate security and helps buyers qualify for financing.
Hybrid mortgage loans offer a very low fixed-rate for a period of time, usually from 5 to 7 years, then revert to an adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) for the remainder of the term of the loan. The interest rate is typically lower than with a 30-year fixed-rate loan, and the borrower has the assurance that the rate will not change for a period of years. Such a loan works well for buyers who plan on reselling the home within a finite period.
Other specialty mortgages now available include an ARM loan with a provision allowing it to be converted to a fixed-rate loan when that is a practical step for the borrower. Still others offer an interest-only loan that requires payments to be made on the interest only for a specified number of years, then reverts to an amortized loan with interest and principal payments each month. Consult with an experienced mortgage professional to determine whether one of these loan products will meet your needs.
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| Q |
What is considered one of the few remaining tax shelters in the 1990s?
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| A |
Homeownership--property taxes on a residence or vacation home are deductible up to $1 million. |
 See More Real Estate Trivia > |
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- NUMBER1EXPERT™ 
