According to Relocation Travel for Regular Hires issued by LANL, regular hires are permitted one house-hunting trip for employee and spouse not to exceed 10 days, including travel time. Whether you use the entire 10 days or just a long weekend, here’s our suggestions for making the best use of your time.
Do Advance Research
Before the clock starts running on your 10 days, put some time on your calendar to do some online research. Sixty-five percent of the Los Alamos workforce commutes from Santa Fe, Española, Taos, and Albuquerque, so expect to look for a home in the Santa Fe area and not necessarily in Los Alamos. Use these links to get started.
Towns and Population Centers Close to LANL
Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce Virtual Los Alamos Los Alamos Visitor Guide White Rock City of Santa Fe City of Rio Rancho Website City of Albuquerque
Counties
LANL is located in Los Alamos County. Adjacent counties are Santa Fe County, Rio Arriba County, and Sandoval County. Los Alamos County is the smallest county in New Mexico. During the years of the Manhattan Project, it was administered exclusively by the U.S. federal government. Today Los Alamos County has equal status to New Mexico’s other counties.
Los Alamos County Santa Fe County Rio Arriba County Sandoval County
Schools
If you have school-aged children, you’ll need to educate yourself about where public schools are located near LANL. Contact the district to arrange a tour of schools.
Los Alamos Public Schools Quick Facts: 5 elementary schools, 1 middle school, 1 freshman academy, 1 high school Santa Fe Public Schools Quick Facts: 15 elementary schools, 5 K–8 schools, 2 middle schools, 2 hgh schools Española Public Schools Quick Facts: 11 elementary schools, 1 middle school, 1 high school
Recreation and the Outdoors
Santa Fe is a year-round outdoor paradise. You’ll be living in an area known for mountain biking, road biking, hiking, skiing, and some of the most spectacular natural spaces in the Southwest.
Mountain Biking Hiking Skiing Los Alamos County Parks, Recreation, and Open Spaces Santa Fe County Open Space, Trails, and Parks
Health Care
The location, type, and quality of health care will be a major consideration when relocating to LANL. While Los Alamos Medical Center is only the hospital located in the town of Los Alamos, it’s just one of several health care facilities that provide a high level of care.
Los Alamos Medical Center Quick Facts: 47-bed acute-care facility, 55 active medical staff plus 40 consulting physicians. A majority of physicians have offices on the medical center campus.
Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center Quick Facts: General hospital located in Santa Fe. Largest medical facility north of Albuquerque. Only level III trauma center in northern New Mexico. Center of a network of over 30 locations, including urgent care facilities, family medicine centers, surgical center, cancer care, and women’s specialty clinics.
Medical Associates of Northern New Mexico Quick Facts:Located in Los Alamos. A practice of doctors who specialize in family medicine, internal medicine, cardiology, nephrology, and endocrinology.
Use Our Home-buying Resources
Our Barker Realty real estate agents are your most important asset when exploring options in the Santa Fe-Los Alamos area. Use the resources listed below to browse our listings and homebuying guides. LANL is only 42 minutes from Santa Fe, putting The City Different within commuting reach—along with all the on-trend and unique cultural offerings that make Santa Fe a sought-after place to live.
Fly to Santa Fe and Rent a Car
If you’re flying to the area for your house-hunting trip, the best airport to fly into is Santa Fe Regional Airport, located 14 miles from downtown Santa Fe and 44 miles from LANL.
According to LANL, about 35 percent of the lab’s employees live in Los Alamos. The rest commute from commute from Santa Fe, Española, Taos, and Albuquerque. You will definitely need a car to view homes, plan commuting routes, and explore the area.
Two rental car companies are located inside the airport terminal.
Hertz Rent-a-Car Avis
If you’re flying from the East Coast, be prepared for a long trip. If you’re coming from New York or Florida, you’re probably looking at a couple of hours to get to the Dallas/Fort Worth airport in Texas, and a couple more to get from Texas to Santa Fe, assuming you don’t need to stop in Albuquerque for any reason. You may be looking at a stop in DFW even if you’re coming in from Colorado.
Flying into Albuquerque is an option as well, but will add about 45 minutes to your initial drive into Los Alamos.
Getting here from other places in the Southwest or even the West Coast is a little easier. Flying in from Nevada or even LAX could take you less time than you’ve spent on grocery shopping trips in the past.
Schedule Home Viewings in Advance
In the Santa Fe area, contact our team to arrange some home viewings in these neighborhoods:
Los Alamos
White Rock
Tesuque Area
Pojoaque Valley
Northwest of Santa Fe
