Santa Fe, New Mexico

Santa Fe, New Mexico is the oldest capital city in the United States, having been made the capital of Nuevo Mexico by Spanish colonists in 1610. Santa Fe features the oldest house, oldest church, and oldest neighborhood in America. Nowadays, Santa Fe, despite its small size, is a sophisticated and cosmopolitan city. In particular, Santa Fe is an important arts center. The number of of art galleries in Santa Fe is second only (in the US) to New-York City. Many of the Santa Fe galleries are concentrated on Canyon Road, which also happens to be possibly the oldest road in continuous use in America.

As the result of a concerted effort started in the 1920s, buildings in Santa Fe exhibit a unified style based on the local architecture found in the Indian Pueblos and Spanish Missions, with adobe-like colors, and features such as flat roofs, rounded corners, and projecting roof beams (vigas). The grid of streets in Santa Fe is not perpendicular, but radiating. Both those factors contribute to give central Santa Fe a distinct look amongst American cities.