Bruce Krasnow | The New Mexican
Posted: Monday, January 07, 2013 – 1/7/13
Santa Fe has landed on Travel + Leisure magazine’s list for “America’s Best Girlfriend Getaways.”
It joins Austin, Texas; Maui, Hawaii; Charleston, S.C.; Scottsdale, Ariz., and other cities where BFFs can walk, stroll and spend time without the guys. “Girls’ getaways, while focused on fun and celebration, don’t have to be one big drinking fest like guys’ trips often are,” writes Terry Ward.
Of Santa Fe, Ward writes, “In this town that has drawn artists and healers to the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains for decades, you can head out on the artisanal chocolate trail, stopping at Kakawa Chocolate House for Mesoamerican chocolate elixirs and at ChocolateSmith, where dark chocolate is the specialty. You can get pampered at the Ten Thousand Waves Mountain Spa, inspired by traditional Japanese hot springs resorts; the communal soaking tub is women only and clothing optional.”
The annual report from Atlas, the giant moving and transportation company, that tracks who goes and comes from each state shows immigration to New Mexico has slowed but that the state still has more people coming here than leaving. In 2012, there were 746 inbound trips, compared with 646 exits, and there have been more inbound trips to New Mexico every year in the past decade. But the largest difference was in 2004, when the state saw 536 more inbound trips than exits.
The top-five inbound states of 2012 were:
1. District of Columbia
2. Oregon
3. Nevada
4. North Carolina
5. South Carolina
To see the information, visit www.atlasvanlines.com/migration-patterns/pdf/2012_Migration_Patterns.pdf.
Ashley Leach, an economist with the state Department of Workforce Solutions, has put together an analysis of the top occupational growth areas by education level expected in New Mexico between now and 2020.
“As students and job seekers assess the types of work they are interested in, they can begin to match their interests with occupations. There are also times, however, when a job seeker is not currently expanding his/her educational level, and is looking for work. Knowing which occupations provide the greatest employment opportunities for their specific skill level can help in guiding them to some positions that may be a best bet for employment,” she writes.
For those with less than a high-school degree, the job of health care aide will see the most growth as the demand will swell more than 50 percent as baby boomers age. The average wage is about $20,000 a year. For those with a high-school degree, jobs related to heavy machinery and truck drivers will see 20 percent growth with wages reaching $39,000.
For those with more education, the teaching fields will remain a stable source of jobs as well as physical therapy, where salaries can reach $70,000 a year, according to the analysis.
The report is available at the DWS website, http://164.64.37.28/Portals/0/DM/LMI/lmrnov12.pdf. Contact Bruce Krasnow at brucek@sfnewmexican.com.