As of the last census, Santa Fe’s median age was 40. Anecdotally—and counting tourists—it’s much older. That said, Shannon Murphy, 29, has her work cut out for her. Murphy is a member of the newly formed After Hours Alliance, whose mission statement is “connecting the younger people of Santa Fe to meaningful and relevant after-hours events.” AHA was formed as a result of crowd-sourcing surveys from the MIX, a young professionals monthly get-together. As such, we’ve given Murphy a dose of her own medicine.

SFR: How would you describe Santa Fe’s nightlife?

A. What nightlife? B. The party don’t stop…
till the bars close at 2 am C. I prefer to spend my nights at home D. Duke City! E. Other
SM: My experience of nightlife in Santa Fe is, when I’m looking for something really cool, I can’t find it and, when I’ve found something really cool, I wish more people were there.

Why don’t many Santa Feans take public transportation? A. Inconvenient scheduling
B. Buses are for proles C. I’ve got a car, might as well use it D. Lack of familiarity with
bus system E. Other
It’s a combination of inconvenient scheduling and a lack of familiarity, and it’s self-reinforcing. If I were hearing from people how easy it is to take public transportation, or if it were running at night so I could avoid paying for a cab or walking across town alone after drinking, I would be more inclined to develop familiarity with it.

What’s a reasonable price to pay to get home late at night? A. $5 B. $15 C. Any amount if your life is worth that much D. Your legs are free for walking E. Other
That said, if it’s too expensive—more than $5—the whole ‘what your life is worth’ argument is harder to make, especially when intoxicated. So, even though in principle it’s any amount of money, in practice anything over five bucks is too much to maximize use.

What’s the biggest roadblock to a really thriving Santa Fe after-hours scene? A. Early bar hours
B. Not enough all-ages venues that also serve alcohol C. Impossible drinking laws
D. We just don’t know how to hang E. Other
Any thriving music scene depends on young people. When I was a teen, I was the most into music ever in my life. There are many people under 21 in this town who are really passionate about music, and they should be the core audience for people wanting to put on music events. But because we don’t have venue infrastructure [to allow both alcohol and people of all ages], they are excluded.

What would music venues be like if all ages were permitted? A. Man, get those kids out of my face B. Awesome C. Please don’t bring your crying child to the bar D. A lot more attractive E. Other
I have been to a few all-ages shows—Corazón made the effort to make the venue all-ages for certain shows—and they’re always awesome. The crowd is packed; they’re really into it. The older you get, the more jaded you get about live music. At all-ages shows, everyone’s on the dance floor looking at the band, totally engaged. It’s awesome.

Where is everyone under 30? A. Brooklyn and San Francisco B. At home; bars are too
expensive C. Doing cooler stuff than going out D. Jail E. Other
We lose a lot of people to other cities, not just big ones like Brooklyn and San Francisco. It’s not that they’re going to cooler places; they’re just leaving Santa Fe. Most people I know are moving away because they can’t make it here. ‘I can’t find a good job, make friends, find someone to date.’

What type of jobs are necessary to keep young people here? A. Food service, everybody’s
gotta eat B. We’ve got plenty of nonprofits and young idealists C. They’re called starving
artists for a reason D. Green’s the new black E. __________
Creative, innovative types of people are drawn here; it’s seen as a place for artists. What’s most important isn’t jobs in a particular sector, but the quality—jobs that allow people to really be creative in their work and contribute creatively through work. Lack of that drives people out of here.