After the 2010 Census figures came out, revealing that close to 5,000 fewer people aged 25-34 lived in Santa Fe County in 2010 than did in 2000, I began to have this conversation with some regularity, and it always drove me crazy.

It's been an exciting year for Santa Fe's food scene. Exciting isn't always good, though. During the past year, SFR witnessed the closing of three of the best restaurants in town: Amavi, Max's and Real Food Nation. But the departure of some of our favorites also makes way for newcomers.

Either you've done this, or you know someone who has: You work three different jobs, at least one of which is in the service industry, while using your elusive "free time" to build art installations and perfect your telemark squat. Right? In Santa Fe, we do it all.

  There's a lot of buzz about shopping locally--how it creates a multiplier effect that stimulates the local economy, fosters relationships with the people who sell you gardening supplies and designer shoes, etc. But Santa Feans don't really need to be convinced: We're all about the local thing, and we're passionate about the shops and businesses that define our city.

Santa Fe may be a small town, but it was recently named the nation's "most artistic city"--a distinction it surely deserves, if we're to judge by the percentage of people who love/talk/make/buy/support art in any of its multitudinous forms. And while Santa Fe's visual arts have long enjoyed (or suffered from) a reputation for desert landscapes and the like, its current identity is growing and changing in exciting ways.

It exists! - It's free!! - It's local. - It's weekly - Savage Love - It's FREE! - It's local - Alex De Vore - EVERYTHING!!! - Horoscopes - Best of SF - Daddy Needs a Drink - sense of humor - 7 Days and Overheard in Santa Fe

Best Burger - Best Place to Meet Girls - Best Locksmith - Bacon - Best Local Promoter - Best Bakery - Best Bass Player - Best BBQ - Best Builder - Best Casino - Best Chocolate - Best Reason Not to Leave Town

First impressions are the ones that stick, goes the adage. For Santa Fe's average of 2 million visitors per year, according to Steve Lewis, spokesperson for the city's Convention and Visitors Bureau, that impression often comes in the form of a guided tour.

This year's Best of Santa Fe issue features some new successes and longtime favorites--and SFR contributor Chicken Joe (yes, it's a pseudonym) has a companion piece on the quirks that make Santa Fe the City Different--but ultimately, these pages are all about why we can't help loving Santa Fe.

After all, we're still here.