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Albuquerque, New Mexico
  Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County, and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 448,607. The metropolitan area has a population of roughly 750,000 and includes the city of Rio Rancho, one of the fastest growing cities in the country. ABQ (the airport code for Albuquerque) is located where the Interstate highways I-40 and I-25 meet in an interchange referred to by locals as the "Big I."
Albuquerque is home to the University of New Mexico (UNM) and Kirtland Air Force Base as well as Sandia National Laboratories and Petroglyph National Monument. The Sandia Mountains run along the eastern side of Albuquerque and the Rio Grande flows through the city north to south. Albuquerque's climate is usually sunny and dry, averaging no more than 10-12 inches (250 to 300 mm) of precipitation per year. The city hosts the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta every October. The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta started in 1972.
HistoryThe old Spanish town of Alburquerque was founded in 1706 as a Spanish colonial outpost. Alburquerque was a farming community and strategically located military outpost along the Camino Real. The town of Alburquerque was built in the traditional Spanish village pattern: a central plaza surrounded by government buildings, homes, and a church. This central plaza area has been preserved and is open to the public as a museum, cultural area, and center of commerce. It is referred to as "Old Town Albuquerque" or simply "Old Town." The village was named by the provincial governor Don Francisco Cuervo y Valdes in honour of the Duke of Alburquerque, viceroy of New Spain from 1702 to 1710. The first "r" in "Alburquerque" was dropped at some point in the 19th century, supposedly by an Anglo-American railroad station-master unable to correctly pronounce the city's name. In the 1990's, the Central Avenue Trolley Buses were emblazoned with the name Alburquerque (note the extra "r" as the fifth letter) in honor of the city's historic name. Throughout 2005 and 2006, the tricentennial celebration is taking place throughout the city. During the Civil War Albuquerque was occupied in February 1862 by Confederate troops under General Henry Hopkins Sibley, who soon afterwards advanced with his main body into northern New Mexico. During his retreat from Union troops into Texas he made a stand on April 8, 1862 at Albuquerque. A day-long engagement at long range led to few casualties against a detachment of Union soldiers commanded by Colonel Edward R. S. Canby. When the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad arrived in 1880, it bypassed the Plaza, locating the passenger depot and railyards about two miles east in what quickly became known as New Albuquerque or New Town. Old Town remained a separate community until the 1940s when it was absorbed by the City of Albuquerque, which was incorporated in 1891. New Albuquerque quickly became a tidy southwestern town which by 1900 boasted a population of 8,000 inhabitants and all the modern amenities including an electric street railway connecting Old Town, New Town, and the recently established UNM campus on the East Mesa. In 1902 the famous Alvarado Hotel was built adjacent to the new passenger depot and remained a symbol of the city until it was torn down in 1970 to make room for a parking lot. In 2002, the Alvarado Transportation Center was built on the site in a manner resembling the old landmark. It functions as the downtown headquarters for the city's transit department, and serves as an intermodal hub for local busses, Greyhound busses, and the New Mexico Rail Runner. The first travelers on Route 66 appeared in Albuquerque in 1926, and before long dozens of motels, restaurants, and gift shops had sprung up along the roadside to serve them. Route 66 originally ran through the city on a north-south alignment along 4th Street, but in 1937 it was realigned along Central Avenue, a more direct east-west route. Urban TrendsRecently, government leaders and many citizens in the city have actively pursued urban projects taken on by cities many times larger. A huge push has resulted in the revitalization of downtown, creating restaurants, offices, and residential lofts. The strip of Central Avenue between First and Eighth streets has become a bustling, albeit short, hub of urban life, creating a big-city feel. Alvarado provides convenient access to other parts of the city. Now, the mayor wants to tackle a rapid transit project to ease some of the city's traffic woes. Light rail is being considered and would initially extend up the Central Avenue corridor from the westside, through downtown, past UNM and the Nob Hill district, and into the Uptown Area. The system would later be expanded to cover Rio Rancho and the Northeast. Some citizens and city councilors fear Albuquerque may be "growing up too quickly." Their idea is to keep Albuquerqe small and sleepy, avoiding increasing crime and traffic and worsening air quality. A sort of middle ground has been struck with the passage of a city ordinance that provides strict rules concerning building permits for the extreme western fringes of the city. This act is to encourage in-filling developments and discourage the fleeing of wealthy residents to outlying suburban ares, leaving an impoverished central city. In fact, Albuquerque has always been pretty good about efficient land use. Roughly bound by the Pueblo of Sandia to the north, the Pueblo of Isleta and Kirtland Air Force Base and to the south, the Sandia Mountains to the east and Petroglyph National Monument to the west, it makes sense to reuse land within the city. For instance, a gas station along Eubank Boulevard that closed in 2001 was replaced by a strip mall in a matter of months. Partly because of the aforementioned geographical and legislative constraints, much of the growth in the metropolitan area is taking place outside of the City of Albuquerque itself. In Rio Rancho to the northwest, the communities east of the mountains, and the incorporated parts of Valencia County population growth is upwards of twice that of the city. The primary cities in Valencia County are Los Lunas and Belen, both of which are home to booming industrial complexes and new residentail subdivisions. Rapid growth in the area is a very real and very recent thing. The Mid Region Council of Governments (MRCOG), which includes constituents from throughout the Albuquerque area, was formed to insure that these governments along the middle Rio Grande would be able to meet the needs of their rapidly rising poulations. MRGOC's conerstone project is the New Mexico Rail Runner Express, a commuter rail line that serves the region. Phase I, which runs on existing Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway tracks between Belen and Bernalillo, is set to begin operation in Fall, 2005, with stops at the urban centers along the way. GeographyAlbuquerque is located at 35°6'39" North, 106°36'36" West (35.110703, -106.609991)1. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 469.5 km² (181.3 mi²). 467.9 km² (180.6 mi²) of it is land and 1.7 km² (0.6 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.35% water. Distances
Terrain The Sandia Mountains which include Sandia Peak are situated to the East of the city. The Sandia Peak Tramway runs from the base of the mountain to the peak, and is the longest aerial tramway in the world. "Sandia" comes from the Spanish for "watermelon". The name is a reference to the mountain's reddish color during sunsets. The Rio Grande (Spanish for "great river") flows North to South through the city and supports a riparian forest habitat called a "bosque." Interestingly enough, Albuquerque has one of the highest altitudes of any major city in the United States. The elevation of the city ranges from 4900 feet (1490 m) above sea level near the Rio Grande (in the Valley) to 6500 feet (1980 m) in the Northeast Heights. At the airport, the elevation is 5352 feet (1631 m) above sea level. QuadrantsAlbuquerque is geographically divided into four quadrants which are officially part of the mailing address. They are NE (northeast), NW (northwest), SE (southeast), and SW (southwest). The north-south dividing line is Central Avenue (the path that Route 66 took through the city) and the east-west dividing line is the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad tracks. Although this is technically the division of the city, as time has passed, more and more people use the two Interstates I-25 and I-40 to divide the city in casual conversation. Northeast quadrantThis is an area which has been experiencing a housing expansion since the late 1950's. It abuts the base of the Sandia Mountains and contains portions of the Sandia Heights neighborhoods, which are situated in or near the foothills and are significantly higher, in elevation and price range, than the rest of the city. Running from Central Ave. and the railroad tracks to the Sandia Peak Aerial Tram, this is the largest quadrant both geographically and by population. The University of New Mexico, the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, the Uptown area which includes both Coronado and Winrock malls, Journal Center, Balloon Fiesta Park, and Albuquerque Academy are all located in this quadrant. Some of the most affluent regions of the city are located here, including the Los Lomas-Roma neighborhood, the Neatherwood Park neighborhood, the Academy Hills neighborhood, and all of the homes east of Tramway Blvd. Northwest quadrantThis quadrant contains historic Albuquerque Old Town, as well as the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. The area has a mixture of commercial, low-income, middle-income, and some of the most expensive homes in the city. Northwest Albuquerque includes the largest section of downtown, the Rio Grande Nature Center State Park and the Bosque ("woodlands" Cottonwood forest), the Petroglyph National Monument, the Double Eagle II Airport, Martineztown, and Cottonwood Mall. Additionally, the "North Valley" area, which includes some small ranches and expensive residential homes along Rio Grande Boulevard and the Rio Grande River, are located in this quadrant. The City of Albuquerque borders the villages of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque and Corrales in the northwest valley. The majority of the area on the west side of the Rio Grande River is known as the "West Mesa" and consists primarily of traditional residential subdivisions. Here the city proper borders with the City of Rio Rancho Southeast quadrantKirtland Air Force Base, Sandia National Laboratories, the Albuquerque Technical Vocational Institute main campus, the Albuquerque International Sunport, University Stadium, Isotopes Park, and "The Pit" (University Arena) are located in the Southeast (SE) quadrant. In addition the trendy neighborhood of Nob Hill, which straddles Central Ave, between Carlisle Blvd. and Girard Blvd., can be found on the northern fringe of the Southeast. The expensive residential developments of Four Hills and Ridgecrest are located in this quadrant. In sharp contrast to the upscale developments, some of the most poverty-striken neighborhoods are also located in Southeast Albuquerque. In the past twenty years the SE area, mainly around Gibson Blvd. and Central Ave., has become the highest crime area in the city, these neighborhoods are sometimes referred to as the "war zone". Southwest quadrantTraditionally consisting of agricultural and rural areas, the Southwest quadrant is often referred to as the "South Valley". Although the city limits of Albuquerque do not include all of the area, the South Valley is considered to extend all the way to the Isleta Indian Reservation. This includes the old communities of Kinney, Los Padillas, Mountainview, and Pajarito. The south end of downtown Albuquerque and the Bosque ("woodlands" Cottonwood forest), the National Hispanic Cultural Center, the Rio Grande Zoo, and Tingley Beach are also located here. The southwest area is currently undergoing rapid development. The traditional small farms and ranches are being replaced by modern "cookie-cutter" subdivisions and "big box" retail stores. In 2004, Wal-Mart began construction of a new super center on the site of a former dairy farm. Skyline 10 Tallest Buildings in Albuquerque
Landmarks
Culture and technology
DemographicsAs of the census2 of 2000, there are 448,607 people, 183,236 households, and 112,690 families residing in the city. The population density is 958.9/km² (2,483.4/mi²). There are 198,465 housing units at an average density of 424.2/km² (1,098.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 71.59% White, 3.09% Black or African American, 3.89% Native American, 2.24% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 14.78% from other races, and 4.31% from two or more races. 39.92% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 183,236 households out of which 30.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% are married couples living together, 12.9% have a female householder with no husband present, and 38.5% are non-families. 30.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.40 and the average family size is 3.02. In the city the population is spread out with 24.5% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 94.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.8 males. The median income for a household in the city is $38,272, and the median income for a family is $46,979. Males have a median income of $34,208 versus $26,397 for females. The per capita income for the city is $20,884. 13.5% of the population and 10.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 17.4% of those under the age of 18 and 8.5% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line. Colleges and universities
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TransportationAirports
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TriviaWhen Bill Gates and Paul Allen were hammering out a BASIC operating system for the MITS Altair 8800, they lived at the Sundowner Motel, at 6101 Central Avenue N.E. The building has since been converted into a veterans' rehabilitation home. Their success at this venture led to the founding of Microsoft in Albuquerque in 1975. Microsoft's first official address was the One Park Central Tower on the northeast corner of San Mateo and Central Avenue (across the parking lot from the First Security Bank building), where the company shared office space. In February, 1992, Stella Liebeck, a 79-year-old woman from Albuquerque, New Mexico, ordered coffee from the drive-thru of a local McDonald's restaurant on Central Avenue across from UNM, which she then spilled on her lap while the car was parked. This caused third-degree burns, eight days in the hospital, skin grafts, and $11,000 in medical expenses. The famous McDonald's coffee case was fought in court, 2.9 million dollars was awarded by the jury, but only $640,000 was required by the judge. In October 2001, an Albuquerque police officer and his civilian pilot made national news by landing their OH-58 Kiowa helicopter at the West Side Krispy Kreme outlet to pick up doughnuts. Notable Albuquerqueans(either born in Albuquerque, or make/made ABQ their home; by year of birth)
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