albuquerque

Albuquerque (pronounced [ˈæl.bə.kɚ.ki]) 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. The city population was 448,607 as of the 2000 U.S. census. As of the 2005 census estimate, the city's population was 494,236, with a metropolitan population of 797,940. In 2005 Albuquerque ranked as the 33rd-largest city and 62nd-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. The metropolitan population includes the city of Rio Rancho, one of the fastest growing cities in the United States.

ABQ (the code for the city's airport and also a colloquialism for the city) is located where the Interstate highways I-40 and I-25 meet in an interchange which locals refer to 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 around 8-9 inches (250 to 300 mm) of precipitation per year. With more than 300 days of sunshine annually, Albuquerque is often considered to have one of the most comfortable climates in North America.

The city has hosted the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta every year since 1972. Since 1975 the event has been held each October.

Albuquerque is the largest city in the Albuquerque MSA. It shoulders Rio Rancho, the fastest growing city in the State of New Mexico, and is the hub for many master-planned communities which are expected to draw future businesses and residents to the area.

History

The city was founded in 1706 as the Spanish colonial outpost of Alburquerque; present-day Albuquerque retains much Spanish cultural and historical heritage.

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 Don Francisco Fernández de la Cueva, Duke of Alburquerque, viceroy of New Spain from 1653 to 1660. 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 1920s when it was absorbed by the City of Albuquerque, which had been incorporated in 1891. Albuquerque High School, the city's first high school, was established in 1879.

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. The large metro station functions as the downtown headquarters for the city's transit department, and serves as an intermodal hub for local buses, Greyhound buses, and the Rail Runner commuter rail line.

New Mexico's dry climate brought many tuberculosis patients to the city in search of a cure during the early 1900s, and several sanitaria sprang up on the East Mesa to serve them. Presbyterian Hospital and St. Joseph Hospital, two of the largest hospitals in the Southwest, had their beginnings during this period. Influential New Deal-era governor Clyde Tingley and famed southwestern architect John Gaw Meem were among those brought to New Mexico by tuberculosis.

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 Fourth Street, but in 1937 it was realigned along Central Avenue, a more direct east-west route. The intersection of Fourth and Central downtown was the principal crossroads of the city for decades. The majority of the surviving structures from the Route 66 era are on Central, though there are also some on Fourth.

The establishment of Kirtland Air Force Base in 1939, Sandia Base in the early 1940's, and Sandia National Laboratories in1949, would make Albuquerque a key player of the Atomic Age. Meanwhile, the city continued to expand outward onto the East Mesa, reaching a population of 200,000 by 1960.

As Albuquerque spread outward, the downtown area fell into a decline. Many historic buildings were razed in the 1960s and 1970s to make way for new plazas, highrises, and parking lots as part of the city's urban renewal project. Only recently has downtown come to regain much of its urban character, mainly through the construction of many new loft apartment buildings and the renovation of historic structures like the KiMo Theater.

Now in the 21st century, Albuquerque continues to grow quite fast. The population of the city proper is estimated at 494,236 in 2005, up from 448,607 in the 2000 census, and is projected to reach 540,279 in 2010. Also, the metropolitan area population is estimated at 780,439 in 2005, up from 712,738 in the 2000 census, and is projected to reach 855,285 in 2010, and surpass 1 million by 2020.

Urban trends and issues

Recently, 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 somewhat successful revitalization of downtown, creating restaurants, offices, and residential lofts. The strip of Central Avenue between First and Eighth streets has become a hub of urban life, with 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 [1]. The system would later be expanded to cover Rio Rancho and the Northeast. Construction is expected to start by September 2007.

A few citizens and city councilors fear Albuquerque may be "growing too quickly." They want to avoid increasing crime and traffic, worsening air quality, stressing water supplies, and encroaching on the natural environment. For instance, 1995's controversial construction of the Montaño Bridge crossing at the Rio Grande resulted in the bridge only being striped for two lanes. After a grace period, the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce passed a board position in 2003 supporting the opening of two additional lanes; these lanes were eventually opened in March 2006, despite the outcry of local residents. However, a significant majority of Albuquerque residents supported the opening of the four lanes, as well as the initial construction of the bridge in 1995.[2].

The passage of the West Side Strategic Plan provides rules concerning building permits for the extreme western fringes of the city. [3]. This act encourages in-filling developments and discourages the movement of wealthy residents to outlying suburban areas. Urban sprawl is limited by the Pueblo of Sandia to the north, the Pueblo of Isleta and Kirtland Air Force Base to the south, the Sandia Mountains to the east and Petroglyph National Monument to the west. These limitations facilitate reuse of land within the existing city limits and have forced more efficient use of available land around the edges as well.

Because of cheaper land and lower taxes, 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 rates approach twice that of the city. The primary cities in Valencia County are Los Lunas and Belen, both of which are home to growing industrial complexes and new residential subdivisions. 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 populations. MRCOG's cornerstone project is the New Mexico Rail Runner Express, a commuter rail line that serves the region [4]. Phase I, which runs on existing BNSF Railway tracks between Belen and Bernalillo, began operation in July, 2006, with stops in downtown Albuquerque, Los Ranchos/Journal Center and Sandoval county. Stops will be added later in 2006 to serve Bernalillo, Sandia Pueblo, Albuquerque's airport and the South Valley, Isleta Pueblo, Los Lunas, and Belen. An extension to Santa Fe is planned to start operation in 2008.

In the summer of 2005, ACORN community groups placed a minimum wage initiative on the October 4th ballot. The initiative would have created a city wide minimum wage of $7.50. The measure was defeated by less than one percent. In April of 2006, the Albuquerque City Council and Mayor Martin Chavez worked together to enact a minimum wage ordinance. Under this ordinance, the minimum wage will increase to $6.75 on January 1, 2007 and will eventually be raised to $7.50 by 2009.

Climate and geography

Albuquerque's climate is usually sunny and dry with low amounts of humidity. The sun shines more than 300 days a year. Average winter daytime highs are in the upper 40s to low 50s Fahrenheit while dropping into the mid 20s F overnight. The occasional snowfall often melts by the mid-afternoon. Summer daytime highs are normally in the mid to upper 80s F while dropping into the 60s F overnight, and the heat is quite tolerable because of low humidity. The Sandia Mountains - named for the watermelon red the mountains turn at dusk - are the predominant geographical feature visible in Albuquerque. The mountains create a rain shadow, and the city receives very little rain: only averaging 8-9 inches (216 mm) of precipitation a year, most of which occurs during the summer monsoonal season that typically starts in July and usually ends in mid-September. During this period, winds originate more from the south to southeast direction and carry moisture from the Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of California and the Gulf of Mexico into the region. As this moisture moves into the Albuquerque area (and many other areas in the southwest), a combination of orographic uplift from the mountains, and daytime heating from the sun, causes thunderstorms to develop across the region. This is what causes most of the rain in the Albuquerque area. The clouds as well as the mountains often turn spectacular colors in the evening.

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 (0.35%) is water. The metro area has over 1,000 square miles developed, and is expanding at a serious pace.

Albuquerque is located at 35°6′39″N, 106°36′36″W (35.110703, -106.609991)^GR1.

Distances

• Dallas, Texas: 645 mi (1,038 km)east.
• Denver, Colorado: 445 mi (716 km) north-northeast.
• Phoenix, Arizona: 465 mi (748 km) west-southwest.
• Salt Lake City, Utah: 620 mi (998 km) northwest.

Interesting Facts

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 single span aerial tramway in the world.

"Sandia" comes from the Spanish for "watermelon". The name is a reference to the the brilliant coloration that appears at sunset: bright pink (melon meat) and green (melon rind). The pink is due to large exposures of granidiorite cliffs, and the green is due to large swaths of conifer forests.

The Rio Grande (Spanish for "big river") flows North to South through the city and supports a riparian forest habitat called a "bosque."

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. The Rio Grande is classified, like the Nile, as an 'exotic' river because it flows through a desert.

Albuquerque also has the largest balloon gatherings in the world. It is called the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta and it is held during early October. It was started in 1972 with 19 balloons. It progressed and in 1999 there was 138 balloons that attended. Currently in 2005 more than 700 balloons attended and it is one of the most photographed events in the world.

Albuquerque is also home to the Gathering of Nations Pow Wow an international event with overver 3,000 indigenous / Native American / Indian dancers and singers representing more than 500 tribes from Canada and the United States come to Albuquerque annually to participate socially and competitively in April.

Quadrants

Starting in the 1940's, Albuquerque has expanded greatly in area. During those years of expansion, the planning of the newer areas has considered that people don't walk, they drive. The pre-1940's parts of Albuquerque are quite different in style and scale from the post 1940's areas. These older areas include the North Valley, the South Valley, various neighborhoods near downtown, and Corrales. The newer areas generally feature 4- to 6-lane roads in a one-mile grid. Each one square mile section is divided into four 160-acre neighborhoods by smaller roads set one-half mile between major roads. When driving along major roads in the newer sections of Albuquerque, one sees strip malls, signs, and cinderblock walls. The upside of this planning style is that neighborhoods are shielded from the worst of the noise and lights on the major roads. The downside is that it is virtually impossible to go anywhere from home without driving.

Albuquerque 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 BNSF Railway tracks. Although this is technically the division of the city, in casual conversation Albuquerqueans sometimes use the perpendicular interstates I-25 and I-40 to divide the city into quadrants.

Northeast quadrant

This quadrant has been experiencing a housing expansion since the late 1950s. 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, and many skyscrapers, Journal Center (with over 2 million square feet of office space), 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 Las Lomas-Roma, Netherwood Park, Academy Hills, Tanoan West & East, High Desert, Glenwood Hills, Sandia Heights, North Albuquerque Acres and many residences in the far northeast corner stretching beyond the actual city limits into Bernalillo County; there are even a few mansions on National Forest land that are just over the line into Sandoval County.

Northwest quadrant

This quadrant contains historic Old Town Albuquerque, which dates back to the 1700s, 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, Double Eagle II Airport, the historic Martineztown neighborhood, and Cottonwood Mall. Additionally, the "North Valley" area, which includes some small ranches and expensive residential homes along the Rio Grande, is located in this quadrant. The City of Albuquerque engulfs the village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque and borders Corrales in the northwest valley. The rapidly-developing area on the west side of the river is known as the "West Side" or "West Mesa" and consists primarily of traditional residential subdivisions. Here the city proper is bordered on the north by the City of Rio Rancho. This is one of the fastest growing areas in America; most of the suburban communities in the extreme northwest are characterized by endless sprawl and terrible traffic. Average one-way commutes for Westsiders are nearly 67 minutes (citation needed). With two brand new high schools under construction (to relieve overcrowding in Cibola and West Mesa Highs, both with over 5,000 students), the area is experiencing massive growth.

Southeast quadrant

Eclipse Aviation, Kirtland Air Force Base, Sandia National Laboratories, the University of New Mexico, the Central New Mexico Community College main campus, the Albuquerque International Sunport, University Stadium, Isotopes Park, and University Arena ("The Pit") are located in the Southeast (SE) quadrant.

The Nob Hill and East Downtown (EDo) neighborhoods lie along Central Avenue, the border between the Southeast and Northeast quadrants. The expensive residential developments of Four Hills, Willow Wood, and Ridgecrest are also located in this quadrant. In sharp contrast to these upscale developments, however, some of the most poverty-stricken neighborhoods in the city are also located in Southeast Albuquerque. During the past twenty years, the SE area, mainly around Gibson Blvd. and Central Ave., has become the highest crime area in the city. However, recent developments in the neighborhood such as the Cesar Chavez Community Center, Veterans Memorial, and the World Market have shown that this area is in the beginning stages of reestablishing itself as one of many cultural centers in the city.

Southwest quadrant

Traditionally 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 historic Barelas neighborhood, the National Hispanic Cultural Center, the Rio Grande Zoo, and Tingley Beach are also located here.

The southwest area is currently undergoing rapid and controversial development, including large retail stores and quickly-built subdivisions.

Points of interest

• Albuquerque Biological Park
• Albuquerque Aquarium
• Albuquerque Museum
• Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum
• Eclipse Aviation
• ¡Explora! Science Center and Children's Museum
• Indian Pueblo Cultural Center
• Kirtland Air Force Base
• Maxwell Museum of Anthropology
• National Atomic Museum
• National Hispanic Cultural Center
• New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science
• Old Town Albuquerque
• Petroglyph National Monument
• Rio Grande Botanic Garden
• Rio Grande Vally State Park
• Rio Grande Zoo
• Sandia National Laboratories
• Sandia Peak Aerial Tram
• Tingley Beach
• University of New Mexico
• University of New Mexico Arboretum
• University of New Mexico Art Museum (includes Jonson Gallery)

Historic landmarks

• Ernie Pyle House/Library
• Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse
• First National Bank Building
• Jones Motor Co.
• KiMo Theater
• Kress Store
• La Posada de Albuquerque
• Santa Fe Railway Shops
• Occidental Life Building
• Old Albuquerque High School
• Old Post Office
• Rosenwald Building
• San Felipe de Neri Church
• Simms Building
• Southwestern Brewing & Ice Co.
• Sunshine Building

10 Tallest Buildings in Albuquerque

Culture, technology, and popular culture

• A distinctive architecture that celebrates the Pueblo tradition characterizes many buildings in the city as well as the entire campus of the University of New Mexico. However, this style is far more prevalent in Santa Fe than Albuquerque.

• In Looney Tunes cartoons, Bugs Bunny often remarks upon arriving at the wrong place that he must have taken a wrong turn at Albuquerque (sometimes he should have taken a left, others a right). This gag first appeared in Herr Meets Hare (Freleng, 1945), a cartoon which was notable for featuring caricatures of Hermann Göring and Hitler.

• Also on the subject on Looney Tunes, a mysterious shortwave also appears from near this location know as the 'Yosemite Sam Mysterious Station. It is unknown what its purpose is, but it features the voice of Yosemite Sam.

• In an episode of The Simpsons, Homer discovers that the local minor-league baseball team, the Springfield Isotopes, is threatening to relocate to Albuquerque. (Partly due to this episode, and partly due to New Mexico being a major center of nuclear technology research, Albuquerque's minor-league baseball team is named the Albuquerque Isotopes.)

• Tricklock Company is Albuquerque's only international touring theatre company. Every January, Tricklock hosts the Revolutions International Theatre Festival, which brings in performers from around the world.

• The MIND Institute is a non-profit organization, national in scope, with headquarters in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The organization's mission is to explore the mind and brain in order to enhance the lives of men, women and children with mental illness. To that end, The MIND Institute scientists advance and apply neuroimaging technologies to bridge emerging frontiers of basic neurosciences and their clinical applications. The Institute draws on national expertise to define and validate its scientific direction by partnering with The University of New Mexico, Harvard University, University of Minnesota, University of Iowa and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

• The American Shakespeare Project is a local Shakespearean community theater company which is devoted to staging productions of Shakespeare's plays (and sometimes those of his contemporaries) with heavy emphasis on the textual authority of the First Folio.

• The New Mexico Symphony Orchestra performs and rehearses here at Popejoy Hall on the UNM campus.

• Albuquerque lies at the center of the New Mexico Technology Corridor, a band of high-tech private companies and government institutions along the Rio Grande. Larger institutions whose employees contribute to the population are numerous and include Sandia National Laboratories, Kirtland Air Force Base, and the attendant contracting companies which bring highly educated workers to a somewhat isolated region. Intel operates a large semiconductor factory or "fab" just outside the city boundaries of neighboring Rio Rancho, New Mexico, in Sandoval County, New Mexico, with its attendant large-capital investment.

• The solar energy and architectural-design innovator Steve Baer located his company, Zomeworks, here in the late 1960s.

• Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory cooperate in an enterprise that began with the Manhattan Project.

• A soap-opera in Brazil, "Bang Bang", had the main story located in the Albuquerque of the 1880's.

• Although not a real school in the Albuquerque area, Disney Channel's Original Movie, or DCOM, as it's popularly known, High School Musical's East High School, currently in Salt Lake City, Utah, was set here. After the success of the movie, tweens ages 9-14 and teens upward from there, wanted to see the school, but sadly learned that the school's location was not in Albuquerque, as seen in Chapter 2 of the movie.

Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 448,607 people, 183,236 households, and 112,690 families residing in the city. The population density was 958.9/km² (2,483.4/mi²). There were 198,465 housing units at an average density of 424.2/km² (1,098.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 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 were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 183,236 households out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.5% were non-families. 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the city the population was 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 were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 94.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $38,272, and the median income for a family was $46,979. Males had a median income of $34,208 versus $26,397 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,884. About 10.0% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.4% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.

Educational institutions

Colleges and universities

• Art Center Design College, The
• ITT Technical Institute
• National American University
• Trinity Southwest University
• Central New Mexico Community College (formerly TVI Community College)
• University of New Mexico (main campus)
• University of Phoenix

Middle schools

• Cleveland Middle School
• Desert Ridge Middle School
• Eisenhower Middle School
• Ernie Pyle Middle School
• Garfield Middle School
• Grant Middle School
• Harrison Middle School
• Hayes Middle School
• Hoover Middle School
• Jackson Middle School
• James Monroe Middle School
• Jefferson Middle School
• Jimmy Carter Middle School
• John Adams Middle School
• Kennedy Middle School
• L. B. Johnson Middle School
• Madison Middle School
• McKinley Middle School
• Polk Middle School
• Rlaphe J Bunche Academy
• Roosevelt Middle School
• Taft Middle School
• Taylor Middle School
• Truman Middle School
• Van Buren Middle School
• Washington Middle School
• Wilson Middle School

High schools

• Albuquerque Academy
• Albuquerque High School
• Amy Biehl Charter High School
• Bosque School
• Career Enrichment Center
• Charter Vocational High School
• Cibola High School
• Del Norte High School
• Eldorado High School
• Freedom High School
• Highland High School
• Hope Christian School
• Hope Connection School
• Robert F. Kennedy High School
• La Cueva High School
• Los Puentes High School
• Manzano High School
• Nuestros Valores Charter School
• Public Academy for Performing Arts
• Rio Grande High School
• St. Pius X High School
• Sandia High School
• Sandia Preparatory School
• South Valley Charter School
• Valley High School
• West Mesa High School

Sports

*The Scorpions plan to move to a new arena currently being built in neighboring Rio Rancho in 2006.

Transportation

Airports

• Albuquerque International Sunport (IATA: ABQ, ICAO: KABQ)
• Double Eagle II Airport (Civil, small-craft aviation) (IATA: AEG, ICAO: KAEG)

Passenger rail

• Amtrak
• Rail Runner

Interstate highways

• Interstate 25 - Pan American Freeway
• Interstate 40 - Coronado Freeway

Local transit

• ABQ RIDE
• Rapid Ride

Media

Albuquerque is a media hub for much of New Mexico. These organizations are based in or have a significant presence in Albuquerque:

Newspapers

• Albuquerque Journal (mornings 7 days a week)
• Albuquerque Tribune (afternoons Monday-Saturday)
• New Mexico Business Journal
• New Mexico Business Weekly
• Alibi (Thursdays)
• Daily Lobo (University of New Mexico student newspaper)
• CNM Chronicle (Central New Mexico Community College student newspaper) (formerly the TVI Times)

Radio Stations

(major stations - main article)

• AM
  • KKOB (770 kHz, talk, "NewsRadio 770 KKOB," Citadel Broadcasting Corporation)
  • KABQ 1350 kHz, talk, Air America Radio, http://www.airamerica.com/
• FM
  • KANW (89.1 MHz, NPR and Public Radio International, Albuquerque Public Schools)
  • KUNM (89.9 MHz, NPR and college radio, University of New Mexico)
  • KZNM (106.3 MHz, Spanish Oldies, American General Media)

Television

(main article)

• KASA (2, Fox, "Fox 2 News at Nine," Raycom Media, being sold to LIN TV)
• KOB (4, NBC, "Eyewitness News 4," Hubbard Broadcasting Corporation)
• KNME (5, PBS, University of New Mexico/Albuquerque Public Schools)
• KOAT (7, ABC, "Action 7 News," Hearst-Argyle)
• KRQE (13, CBS, "KRQE News 13," LIN TV)
• KTFQ (14, Telefutura, Telefutura owned, Entravision operated)
• KWBQ (19, The CW, "New Mexico's CW," ACME Communications)
• KLUZ (41, Univision, Entravision)
• KASY (50, MNTV, "My50-TV," ACME Communications)

"Project for Excellence in Journalism" rating of local TV news http://www.journalism.org/resources/research/reports/localTV/2002/Local_TV_2002_study.pdf

Online

• ABQ Blogs Albuquerque's metroblog for the people
• Duke City Fix Albuquerque's independent cityblog

Trivia

• When 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 Bank of the West Tower building), where the company shared office space.

• In several Bugs Bunny cartoons, where Bugs would end up someplace that he didn't intend to be, he would always claim that "he made a wrong turn at Albuquerque".

• In the episode of The Simpsons titled Hungry Hungry Homer, the mayor of Albuquerque attempts to buy the Springfield Isotopes baseball team. When this fails, the mayor asks his secretary to call the Dallas Cowboys and when she points out that they play football and not baseball, he replies 'They'll play what I tell them to play. For I am the mayor of Albuquerque!'

• On his 1975 album Tonight's The Night, Neil Young recorded a song entitled "Albuquerque".

• In February 1992, Stella Liebeck, a 79-year-old woman from Albuquerque, ordered coffee from the drive-through of a local McDonald's restaurant on Central Avenue across from UNM. She then spilled the coffee on her lap while the car was parked, causing third-degree burns. She spent eight days in the hospital, where she received skin grafts. Her medical expenses for the trip were $11,000. Liebeck had originally requested that McDonald's, who had been forewarned on their temperature of their coffee more than a dozen times previously, pay for her medical expenses. However, McDonald's fought the suit, but were found guilty of negligence and failure to adhere to safety standards. In the famous McDonald's coffee case, the jury awarded $2.9 million, but the judge only required the restaurant to pay $640,000.

• Highland, the fictional home town of Beavis and Butt-head, is based on Albuquerque, the hometown of the show's creator, Mike Judge. While there is a Highland High School in Albuquerque, Judge attended St. Pius X, a private school.

• 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.

• In April 2005, the so-called "runaway bride" Jennifer Wilbanks called police from an Albuquerque convenience store, ending a nationwide search and prompting a national media frenzy.

• Vivian Vance, who played the character of Ethel Mertz on the television show, I Love Lucy, always claimed Albuquerque as her home town, even though she was born in Cherryvale, Kansas. Vivian was a founding member of the Albuquerque Little Theatre. In fact the character of Ethel was noted as having been born in Albuquerque, and her show business education there was mentioned in episode #113, Ethel's Home Town.

• In August 2005, Albuquerque hosted the largest, most diverse poetry festival in the world at the 2005 National Poetry Slam (http://www.nps2005.org). 75 Teams of up to 5 poets competed over 4 days in a festival that drew 2,400 for a poetry event and 18-22,000 for the week. The home team won the title, which was the first time that has happened at Nationals since 1992.

• Model and participant in Season 1 of America's Next Top Model, Elyse Sewell, is from Albuquerque.

• The city is named after the Duke of Alburquerque, thus its nickname, "The Duke City." There are several conflicting historical theories and local legends about how the first "r" was lost.

• There are also several different theories of what the duke's name originally meant. An article by local columnist Jim Belshaw of the Albuquerque Journal details a few of these. It might be Latin for "White Oaks", Albe Querqus. It might be Arabic: Abu al-Qurq, "cork," or al-burquq, "the plum." Translation website Babelfish confirms the Spanish word for "apricot" is albaricoque.

• On his 1999 album, Running with Scissors, "Weird Al" Yankovic tells a fictional story about himself titled "Albuquerque". According to Yankovic, the name of the city makes him think of fluffy towels, which he mentions in the song ("...where the towels are oh-so-fluffy!").

• "Bang Bang", a Brazilian soap-opera was located in the Albuquerque of the 1880s. The main characters were Ben Silver and Diana Bullock.

• Shortly after his election in 2001, Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez asked the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) not to allow the TV series COPS to film there anymore because it makes the city look bad. [5]

Sister cities

Albuquerque has nine sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):

See also

• List of famous people from Albuquerque

External links

• Official government website
• Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce
• Albuquerque Photos and Travel Tips
• City of Rio Rancho Home
• RREDC - Collects statistical data on Rio Rancho

• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 35.110703° -106.609991°
  • Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
  • Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA