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| Name | City of Albuquerque |
|---|---|
| Settlement type | City |
| Nickname | The Duke City |
| Motto | |
| Image seal | Albuquerque New Mexico logo.png |
| Map caption | Location in the state of New Mexico |
| Pushpin map | USA |
| Pushpin map caption | Location in the United States |
| Coordinates region | US-NM |
| Subdivision type | Country |
| Subdivision type1 | State |
| Subdivision type2 | County |
| Subdivision name | United States |
| Subdivision name1 | New Mexico |
| Subdivision name2 | Bernalillo County |
| Government type | Mayor-council government |
| Leader title | Mayor |
| Leader name | Richard J. Berry |
| Leader title1 | City Council |
| Leader name1 | |
| Leader title2 | State House |
| Leader name2 | |
| Leader title3 | State Senate |
| Leader name3 | |
| Leader title4 | U.S. House |
| Leader name4 | |
| Established title | Founded |
| Established date | 1706 as: Alburquerque |
| Established title2 | Incorporated |
| Established date2 | 1891 as: Albuquerque |
| Area magnitude | 1 E9 |
| Area total km2 | 469.5 |
| Area total sq mi | 181.3 |
| Area land km2 | 467.9 |
| Area land sq mi | 180.6 |
| Area water km2 | 1.7 |
| Area water sq mi | 0.6 |
| Population density km2 | 1126.9 |
| Population density sq mi | 3010.7 |
| Population as of | 2010 |
| Population total | 545852 (32nd) |
| Population metro | 887077 (MSA) |
| Population demonym | Albuquerquean |
| Population blank1 title | Ethnicities |
| Population blank1 | 42.5% Caucasian 44.9% Hispanic 4.6% American Indian 4.6% Multiracial 3.3% African American 2.6% Asian 15% Others |
| Timezone | MST |
| Utc offset | -7 |
| Timezone dst | MDT |
| Utc offset dst | -6 |
| Postal code type | Zip Code(s) |
| Postal code | 87101–87125, 87131, 87151, 87153, 87154, 87158, 87174, 87176, 87181, 87184, 87185, 87187, 87190–87199 |
| Area code | 505 |
| Elevation m | 1619.1 |
| Elevation ft | 5312 |
| Website | http://www.cabq.gov/ |
| Blank name | FIPS code |
| Blank info | 35-02000 |
| Blank1 name | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 info | 0928679 |
| Blank2 name | Primary Airport |
| Blank2 info | Albuquerque International Sunport- ABQ (Major/International) |
| Blank3 name | Secondary Airport |
| Blank3 info | Double Eagle II Airport- KAEG (Public) |
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. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As of June 2007, the city was the sixth fastest-growing in America. It has a metropolitan population of 887,077 as of 2010.
Albuquerque is the 57th-largest United States metropolitan area. The Albuquerque MSA population includes the city of Rio Rancho. Roughly half the people in New Mexico live in the Albuquerque area.
Albuquerque is home to the University of New Mexico (UNM), Kirtland Air Force Base, Sandia National Laboratories, Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute, and Petroglyph National Monument, and is the seat of the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande. The Sandia Mountains run along the eastern side of Albuquerque, and the Rio Grande flows through the city, north to south.
The Alburquerque family name dates from pre-12th century Iberia (Spain and Portugal) and is habitational in nature (de Alburquerque = from Alburquerque). The Spanish village of Alburquerque is within the Badajoz province of Extremadura region, and located just fifteen miles (24 km) from the Portuguese border. Cork trees dominate the landscape and Alburquerque is a center of the Spanish cork industry. Over the years, this region has been alternately under both Spanish and Portuguese rule. The name of the New Mexico city of Albuquerque follows the Portuguese spelling with only one 'r'. Historically, the land around Alburquerque was invaded and settled by the Moors (711 AD) and the Romans (218 BC) before them. Thus, the word Alburquerque may be rooted in the Arabic (Moorish) 'Abu al-Qurq', which means "father of the cork oak", or "land of the cork oak" (the land as father – fatherland). Alternatively, it may be Latin (Roman) in origin and from 'alba quercus' or "white oak" (the wood of the cork oak is white after the bark has been removed). The seal of the Spanish village of Alburquerque is a white oak tree, framed by a shield, topped by a crown.
Western folklore offers a different explanation, tracing the name Alburquerque to the Arabic 'Al-Barquq', meaning "the plum", and the derivative Galician (Galicia = northwest Spanish Province) word 'albaricoque', the "apricot". The apricot was brought to New Mexico by Spanish settlers, possibly as early as 1743. As the story goes, the settlement of La Ciudad de Albaricoque was established near an apricot tree. As frontiersmen were unable to correctly pronounce the Spanish (Galician) word, they pronounced it as "Albuquerque."
Albuquerque was a farming community and strategically located military outpost along the Camino Real. The town was also the sheep-herding center of the West. Spain established a presidio (military garrison) in Albuquerque in 1706. After 1821, Mexico also had a military garrison there. 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." "Old Town" was sometimes referred to as "La Placita" ("little plaza" in Spanish).
After the American occupation of New Mexico, Albuquerque had a federal garrison and quartermaster depot, the Post of Albuquerque, from 1846 to 1867. During the Civil War Albuquerque was occupied in February 1862 by Confederate troops under General Henry Hopkins Sibley, who soon afterward 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 and fought the Battle of Albuquerque against a detachment of Union soldiers commanded by Colonel Edward R. S. Canby. This daylong engagement at long range led to few casualties.
When the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad arrived in 1880, it bypassed the Plaza, locating the passenger depot and railyards about 2 miles (3 km) east in what quickly became known as New Albuquerque or New Town. Many Anglo merchants, mountain men, and settlers slowly filtered into Albuquerque creating a major mercantile commercial center which is now Downtown Albuquerque. Due to a rising rate of violent crime, gunman Milt Yarberry was appointed the town's first marshal that year. New Albuquerque was incorporated as a town in 1885, with Henry N. Jaffa its first mayor, and it was incorporated as a city in 1891. Old Town remained a separate community until the 1920s when it was absorbed by the city of Albuquerque. Old Albuquerque High School, the city's first public high school, was established in 1879.
New Mexico's dry climate brought many tuberculosis patients to the city in search of a cure during the early 20th century, and several sanitaria sprang up on the West 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. Signs between Bernalillo and Los Lunas along the old route now have brown, historical highway markers denoting it as Pre-1937 Route 66.
The establishment of Kirtland Air Force Base in 1939, Sandia Base in the early 1940s, and Sandia National Laboratories in 1949, would make Albuquerque a key player of the Atomic Age. Meanwhile, the city continued to expand outward onto the West Mesa, reaching a population of 201,189 by 1960. In 1990, it was 384,736 and in 2007 it was 518,271. In June 2007, Albuquerque was listed as the sixth fastest-growing city in America by CNN and the U.S. Census Bureau. During 2005 and 2006, the city celebrated its tricentennial with a diverse program of cultural events.
The passage of the Planned Growth Strategy in 2002–2004 was the community's strongest effort to create a framework for a more balanced and sustainable approach to urban growth.
A critical finding of the study is that many of the 'disconnects' between the public's preferences and what actually is taking place are caused by weak or non-existent implementation tools -- rather than by inadequate policies, as contained in the City/County Comprehensive Plan and other already adopted legislation.
Urban sprawl is limited on three sides—by the Pueblo of Sandia to the north, the Pueblo of Isleta and Kirtland Air Force Base to the south, and the Sandia Mountains to the east. Suburban growth continues at a strong pace to the west, beyond Petroglyph National Monument, once thought to be a natural boundary to sprawl development.
Because of less-costly 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 Albuquerque. 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 ensure 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.
Albuquerque lies within the northern, upper edges of the Chihuahuan Desert ecoregion, based on long-term patterns of climate, associations of plants and wildlife, and landforms, including drainage patterns. Located in central New Mexico, the city also has noticeable influences from the adjacent Colorado Plateau Semi-Desert, Arizona-New Mexico Mountains, and Southwest Plateaus and Plains Steppe ecoregions, depending on where one is located. Its main geographic connection lies with southern New Mexico, while culturally, Albuquerque is a crossroads of most of New Mexico.
Albuquerque has one of the highest elevations of any major city in the United States, though the effects of this are greatly tempered by its southwesterly continental position. The elevation of the city ranges from 4,900 feet (1,490 m) above sea level near the Rio Grande (in the Valley) to over 6,700 feet (1,950 m) in the foothill areas of Sandia Heights and Glenwood Hills. At the airport, the elevation is 5,352 feet (1,631 m) above sea level.
The Rio Grande is classified, like the Nile, as an 'exotic' river because it flows through a desert. The New Mexico portion of the Rio Grande lies within the Rio Grande Rift Valley, bordered by a system of faults, including those that lifted up the adjacent Sandia and Manzano Mountains, while lowering the area where the life-sustaining Rio Grande now flows.
Albuquerque is located at (35.110703, -106.609991).
Albuquerque's climate is classified as arid (BWk or BWh, depending on the particular scheme of the Köppen climate classification system one uses), meaning average annual precipitation is less than half of evaporation, and no month averages below freezing.
Albuquerque's climate is usually sunny and dry, with low relative humidity, with an average of 3,420 sunshine hours per year. Brilliant sunshine defines the region, averaging more than 300 days a year; periods of variably mid and high-level cloudiness temper the sun at other times. Extended cloudiness is rare. The city has four distinct seasons, but the heat and cold are mild compared to the extremes that occur more commonly in other parts of the country.
Winters are rather brief but definite; daytime highs range from the mid 40s to upper 50s Fahrenheit, while the overnight lows drop into the low 20s to near 30 by sunrise; nights are often colder in the valley and uppermost foothills by several degrees, or during cold frontal passages from the Great Basin or Rocky Mountains. The occasional snowfall, associated with low pressure areas, fronts and troughs, often melts by the mid-afternoon; over half of the scant winter moisture occurs in the form of light rain showers, usually brief in duration. In the much higher and colder Sandia Mountains, moisture falls as snow; many years have enough snow to create decent skiing conditions at the local ski area.
Spring time starts off windy and cool, sometimes unsettled with some rain and even light snow, though spring is usually the driest part of the year in Albuquerque. March and April tend to see many days with the wind blowing at , and afternoon gusts can produce periods of blowing sand and dust. In May, the winds tend to subside, as temperatures start to feel like summer.
Summer daytime highs range from the upper 80s to the upper 90's, while dropping into the low 60s to low 70s overnight; the valley and uppermost foothills are often several degrees cooler than that. The heat is quite tolerable because of low humidity, except during the late summer during increased humidity from surges in the monsoonal pattern; at that time, daytime highs drop slightly but the extra moisture in the air can cause nighttime temperatures to increase.
Fall sees mild days and cool nights with less rain, though the weather can be more unsettled closer to winter.
The city was one of several in the region experiencing a severe winter storm on December 28–30, 2006, with locations in Albuquerque receiving between of snow.
Only the wettest areas of the Sandia foothills are barely semi-arid, where precipitation is more than half of, but still less than, evaporation; such areas are localized and usually lie above in elevation and often in arroyo drainages, signified by a slightly denser, taller growth of evergreen oak–juniper–pinon chaparral and rarely, woodland, often mixed with taller desert grasses. These elevated foothill areas still border arid areas, best described as desert grassland or desert shrub, on their west sides.
Traveling to the west, north and east of Albuquerque, one quickly rises in elevation and leaves the sheltering effect of the valley to enter a noticeably cooler and slightly wetter environment. One such area is still considered part of metro Albuquerque, commonly called the "East Mountain" area; it is covered in savannas or woodlands of low juniper and pinon trees, reminiscent of the lower parts of the southern Rocky Mountains, which do not actually contact Albuquerque proper.
Those mountains and highlands beyond the city create a "rain shadow" effect, due to the drying of descending air movements; the city usually receives very little rain or snow, averaging 8–9 inches (216 mm) of precipitation per year. Valley and west mesa areas, farther from the mountains are drier, averaging 6–8 inches of annual precipitation; the Sandia foothills tend to lift any available moisture, enhancing precipitation to about 10–17 inches annually. Most precipitation occurs during the summer monsoon season (also called a chubasco in Mexico), typically starting in early July and ending in mid-September.
{{Weather box |collapsed = N |location = Albuquerque (Albuquerque International Sunport) |single line = Y |Jan record high F = 70 |Feb record high F = 78 |Mar record high F = 89 |Apr record high F = 89 |May record high F = 98 |Jun record high F = 107 |Jul record high F = 105 |Aug record high F = 101 |Sep record high F = 100 |Oct record high F = 91 |Nov record high F = 77 |Dec record high F = 72 |year record high F = 107 |Jan high F = 47.6 |Feb high F = 54.6 |Mar high F = 62.4 |Apr high F = 70.6 |May high F = 79.7 |Jun high F = 90.2 |Jul high F = 92.3 |Aug high F = 89.0 |Sep high F = 82.2 |Oct high F = 70.7 |Nov high F = 57.1 |Dec high F = 47.9 |year high F = 70.4 |Jan low F = 23.8 |Feb low F = 28.2 |Mar low F = 33.7 |Apr low F = 40.5 |May low F = 49.7 |Jun low F = 59.4 |Jul low F = 64.7 |Aug low F = 63.2 |Sep low F = 56.9 |Oct low F = 43.8 |Nov low F = 31.6 |Dec low F = 24.2 |year low F = 43.2 |Jan record low F = −17 |Feb record low F = −6 |Mar record low F = 6 |Apr record low F = 12 |May record low F = 28 |Jun record low F = 37 |Jul record low F = 44 |Aug record low F = 45 |Sep record low F = 30 |Oct record low F = 21 |Nov record low F = −7 |Dec record low F = −8 |year record low F = −17 |Jan precipitation inch = 0.49 |Feb precipitation inch = 0.44 |Mar precipitation inch = 0.61 |Apr precipitation inch = 0.50 |May precipitation inch = 0.60 |Jun precipitation inch = 0.65 |Jul precipitation inch = 1.27 |Aug precipitation inch = 1.73 |Sep precipitation inch = 1.07 |Oct precipitation inch = 1.00 |Nov precipitation inch = 0.62 |Dec precipitation inch = 0.49 |precipitation colour = green |year precipitation inch = 9.47 |Jan snow inch = 3.1 |Feb snow inch = 2.2 |Mar snow inch = 1.8 |Apr snow inch = 0.9 |May snow inch = 0 |Jun snow inch = 0 |Jul snow inch = 0 |Aug snow inch = 0 |Sep snow inch = 0 |Oct snow inch = 0.3 |Nov snow inch = 1.1 |Dec snow inch = 2.6 |year snow inch = 12.0 |Jan precipitation days = 4.6 |Feb precipitation days = 4.1 |Mar precipitation days = 5.2 |Apr precipitation days = 3.2 |May precipitation days = 4.8 |Jun precipitation days = 4.1 |Jul precipitation days = 8.4 |Aug precipitation days = 9.6 |Sep precipitation days = 6.1 |Oct precipitation days = 5.2 |Nov precipitation days = 4.4 |Dec precipitation days = 4.2 |unit precipitation days = 0.01 in |Jan snow days = 2.5 |Feb snow days = 2.1 |Mar snow days = 1.8 |Apr snow days = 0.5 |May snow days = 0 |Jun snow days = 0 |Jul snow days = 0 |Aug snow days = 0 |Sep snow days = 0 |Oct snow days = 0.2 |Nov snow days = 1.1 |Dec snow days = 2.4 |unit snow days = 0.1 in |Jan sun = 235.6 |Feb sun = 226.0 |Mar sun = 269.7 |Apr sun = 306.0 |May sun = 347.2 |Jun sun = 360.0 |Jul sun = 334.8 |Aug sun = 313.1 |Sep sun = 288.0 |Oct sun = 282.1 |Nov sun = 234.0 |Dec sun = 223.2 |source 1 = NOAA (1971–2000) |source 2 = The Weather Channel (record temps), HKO (sun, 1961-1990) He also notes that the Sandia Pueblo Indians call the mountain Bien Mur, "big mountain."
The aquifer of the Rio Puerco is too saline to be cost-effectively used for drinking purposes.
Much of the rainwater that Albuquerque receives does not recharge its aquifer. It is diverted through storm drains called arroyos, to the Rio Grande.
Of the per year of the water in the upper Colorado River basin entitled to municipalities in New Mexico by the Upper Colorado River Basin Compact, Albuquerque owns 48,200. The water is delivered to the Rio Grande by the San Juan–Chama Project. The project's construction was initiated by legislation enacted by President John F. Kennedy in 1962, and completed in 1971. This diversion project transports water under the continental divide from Navajo Lake to Lake Heron on the Rio Chama, a tributary of the Rio grande. Presently, this water is resold to downstream owners in Texas. These arrangements will end in 2008 with the completion of the ABCWUA's Drinking Water Supply Project.
This project will, using a system of adjustable height dams, skim water from the Rio Grande into sluices which will lead to water treatment facilities for direct conversion to potable water. Some water will be allowed to flow through central Albuquerque, mostly to protect the endangered Rio Grande Silvery Minnow. Treated effluent water will be recycled into the Rio Grande to the South of the city. The ABCWUA expects river water to comprise up to seventy percent of its water budget in 2060. Groundwater will still be used. One of the policies of the ABCWUA's strategy is the acquisition of additional river water.
{| cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 0 1em 1em 0; font-size: 90%;" |- style="background:#ccc;" !Rank||Building||Height||Floors||Built|| |- |1 || Bank of Albuquerque Tower || || 22 || 1990 || |- style="background:#efefef;" |2 ||Hyatt Regency Albuquerque || || 21 || 1990 || |- |3 || Compass Bank Tower || || 18 || 1968 || |- style="background:#efefef;" |4 ||Bank of the West Tower, West || || 15 || 1986 || |- |5 || Bank of the West Tower, East || || 17 || 1963 || |- style="background:#efefef;" |6 || Gold Building || || 14 || 1967 || |- |7 || Dennis Chavez Federal Building || || 13 || 1972 || |- style="background:#efefef;" |8 || PNM Resources Tower || || 12 || 1974 || |- |9 || Simms Building || || 13 || 1954 || |- style="background:#efefef;" |10 || Pete V. Domenici U.S. Courthouse || || 7 || 1997 || |}
There were 239,116 households out of which 33.3% 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.
The age distribution was 24.5% under 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 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.
According to the 2006-2008 American Community Survey, the racial composition of Albuquerque was as follows:
White: 56.5% (Non-Hispanic Whites: 44.2%)
Source:
Albuquerque lies at the center of the New Mexico Technology Corridor, a concentration 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 suburban Rio Rancho, in neighboring Sandoval County, with its attendant large capital investment. Northrop Grumman is located along I-25 in northeast Albuquerque, and TempurPedic is located on the West Mesa next to I-40.
The solar energy and architectural-design innovator Steve Baer located his company, Zomeworks, to the region in the late 1960s; and Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory cooperate here in an enterprise that began with the Manhattan Project. In January 2007, Tempur-Pedic opened an mattress factory in northwest Albuquerque. SCHOTT Solar, Inc., announced in January 2008 they will open a facility manufacturing receivers for concentrated solar thermal power plants (CSP) and 64MW of photovoltaic (PV) modules.
Forbes Magazine rated Albuquerque the best city in America for business and careers in 2006 and the 13th best (out of 200 metro areas) in 2008.
Albuquerque contains a variety of museums, galleries, shops and other points of interest. Some of these include the Albuquerque Biological Park, Museum of Natural History and Science, and Old Town Albuquerque. The majority of locally owned boutiques and fine dining establishments are scattered throughout Downtown, Old Town, and Uptown. Old Town features ghost tours performed by the Southwest Ghosthunters Association.
The Sandia and Manzano Mountains to the east offer trails, open spaces, and rock climbing. Climbs from one to ten pitches can be found at all ability levels. The Sandia Peak Tramway, located adjacent to Albuquerque is the world's second-longest passenger aerial tramway. It also has the world's third-longest single span. It stretches from the Northeast edge of the city to the crestline of the Sandia Mountains.
The city was ranked #1 as the fittest city in the United States, according to a March 2007 issue of Men's Fitness magazine. The critera used in the study included the availability of gyms and bike paths, commute times, and federal health statistics on obesity-related injuries and illnesses.
{|class="infobox" style="font-size: 90%; border: 1px solid #999; float: right; margin-left: 1em; width: 260px;" |- style="background:#f5f5f5;" ! colspan="2" | Albuquerque City Council |- | Richard J. Berry || style="text-align: center;" |Mayor |- | Kenneth Sánchez || style="text-align: center;" |1st District |- | Debbra O'Malley || style="text-align: center;" |2nd District |- | Isaac Benton || style="text-align: center;" |3rd District |- | Bradley Winter || style="text-align: center;" |4th District |- | Daniel Lewis || style="text-align: center;" |5th District |- | Rey Garduño || style="text-align: center;" |6th District |- | Michael D. Cook || style="text-align: center;" |7th District |- | Trudy Jones || style="text-align: center;" |8th District |- | Don Harris || style="text-align: center;" |9th District |}
Albuquerque is a charter city City government is divided into an executive branch, headed by a Mayor The Council members hold part-time paid positions and are elected from the nine Council districts for four-year terms, with four or five Councilors elected every two years.
The Council is the legislative authority of the city, and has the power to adopt all ordinances, resolutions, or other legislation. The Council meets two times a month, with meetings held in the Vincent E. Griego Council Chambers in the basement level of Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Government Center. Ordinances and resolutions passed by the Council are presented to the Mayor for his approval. If the Mayor vetoes an item, the Council can override the veto with a vote of two-thirds of the membership of the Council. Albuquerque is also home to the National American University, Trinity Southwest University, and the University of St. Francis College of Nursing and Allied Health Department of Physician Assistant Studies. The Central New Mexico Community College serves most of the area, as do several technical schools including ITT Technical Institute and the University of Phoenix. Furthermore, The Art Center Design College offers bachelor's degrees in Graphic and Interior Design, animation, illustration, Photography as well as several other disciplines. Albuquerque is also home to the Ayurvedic Institute, one of the first Ayurveda colleges specializing in Ayurvedic medicine outside of India. Albuquerque Public Schools, one of the largest school districts in the nation, provides educational services to over 87,000 children across the city.
Some of the main highways in the city include:
Pan-American Freeway – More commonly known as Interstate 25 or "I-25", it is the main north–south highway on the city's eastern side of the Rio Grande. It is also the main north–south highway in the state (by connecting Albuquerque with Santa Fe and Las Cruces) and a plausible route of the eponymous Pan American Highway. Since Route 66 was decommissioned in the 1980s, the only remaining US highway in Albuquerque, unsigned US-85, shares its alignment with I-25. US-550 splits off to the northwest from I-25/US-85 in Bernalillo. Coronado Freeway The trains connect Albuquerque to downtown Santa Fe with eight roundtrips per weekday. The section of the line running south to Belen is served less frequently.
====Local mass transit====
ABQ RIDE is the local transit agency in the city. ABQ RIDE operates a variety of bus routes, including the Rapid Ride express bus service.
In 2006 the City of Albuquerque under the mayorship of Martin Chavez had planned and attempted to "fast track" the development of a "Modern Streetcar" project. Funding for the US$270 million system was not resolved as many citizens vocally opposed the project. The city and its transit department maintain a policy commitment to the streetcar project. The project would run mostly in the southeast quadrant on Central Avenue and Yale Boulevard.
Albuquerque was one of two cities in New Mexico to have had electric street railways. Albuquerque's horse-drawn streetcar lines were electrified during the first few years of the 20th century. The Albuquerque Traction Company assumed operation of the system in 1905. The system grew to its maximum length of during the next ten years by connecting destinations such as Old Town to the west and the University of New Mexico to the east with the town's urban center near the former Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway depot. The Albuquerque Traction Company failed financially in 1915 and the vaguely named City Electric Company was formed. Despite traffic booms during the first world war, and unaided by lawsuits attempting to force the streetcar company to pay for paving, that system also failed later in 1927, leaving the streetcar's "motorettes" unemployed.
New Mexico Gas Company provides natural gas services to more than 500,000 customers in the state, including the Albuquerque metro area.
listing Albuquerque's sister cities]]
{| |- | valign="top" | – Alburquerque, Spain – Aşgabat, Turkmenistan – Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico – Gijón, Spain – Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico | valign="top" | – Helmstedt, Germany – Hualien, Republic of China – Lanzhou, People's Republic of China – Rehovot, Israel – Sasebo, Japan |}
The humorous song "Albuquerque" by Weird Al Yankovic tells the epic tale of a man moving to the city, and his many absurd misadventures while living there. These encounters include a fat snorkel-thief with a Flock of Seagulls haircut, and a donut shop that sold him a box of one-dozen starving, crazed weasels.
Albuquerque is also mentioned in the songs "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" by Glen Campbell, "Everywhere" by country music singer Tim McGraw, "Bring Em Out" by rapper T.I and "The King of Rock 'n' Roll" by the British alternative rock band Prefab Sprout.
Many Bugs Bunny cartoon shorts have featured Bugs traveling around the world by burrowing underground. He often gets lost while traveling and remarks, while consulting a map, "I knew I should have taken that left turn at Albuquerque!"
The popular Disney High School Musical movies are based in Albuquerque and the city is also mentioned in the Disney TV shows Hannah Montana and That's So Raven.
The show COPS was filmed in Albuquerque for a few years.
The Hoover family in the movie Little Miss Sunshine lived in Albuquerque.
The popular TV show The Simpsons aired an episode in which the Mayor of Albuquerque's plan to move Springfield's baseball team, the Isotopes, to Albuquerque is thwarted by Homer's hunger strike.
The AMC show Breaking Bad is set and filmed in Albuquerque.
Category:Article Feedback Pilot Category:Populated places established in 1706 Category:Cities in New Mexico Category:Communities on U.S. Route 66 Category:County seats in New Mexico Category:Albuquerque metropolitan area Category:Populated places in Bernalillo County, New Mexico
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