ALBUQUERQUE

ALBUQUERQUE, founded as an outpost of Mexico in 1598 and named for the Spanish Duke of Alburquerque (the first 'r' was later dropped), lies in the center of New Mexico's high plateau (altitude 5,314 feet) on the east bank of the south-flowing Rio Grande. The region was part of the territory acquired by the United States in the 1848 settlement of the Mexican-American War and in many ways has retained its Hispanic character, particularly

in the Old Town area of Albuquerque. For most of the remainder of the nineteenth century, the city served as a base for the army in the campaigns to constrain the Comanche and Apache peoples. The arrival of the railroad in the early 1880s brought new commercial activities and economic opportunities. But population growth was slow, increasing from 2,315 in 1880 to only 35,449 in 1940. This growth was prompted by the warm climate, a growing military presence, and opportunities in the mining, cotton, and cattle industries. Major New Deal public works projects in dam building and irrigation eased a scarcity of water.

Substantial regional and city development came during World War II (1939–1945) and the Cold War. Kirtland Air Force Base and the Sandia National Laboratories complex provided greatly increased economic opportunities. The resultant prosperity had the effect of widening the economic gap between the poorer Hispanic population, which comprised 25 percent of the city's population in 1940, and the dominant Anglo population, mostly professionals and retirees. The impetus of growth intensified in the five decades after World War II. The city's population multiplied twenty times—to over 700,000 in 1990—while the national population merely doubled. In part, this growth was fueled by influxes of Hispanics moving from agricultural areas to urban Albuquerque, increasing their proportion of the city's population to 34 percent in 1990 and thus aggravating political friction. This, in turn, brought a government reorganization in 1972, and the expansion of education and employment opportunities.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Hodge, William H. The Albuquerque Navajos. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1969.

Logan, Michael F. Fighting Sprawl and City Hall: Resistance to Urban Growth in the Southwest. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1995.

Luckingham, Bradford. The Urban Southwest: A Profile History of Albuquerque, El Paso, Phoenix, and Tucson. El Paso: Texas Western Press, 1982.

Simmons, Marc. Albuquerque: A Narrative History. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1982.

MichaelCarew

Albuquerque: Population Profile

Metropolitan Area Residents

1980: 485,430

1990: 589,131

2000: 712,738

Percent change, 1990–2000: 21.0%

U.S. rank in 1980: 80th

U.S. rank in 1990: 77th

U.S. rank in 2000: 62nd

City Residents

1980: 332,920

1990: 384,915

2000: 448,607

2003 estimate: 471,856

Percent change, 1990–2000: 15.9%

U.S. rank in 1980: 44th

U.S. rank in 1990: 38th (State rank: 1st)

U.S. rank in 2000: 42nd (State rank: 1st)

Density: 2,483.4 people per square mile (2000)

Racial and ethnic characteristics (2000)

White: 321,179

Black or African American: 13,854

American Indian and Alaska Native: 17,444

Asian: 10,068

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander: 452

Hispanic or Latino (may be of any race): 179,075

Other: 85,610

Percent of residents born in state: 46.7% (2000)

Age characteristics (2000)

Population under 5 years old: 30,883

Population 5 to 9 years old: 30,577

Population 10 to 14 years old: 30,248

Population 15 to 19 years old: 31,988

Population 20 to 24 years old: 34,115

Population 25 to 34 years old: 67,150

Population 35 to 44 years old: 71,632

Population 45 to 54 years old: 61,732

Population 55 to 59 years old: 20,694

Population 60 to 64 years old: 15,918

Population 65 to 74 years old: 27,512

Population 75 to 84 years old: 19,542

Population 85 years and older: 6,616

Median age: 34.9 years

Births (2002)

Total number: 8,741

Deaths (2002)

Total number: 4,405

Money income (1999)

Per capita income: $20,884

Median household income: $38,272

Total households: 183,625

Number of households with income of . . .

less than $10,000: 18,109

$10,000 to $14,999: 12,706

$15,000 to $24,999: 26,597

$25,000 to $34,999: 26,293

$35,000 to $49,999: 31,682

$50,000 to $74,999: 33,373

$75,000 to $99,999: 17,097

$100,000 to $149,999: 12,205

$150,000 to $199,999: 2,947

$200,000 or more: 2,616

Percent of families below poverty level: 10.0% (53.1% of which were female householder families with related children under 5 years)

2002 FBI Crime Index Total: 35,762

Albuquerque: Communications

Newspapers and Magazines

Albuquerque is served by two daily newspapers, the morning Albuquerque Journal and the evening Albuquerque Tribune, and by the weekly newspapers New Mexico Business Weekly, which covers business media, and El Hispano News, a Spanish-language newspaper. Magazines published there include abqARTS, New Mexico Business Journal, and New Mexico Woman.

Television and Radio

Ten television stations, including affiliates for the major commercial networks and public television, serve metropolitan Albuquerque. Cable television is available by subscription. Approximately 40 AM and FM radio stations broadcast to Albuquerque-area listeners, offering a wide variety of programming, including Spanish- and Navajo-language features. Albuquerque Public Schools operates an instructional radio station that features educational programming as well as jazz and Latin music.

Media Information: Albuquerque Journal, 7777 Jefferson Street NE, Albuquerque, NM, 87109; Newsroom telephone (505)823-3800. Albuquerque Tribune, PO Drawer T, Albuquerque, NM, 87103; telephone (505)823-7777

Albuquerque Online

Albuquerque Convention & Visitors Bureau. Available www.abqcvb.org

Albuquerque Journal. Available www.abqjournal.com

Albuquerque Public Schools. Available www.aps.edu/aps

Albuquerque Tribune. Available www.abqtrib.com

Bernalillo County home page. Available www.bernco.gov

City of Albuquerque home page. Available www.cabq.gov

Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce. Available www.gacc.org

New Mexico Department of Labor. Available www.dol.state.nm.us

Rio Grande Valley Library System. Available www.cabq.gov/rgvls

Selected Bibliography

Anaya, Rudolfo A., Alburquerque (Albuquerque: U. of New Mexico Press, 1992)

Chilton, Lance, et al., A New Guide to the Colorful State (University of New Mexico Press, 1984)

Simmons, Mark, Albuquerque: A Narrative History (University of New Mexico Press, 1982)

Albuquerque , city (1990 pop. 384,736), seat of Bernalillo co., W central N.Mex., on the upper Rio Grande; inc. 1890. The largest city in the state, it is the commercial, industrial, and transportation center for a rich timber, livestock, and farm area. It has lumber mills, food-processing plants, and varied industries. Kirtland Air Force Base, a special-weapons center, and Isleta pueblo (with its casino) are to the south. Sandia National Laboratories, a U.S. Dept. of Energy installation established (1949) to carry out nuclear research and weapons development and now a center for electronic and industrial research, is located at Kirtland.

Spanish settlers arrived in the mid-1600s but were repelled (1680) in the Pueblo revolt. The old town was founded in 1706 and named for the viceroy of New Spain, the duke of Alburquerque. The new town, platted in 1880 as the Santa Fe RR extended westward, soon enveloped the old town. The city grew rapidly after World War II and its metropolitan area is today one of the fastest expanding in the United States; it attracts many high-technology industries, such as lasers, data processing, and solar energy.

Albuquerque is a noted health resort with many hospitals. It is the seat of the Univ. of New Mexico and the Univ. of Albuquerque and headquarters for Cibola National Forest. Attractions in and around the city include the Church of San Felipe de Nerí (1706); the Old Town plaza; numerous museums including the natural history and atomic museums; the Sandia Mts., with caves containing remains of some of the earliest inhabitants in the hemisphere; Petroglyph National Monument; and many pueblos. Coronado State Monument, to the north, is an excavated pueblo near which Coronado camped in 1541. Albuquerque hosts a popular hot air balloon festival and a ballooning museum is there.

Albuquerque: Convention Facilities

As the economic and industrial heart of New Mexico, and as a city known for its commitment to the past and to the future, Albuquerque is an ideal meeting place for conferences and conventions. Albuquerque's unique ethnic heritage and spectacular setting, plus its generous meeting facilities and hotels providing 14,000 guest rooms, promote the mixing of business with pleasure.

The city's primary meeting place is the Albuquerque Convention Center, located in the heart of downtown. The 600,000 square-foot complex offers 167,562 square feet of exhibition space, a 31,000 square-foot ballroom, and a 2,350-seat auditorium. It can accommodate more than 9,000 attendees and has banquet space for up to 6,000 people. The convention center is within walking distance of more than 900 guest rooms, as well as restaurants and clubs offering a variety of entertainment. Facilities for large groups are also available at Expo New Mexico at the State Fairgrounds; which offers flexible indoor and outdoor space, with an indoor capacity of 12,000 and outdoor capacity of 20,000 people.

Convention Information: Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau, 20 First Plaza Center NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102; telephone (505)842-9918; toll-free (800)284-2282

Albuquerque: Health Care

In the 1920s Albuquerque, like many other cities in the Southwest, became a mecca for people suffering from respiratory diseases and allergies who seek relief in the warm, dry climate. Today, advanced medical care is available at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, which encompasses the following patient facilities: UNM Hospital, New Mexico's only Level 1 Trauma Center; Carrie Tingley Hospital for pediatric rehabilitation and orthopaedics; UNM Children's Hospital, currently undergoing a $239 million, 476,555-square-foot expansion scheduled for completion in 2007; UNM Cancer Research & Treatment Center, New Mexico's only academic center for cancer treatment; UNM Psychiatric Center; and UNM Children's Psychiatric Hospital.

Albuquerque's other major hospitals are the 453-bed Presbyterian Hospital, New Mexico's largest acute care hospital; Albuquerque Regional Medical Center, which specializes in orthopedics, ophthalmology, neurology and neurosurgery, oncology, and cardiology; and Lovelace Medical Center, where the first astronauts were tested and which has been ranked as one of America's best hospitals.

Albuquerque: Geography and Climate

Albuquerque is situated in the middle of the Rio Grande valley. To the east of the city are the Sandia and Manzano mountains; to the west are five volcanic cones that mark the beginning of high plateau country. The climate in Albuquerque, termed "arid-continental," is sunny and dry with very low humidity. Half of the annual precipitation falls between July and September in heavy afternoon thundershowers. During the winter one can ski on Sandia Peak and play a round of golf on the same day.

Area: 180.64 square miles (2000)

Elevation: 5,311 feet above sea level

Average Temperatures: January, 36.0° F; August, 76.5° F; annual average, 56.0° F

Average Annual Precipitation: 8.12 inches

Albuquerque: Introduction

Surrounded by natural beauty, Albuquerque is at the center of Native American pueblo country in New Mexico, the "Land of Enchantment." The state's largest city, Albuquerque retains deep roots in the past and simultaneously stands on the cutting edge of the future. The original Spanish town was built on the site of the oldest farming civilization in North America; modern Albuquerque is the focal point of the "Rio Grande Research Corridor," one of the nation's primary space-research complexes. The city's residents have maintained ethnic traditions and preserved a high quality of life while at the same time fostering modern growth and economic development.

Albuquerque: Municipal Government

Albuquerque operates under a mayor-council form of government, with a full-time mayor, nine council members—all of whom serve four-year terms—and a chief administrative officer, who is appointed by the mayor. The city is the seat of Bernalillo County.

Head Official: Mayor Martin Chavez (since 2001; current term expires 2005)

Total Number of City Employees: 6,940 (2003)

City Information: City of Albuquerque, PO Box 1293, Albuquerque, NM 87103; telephone (505)768-3000

Albuquerque City in w central New Mexico, USA, on the Upper Río Grande, the state's largest city. Traditionally a centre for rail workshops and the livestock trade, it is now a centre for high-technology industries and is home to the Atomic Energy Commission. A popular health resort, its population increased by nearly 20% between 1980 and 1992. Pop. (2000) 448,607.