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New Mexico is one of the nation’s most sparsely populated states. The Albuquerque Metro area, with approximately 700,000 residents, can’t help but retain its neighborhood feel. Albuquerque is bordered by the Sandia and Manzano Mountains to the east, by the Petroglyph National Monument to the west, by Sandia Pueblo to the north and by Isleta Pueblo to the south. The city sprawls over more than 100 square miles at elevations ranging from 4,500 feet above sea level in the Rio Grande Valley to 6,500 feet at the foot of the Sandia Mountains. Albuquerque enjoys blue skies and sunshine 310 days out of the year. The weather makes Albuquerque a sport lover's paradise and outdoor activities of all kinds are popular with residents. Low humidity and warm temperatures make Albuquerque a four-season destination.
Albuquerque, named to honor a Spanish Duke, the 10th Duke of Alburquerque, Viceroy of New Spain. It was founded in 1706 by a group of colonists who had been granted permission by King Philip
San Felipe de Neri Church
in Old Town, built in 1793of Spain to establish a new villa (city) on the banks of the Rio Grande (which means big or great river). The colonists chose a place along the river where it made a wide curve providing good irrigation for crops, a source of wood from the bosque (cottonwoods, willows and olive trees) and nearby mountains. The site also provided protection and trade with the Indians in the area.
The early Spanish settlers were religious people, and the first building erected was a small adobe chapel. Its plaza was surrounded by small adobe homes, clustered close together for mutual protection against any threats posed by hostile forces in this vast and dangerous country. The church, San Felipe de Neri, still stands on the spot. The building itself has been enlarged several times and remodeled, but its original thick adobe walls are still intact. The church is the hub of Old Town, the historic and sentimental heart of Albuquerque, with activity revolving around shopping and dining.
Albuquerque stands with one foot in the past, one foot in the present and both eyes on the future. Home to some of the nation's finest high-tech research facilities, Sandia National Laboratories, Kirtland Air Force Base, and the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque is leading the way in technology development.
In Albuquerque, the views go on forever. A ride on the Sandia Peak Tram puts you at 10,678 feet above sea level on top of the Sandia Mountains, where, on clear days, you can look out over 15,000 square miles of magical landscape. To the west, the Rio Grande snakes its way through the cottonwood-lined valley, and dormant volcanoes are silhouetted against fiery red sunsets. As darkness blankets the city, thousands of lights twinkle like diamonds, matching the stars scattered across the enormous sky. Albuquerque is a city full of exciting attractions and events, from Historic Old Town, where the Villa of Albuquerque was founded in 1706, to the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, the most popular ballooning event in the world.