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| All About Albuquerque |
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| With its lovely vistas, perfect weather, and outstanding business climate, Albuquerque is at the top of everyone's list as a place to live. Come see why! |
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| Quick Facts | |
| City Population: | 448,607 |
| Metro Area Population: | 712,738 |
| Elevation: | 5314 feet |
| Date Founded: | 1706 |
| Nickname: | Duke City |
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| Follow the links below for more Albuquerque info! |
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| Albuquerque's Top Rankings |
| Albuquerque, 2006, is definitely the place to be! Check out these national rankings showing Albuquerque at the top of the charts: |
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Forbes: Best Places for Business and Careers - 1st Place
- May 4, 2006 - According to Forbes, Albuquerque has the lowest business cost in the country. This factor, along with an educated population and rising household incomes helped boost our city to the #1 spot for business and careers. Albuquerque climbed up from 5th place last year, beating out cities like Raleigh, Houston, Boise, and Knoxville.
Kiplinger's: Smart Places to Live - 3rd Place
- June 2006 - Albuquerque was ranked #3 by Kiplinger's magazine as one of the "50 smart places to live in the country". The ranking is based upon average home price, reasonable cost of living, great quality of life and access to health care.
Worldwide ERC & Primacy Relocation: Best Cities for Families Relocating - 8th Place
- June 6, 2006 - In a joint study by Worldwide ERC and Primacy Relocation, Albuquerque ranked 8th among the best cities for relocating families. The study's factors took into consideration commuting, taxes, housing & living costs, temporary housing & storage, support for multi-generational families, and climate.
Bizjournals.com: America's Smartest Cities - 10th Place
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June 12, 2006 - An analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data done by Bizjournals.com reveals that Albuquerque ranks 10th among communities with the highest concentration of brainpower. The study analyzed the education levels of adults in thousands of communities. Factors that may have helped Albuquerque achieve this ranking are the fact that it's the home for the University of New Mexico and its proximity to Los Alamos National Laboratory .
USA TODAY: Six destinations to keep on your radar for 2006
- January 11, 2006 - USA TODAY picked Albuquerque as one of their six travel destinations to watch for 2006. Our Tricentennial celebration , the Albuquerque Museum's special exhibitions, the annual International Balloon Fiesta , and our affordability as a travel destination all helped put Albuquerque on the USA TODAY list.
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| Climate |
| Albuquerque is known for its gorgeous climate. On average, 310 days per year are sunny, and the year-round average temperature hovers around 70°. Yet Albuquerque definitely offers a full four seasons, with cooler winters and warm, dry summers. Like snow? You'll find plenty available at the local ski areas like Sandia Crest and Santa Fe, yet never have to shovel the white stuff out of your driveway in town.
While summer temperatures can reach over 100°, the heat rarely feels onerous due to the lack of humidity. And night-time temperatures are typically as much as 30° cooler than the daytime highs, so that evenings are almost always pleasantly cool. See the chart below for year-round climate statistics for Albuquerque |
Month |
High/Low (F) |
Humidity |
January |
46/21 |
41% |
February |
53/26 |
32% |
March |
61/32 |
25% |
April |
70/39 |
19% |
May |
79/48 |
19% |
June |
90/58 |
18% |
July |
92/64 |
27% |
August |
89/62 |
30% |
September |
81/55 |
29% |
October |
71/43 |
29% |
November |
57/31 |
35% |
December |
47/23 |
43% |
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| Albuquerque History |
| Albuquerque was founded in 1706 by 18 original families, and was never incorporated until 1891. Over the years, Albuquerque and the local economy have changed radically, from an original agriculture base to today's high technology, scientific research, and national security emphases, Albuquerque's economic base has constantly evolved. Early on, Albuquerque was the sheep-herding center of the West, and following the annexation of New Mexico to the United States in the mid 19th century, the sheep raising industry boomed. Miners in California and Colorado fueled a demand that lead to the raising of hundreds of thousands of sheep across the mesas outside the city. The sheep-herding and wool trade would prove to be valuable well into the 20th century. The arrival of the railroad in 1880 brought forth additional economic opportunities. New Albuquerque or New Town (so called to differentiate it from "Old Town," the heart of the original Hispanic town, became home to the largest repair facility between Kansas and California. Albuquerque began to resemble most western boomtowns, boasting everything from saloons to streetcars.
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| Soon Albuquerque experienced an influx of immigrants of all ethnic backgrounds. Albuquerque was now home to a growing mix of Pueblo Indians, Hispanics, Europeans, African Americans and Chinese. Albuquerque began to expand its infrastructure and services to include a school system, electricity, water works and telephones. The climate has always been a major draw for those seeking a dry, sun-filled environment. By about 1900, Albuquerque was touted as a "healing" environment for TB patients, and had "lung-ers" coming from far and wide flocking to the state. At one point, one third of the city's population was made up of sufferers from tuberculosis or other respiratory diseases, or those caring for them. More than a dozen sanitariums were born, and two institutions, Southwest Presbyterian Sanitarium and St. Joseph Sanitarium endured the discovery of treatment for tuberculosis. Today, both continue exist as two of the major hosptial systems in town, Presbyterian Healthcare Services and what was known as St. Joseph Healthcare system until its recent purchase by Ardent Healthcare.
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| The "health care era" was followed by transportation and government. Albuquerque was selected as a stop on the first transcontinental air route in the 1920s, and Route 66 brought transcontinental motorists through the area. The 1940s, a time of rapid growth, saw a US Army airfield constructed east of the city. Kirtland Air Force Base and Sandia National Laboratories would then lay the foundation for decades of nuclear research and technological advances. Kirtland AFB currently has more than $4 billion in fiscal impact to Albuquerque, Bernalillo Country and New Mexico annually and is the state's largest employer. Both research and technology continue to paly significant roles in Albuquerque's life. Today, Albuquerque is rated as one of the best places in the country to live, on many different counts.
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| Albuquerque Employment Information |
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| Largest Local Employers |
| Employer | Approximate Employees | Business Type |
| University of New Mexico | 14,500 | Educational Institution |
| Albuquerque Public Schools | 10,500 | Educational Institution |
| City of Albuquerque | 7,000 | Government |
| Sandia National Labs | 6,500 | Research & Development |
| Presbyterian Hospital | 6,000 | Hospital & HMO |
| Kirtland Air Force Base (Military) | 5,500 | Military |
| State of New Mexico | 5,000 | Government |
| Intel Corporation | 5,000 | Semiconductor Mfg. |
| Kirtland Air Force Base (Civilian) | 3,500 | Government |
| Lovelace Medical Center | 3,000 | Hospital |
| St.Joseph's Healthcare System (now Ardent) | 3,000 | Hospital |
| UNM Hospital | 3,000 | Hospital |
| Wal-Mart | 2,000 | Retailer |
| U.S.Post Office | 2,000 | Government |
| PNM Electric & Gas Services | 1,700 | Electric/Gas Utility |
| Albuquerque TVI | 1,700 | Educational Institution |
| Bernalillo County | 1,600 | Government |
| Veterans' Administration Medical Center | 1,600 | Hospital |
| Honeywell Defense Avionics Systems | 1,400 | Aircraft Avionics Mfg. |
| Los Lunas Public Schools | 1,300 | Educational Institution |
| America Online | 1,200 | Technical Support Ctr. |
| Philips Semiconductors | 1,100 | Integrated Circuits Mfg. |
| Smith's Food and Drug | 1,100 | Grocery Chain |
| Sprint PCS | 1,100 | Customer Service Ctr. |
| US West | 1,100 | Telephone Utility |
| MCI Consumer Markets | 1,000 | Teleservice |
| Rio Rancho Public Schools | 1,000 | Educational Inst. |
| Albuquerque Publishing Company | 1,000 | Newspaper |
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| Albuquerque Demographics |
Population: 448,607
Males: 217,887 (48.6%), Females: 230,720 (51.4%)
Elevation: 4955 feet
County: Bernalillo
Land area: 180.6 square miles
Races in Albuquerque:
- White Non-Hispanic (49.9%)
- Hispanic (39.9%)
- Other race (14.8%)
- American Indian (4.9%)
- Two or more races (4.3%)
- Black (3.1%)
- Vietnamese (0.6%)
(Total can be greater than 100% because Hispanics could be counted in other races)
Ancestries: German (12.6%), Irish (9.2%), English (9.0%), United States (4.1%), Italian (3.7%), French (2.6%).
For population 25 years and over in Albuquerque
- High school or higher: 85.9%
- Bachelor's degree or higher: 31.8%
- Graduate or professional degree: 13.4%
- Unemployed: 5.8%
- Mean travel time to work: 20.4 minutes
For population 15 years and over in Albuquerque city
- Never married: 30.2%
- Now married: 48.7%
- Separated: 1.7%
- Widowed: 5.7%
- Divorced: 13.7%
8.9% Foreign born (5.7% Latin America, 1.6% Asia, 1.1% Europe).
Nearest city with pop. 1,000,000+: Phoenix, AZ (391.2 miles, pop. 1,321,045).
Single-family new house construction building permits:
- 2000: 3412 buildings, average cost: $94,600
- 2001: 3671 buildings, average cost: $99,800
- 2002: 4217 buildings, average cost: $102,000
Area code: 505
Industries providing employment: Educational,health and social services (21.4%), Professional,scientific,management,administrative,and waste management services (13.5%), Retail trade (12.3%), Arts,entertainment,recreation,accommodation and food services (10.2%).
Crime in Albuquerque (2001):- 34 murders (7.6 per 100,000)
- 219 rapes (48.8 per 100,000)
- 1,610 robberies (358.9 per 100,000)
- 3,396 assaults (757.0 per 100,000)
- 6,585 burglaries (1467.9 per 100,000)
- 23,535 larceny counts (5246.2 per 100,000)
- 4,162 auto thefts (927.8 per 100,000)
- City-data.com crime index = 673.0 (higher means more crime, US average = 330.6)
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| Albuquerque is Truly Multi-Cultural |
| As Albuquerque commemorates its Tri-Centennial in 2006, we celebrate our truly unique, multi-cultural heritage. Founded by Spanish conquistadores in an area that had long been home to the Pueblo Indians, and later added to the growing United States, Albuquerque has citizens of widely varying ethnic and cultural backgrounds, who all enjoy the cultural variety of life in Albuquerque.
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