Albuquerque

Albuquerque (pronounced AL-b-kur-kee; Spanish: [alukeke]), abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in 1706 as La Villa de Alburquerque by Nuevo México governor Francisco Cuervo y Valdés. Located in the Albuquerque Basin, the city is flanked by the Sandia Mountains to the east and the West Mesa to the west, with the Rio Grande and bosque flowing from north-to-south. According to the 2020 census, Albuquerque had 564,559 residents, making it the 32nd-most populous City in the United States and the fourth largest in the Southwest. It is the principal city of the Albuquerque metropolitan area, which had 916,528 residents as of July 2020. The city is a hub for technology and media companies, historic landmarks, and the fine arts. Albuquerque is known for hosting the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, the Gathering of Nations, the New Mexico State Fair, as well as for its diverse restaurant scene, which features both New Mexican cuisine and cuisines from around the world. The Tanoan and Keresan peoples had lived along the Rio Rio for centuries before European settlers arrived in what is now Albuquerque. By the 1500s, there were around 20 Tiwa pueblos along a 60-mile stretch of river from present-day Algodones to the Rio Puerco confluence south of Belen.

History

Albuquerque is the primary city name, but also Alameda, Los Ranchos, Los Ranchos De Abq, Los Ranchos De Albuquerque, Los Rnchs Abq, Village Of Los Ranchos are acceptable city names or spellings. The official name is City of Albuquerque. Albuquerque was founded in 1706 as an outpost as La Villa de Alburquerque by Francisco Cuervo y Valdés in the provincial kingdom of Santa Fe de Nuevo México. Two Tiwa pueblos lie specifically on the outskirts of the present-day city, both of which have been continuously inhabited for many centuries. The Navajo, Apache, and Comanche peoples were also likely to have set camps in the Albuquerque area, as there is evidence of trade and cultural exchange between the different Native American groups going back centuries before European arrival. Albuquerque was a farming and shepherding community and strategically located trading and military outpost along the Camino Real, for the other already established for the Tiquex and Hispano towns in the area, such as Barelas, Corrales, Isleta Pueblo, Los Ranchos, and Sandia Pueblos. During the Civil War, Albuquerque was occupied for a month in February 1862 by Confederate troops under General Henry Hopkins Sibley, who soon afterwards advanced with his main body into northern New Mexico. In Beyond the Mississippi (1867), Albert D. Richardson, traveling to California via coach, described Albuquerque as "one of the richest and pleasantest towns, with a Spanish cathedral and other buildings more than two hundred years old." In 1882, Van Tassel became the first to fly a balloon in Albuquerque with a landing at Old Town. New Mexico Territory became a part of the United States in 1846 and Albuquerque had a federal garrison and quartermaster depot, the Post of Albuquerque, from 1846 to 1867.

Geography

Albuquerque has one of the highest elevations of any major city in the U.S., ranging from 4,900 feet (1,500 m) above sea level near the Rio Grande to over 6,700 feet (2,000 m) in the foothill areas of Sandia Heights and Glenwood Hills. To its east are the SandiaManzano Mountains, Rio Grande flows north to south through its center, while the West Mesa and Petroglyph National Monument make up the western part of the city. According to the United States Census Bureau, Albuquerque has a total area of 189.5 square miles (490.9 km²), of which 187.7 square miles is land and 1.8 square miles, or 0.96%, is water. It is popularly believed to be a reference to the brilliant coloration of the mountains at sunset: bright pink (melon meat) and green (melon rind). The pink is due to large. exposures of granodiorite cliffs, and the green is due. to large swaths of conifer forests. However, Robert Julyan notes in The Place Names of New Mexico, "the most likely explanation is the one believed by the. Sandia Pueblo Indians: the Spaniards, because they thought the squash growing there were watermelons, and. the name Sandia soon was transferred to the mountains east of the pueblo." He also notes that the Sandie Pueble Indians call the mountain Bien Mur, "big mountain.".

Demographics

As of the United States census of 2020, there were 564,559 people and 229,701 households. The updated U.S. Census Bureau estimate as of 7/1/2021 showed a slight population decline to 562,599 people. The racial makeup of the city was 60.3% White or Hispanic and Latino. The majority of the religious population in Albuquerque are Christian, being a historical Spanish and Mexican city, the Catholic Church is the largest Christian church in Albuquerque. The second largest religious population is eastern religions such as Buddhism, Sikhism, and Hinduism. The AlbuquerqueSanta FeLas Vegas combined statistical area (CSA), with a population of 1,171,991 as of 2016, constitutes the southernmost point of the Southern Rocky Mountain Front megalopolis. There were an estimated 4-5,000 homeless people living in the Albuquerque metropolitan area as of 2019. According to a spokeswoman, a homeless services center, a Day at the Rock at Noon at Albuquerque Public Schools, and a homeless shelter are planned for the city in the future. The city is home to the largest Jewish community center in New Mexico, the oldest Jewish Congregation in the state, and the largest Islamic Center of New Mexico. It is also home to several Buddhist temples, as well as the Hindu Temple of New New Mexico and the Sikh Gurudwara Albuquerque, which are located in the city limits. The largest non-Christian religious group in Albuquerque is Islam, followed by Islam.

Arts and culture

The city hosts the International Balloon Fiesta, the world's largest gathering of hot-air balloons. Sandia Peak Ski Area, adjacent to Albuquerque, provides both winter and summer recreation in the Sandia Mountains. Albuquerque is a hub for production studios, including Albuquerque Studios which is one of the primary productions hubs for Netflix. Several major motion pictures and television shows have been filmed and produced in Albuquerque. The city is referenced in Billy Mize's 1967 album Lights of Albuquerque, Jim Glaser's 1986 song "The lights of Albuquerque", Neil Young's song "Albuquerque", and "Weird" Al Yankovic's song 'Lights of Albuquerque' The Albuquerque Isotopes Minor League team's name was inspired by the episode "Hungry, Hungry Homer" of The Simpsons. The Albuquerque Journal is New Mexico's most widely circulated newspaper, and used to compete with The Albuquerque Tribune until 2008. The Journal competes with The Santa Fe New Mexican and Las Cruces Sun-News. Albuquerque has a monopoly on terrestrial cable service in the entire Albuquerque-Santa Fe market, but not throughout the entire city. It is also home to numerous radio stations that serve the metropolitan and outlying rural areas, including KLUZ, KRQE, KOAT, and KZ-TV, and is ranked as the 48th largest media market in the United States. The metropolitan area regularly receives most national and international music concerts, Broadway shows, and other large traveling events, as well as New Mexico music and other local music performances.

Sports

The Albuquerque Isotopes are a minor league affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. Albuquerque was home to boxing mainstays Brenda Burnside, Bob Foster, and Johnny Tapia. On June 6, 2018, the United Soccer League announced its latest expansion club with USL New Mexico, headquartered in Albuquerque. Several MMA world champions and fighters, including Holly Holm and Jon Jones, train in Jackson Wink MMA gym. The PGA of America offers Albuquerque golf tournaments with Sun Country Golf House, including the Sun Country PGA Championship and the New Mexico Open which have been hosted in the metropolitan area several times. Roller sports are finding a home in Albuquerque as they hosted USARS Championships in 2015, and are home to Roller hockey, and Roller Derby teams. The defunct Albuquerque Dukes minor league baseball team still has a major following, and the Major League Baseball organization is aware of the team's continued popularity. The Duke mascot continues to be an icon of the city. The Isotope sometimes has Dukes Retro Night where they wear Dukes uniforms, and The Duke mascots continue to be a major part of Albuquerque's culture. The city is home to the Albuquerque High School football team, which was founded in the 1960s. The school is one of the oldest in the state, having been founded in 1871. It is also home to several high school football teams, including Albuquerque High and New Mexico High. The Albuquerque High football team was formed in the 1970s, and has won the state championship three times.

Government and politics

Albuquerque is a charter city. City government is divided into an executive branch, headed by a mayor:V and a nine-member council that holds the legislative authority.:IV The form of city government is therefore mayor-council government. The mayor is Tim Keller, who was elected in 2017. The Albuquerque Police Department (APD) is the police department with jurisdiction within the city limits. The judicial system in Albuquerque includes the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court. It is the largest municipal police department in New Mexico. In September 2008 the US Department of Justice recorded the APD as the 49th largestPolice department in the United States. The council meets two times a month, with meetings held in the Vincent E. Griego Council Chambers in the basement level of Albuquerque/Bernalillos County Government Center. If the mayor vetoes an item, the council can override the veto with a vote of two-thirds of the membership of the council.:XI.3 The council has the power to adopt all ordinances, resolutions, or other legislation. It can also override the mayor's veto of an item if it is passed by a majority of the members of the city council. The city council can also veto the mayor of Albuquerque if he or she is found to be in breach of his or her duties. The Mayor of Albuquerque holds a full-time paid elected position with a four-year term. Albuquerque City Council members hold part-timepaid positions and are elected from the nine districts for four- year terms.

Economy

The economy of Albuquerque centers on science, medicine, technology, commerce, education, entertainment, and culture outlets. Albuquerque is the center of the New Mexico Technology Corridor, a concentration of high-tech institutions, including Intel's Fab 11X in Rio Rancho and a Facebook Data Center in Los Lunas. Kirtland Air Force Base, Sandia National Laboratories, Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute, Presbyterian Health Services, and both the University of New Mexico and Central New Mexico Community College have their main campuses in the city. There are numerous shopping centers and malls within the city, including ABQ Uptown, Coronado, Cottonwood, Nob Hill, and Winrock. Outside city limits but surrounded by the city is a horse racing track and casino called The Downs Casino and Racetrack, and the pueblos surrounding the city feature resort casinos, including Sandia Resort, Santa Ana Star, Isleta Resort, and Laguna Pueblo's Route 66 Resort. Forbes magazine rated Albuquerque as the best city in America for business and careers in 2006 and as the 13th best (out of 200 metro areas) in 2008. The city was rated seventh among America's Engineering Capitals in 2014 by Forbes magazine. Albuquerque ranked among the Top 10 Best Cities to Live by U.S. News & World Report in 2009 and was recognized as the fourth best place to live for families by the TLC network. It was rankedamong the Top Best Cities for Jobs in 2007 and among the top 50 Best Places to Live and Play by National Geographic Adventure.

Education

Albuquerque is home to the University of New Mexico, the largest university in the state and the flagship of the state public university system. UNM includes a School of Medicine which was ranked in the top 50 primary care-oriented medical schools in the country. Central New Mexico Community College is a county-funded junior college serving new high school graduates and adults returning to school. Several for-profit technical schools including Brookline College, Pima Medical Institute, National American University, Grand Canyon University, and several barber/beauty colleges have established their presence in the area. Albuquerque Public Schools (APS), one of the largest school districts in the nation, provides educational services to almost 100,000 children across the city. Accredited private schools serving students with special education needs in Albuquerque include: Desert Hills, Pathways Academy, and Presbyterian Ear Institute Oral School. The New Mexico School for the Deaf runs a preschool for children with hearing impairments in Albuquerque. Numerous accredited private preparatory schools also serve Albuquerque students. These include various pre-high school religious (Christian, Jewish, Islamic) affiliates and Montessori schools, as well as Menaul School, Albuquerque Academy, St. Pius X High School, Sandia Preparatory School, the Bosque School, Evangel Christian Academy, Hope Christian School, Hope Connection School, Shepherd Lutheran School, Temple Baptist Academy and Victory Christian. The Ayurvedic Institute, one of. the first Ayur Veda colleges specializing inAyurveda medicine outside India, was established in 1984.

Infrastructure

Since the city's founding, it has continued to be included on travel and trade routes including the historic El Camino Real, Santa Fe Railway (ATSF), Route 66, and the modern Interstate 25, Interstate 40, and Albuquerque International Sunport. Since Route 66 was decommissioned in the 1980s, the only remaining US highway in Albuquerque, unsigned US-85, shares its alignment with I-25. The city owns most of the state's rail infrastructure, which is used by a commuter rail system, long-distance passenger trains, and freight trains. There are six road bridges that cross the Rio Grande on the eastern approaches of the municipality on at least one end if not both. In order of order they are:Alameda Bridge, Paseo del Norte Bridge, Montaño Bridge, Isleta Bridge, Coors Bridge, and Rio Bravo Bridge. The only five-level stack interchange in the state of New Mexico is the Big I, at Interstate 25/I-40, which was built in 1966 and rebuilt in 2002. The Big I is the only five level interchange in New Mexico, and it is located at the intersection of I-40 and the Pan-American Freeway (I-25). The city's main airport is the Albuquerque International Airport, which opened in 1996. The airport is located on the northern tip of the city. The Albuquerque International Rail System is a joint venture between the federal government and the city of Albuquerque. It is the largest rail system in the U.S.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, New Mexico = 77.3. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 47. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 20. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Albuquerque = 6.3 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 564,559 individuals with a median age of 36 age the population grows by 16.00% in Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, New Mexico population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 3,014.68 residents per square mile of area (1,163.97/km²). There are average 2.36 people per household in the 215,946 households with an average household income of $45,192 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 6.90% of the available work force and has dropped -4.98% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 23.14%. The number of physicians in Albuquerque per 100,000 population = 305.5.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Albuquerque = 15.3 inches and the annual snowfall = 26.7 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 81. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 280. 89 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 26.1 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 63, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, New Mexico which are owned by the occupant = 57.13%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 28 years with median home cost = $184,830 and home appreciation of -5.83%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $8.22 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,463 per student. There are 16 students for each teacher in the school, 536 students for each Librarian and 444 students for each Counselor. 6.09% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 18.43% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 13.20% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).