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Al Am An Ar

Albuquerque

geographic name | part of encyclopedia/places
Pronounced: \al-buh-kur-kee\ or \awl-boo-ked-keh\
IPA: /ˈæl bəˌkɜr ki/ or /ɔl bʊˈkɛ.ɾ keɪ/

Definition of Albuquerque

The largest city in New Mexico, the center of the larger Albuquerque Metropolitan Area, and the county seat of Bernalillo County. This city is located in Central New Mexico at the western foothills of the Sandia Mountains. Currently known as a modern multicultural metropolis with strong Pueblo & Spanish roots, within its modern American culture. The city covers a total of approximately 189.5sq mi within a metropolitan area that covers nearly 9,297sq mi, with a current population, according to the 2010 census, of 545,852 people and 887,077 in its metropolitan area which is estimated at 907,679 as of 2015.

Located at about 5,352 feet above sea level, at the ABQ Sunport. The terrain ranges from bunchgrass prairie, xeric shrublands, piñon-juniper woodland, to gallery forest.

Examples of Albuquerque

Landmarks

Albuquerque

The main streets of Albuquerque are I-40, I-25, Central Avenue (Historic Route 66), Coors Boulevard, Montaño Road, Paseo Del Norte Boulevard, NM 528 (Alameda Boulevard), and Tramway Boulevard. Landmarks include Old Town, the downtown area, the Petroglyphs, Nob Hill, Historic Route 66 on modern day Central Avenue, Nine Mile Hill, North America’s longest aerial tram at the Sandia Peak Tramway, ABQ Biopark including the Zoo, Botanic Garden, Aquarium, and Tingley Beach. Several trails and open spaces including the large Bosque, a forest that runs through the center of the entire city, as well as the many trails therein and throughout the foothills of the Sandias to the east and trails in the Petroglyphs to the west. Municipal parks are numerous, nearly 300, several featuring swimming pools, golf courses, and/or sports fields. Museums include the Albuquerque Museum of Art & History, New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science, the National Hispanic Cultural Center, and the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. Albuquerque also has the Albuquerque Convention & Visitors Bureau which has a very elaborate website, and the city also has multiple commercial art galleries.

The city is extremely rich in artistic and cultural activities. Libraries in city include the Albuquerque and Bernalillo County Libraries and the University of New Mexico Zimmerman Library. There are many theaters in the city including the historic KiMo Theatre, Sunshine Theater, and the El Rey Theater, and several modern theaters Century Rio, Cinemark, Regal, and United Artists. The University of New Mexico, with its sprawling campus, calls Albuquerque its home; and the local community college is CNM. Broadcasts from the city includes the television stations NBC affiliate KOB, PBS station KNME, ABC affiliate KOAT, CBS affiliate KRQE, Univision owned KTFQ and KLUZ, TBN affiliate KNAT, KAZQ, and MyNetworkTV affiliate KASY; FM and AM stations are numerous, the most salient being NPR Station KANW, KKOB-AM and KKOB-FM, KPEK, KRST, KIVA,  and KLYT. The city’s newspaper is the Albuquerque Journal, with other news publications being the Albuquerque the Magazine, Albuquerque Business First, ABQ Free Press, The Alibi, ABQ-Live and UNM’s Daily Lobo.

Dining

Albuquerque is a modern city and features several national chains, most of them containing New Mexican cuisine additions to their menus particularly green New Mexico chile.

As one of the top 50 largest metropolitan areas in the US, Albuquerque has a diverse food scene. New Mexican cuisine: Dining experiences are Casa de Benavidez, Dos Hermanos, El Camino, El Modelo, El Pinto, Flying Star, Frontier Restaurant, Garcia’s, Garduño’s, Kathy’s Carry Out, K&I, La Placita, La Salita, Little Anita’s, Mac’s La Sierra, Mary & Tito’s, Monroe’s, Owl Cafe, The Pueblo Harvest Cafe & Bakery, Range Cafe, Sadie’s, Tim’s Place, and Weck’s. New Mexican fast food: don’t underestimate NM fast food; New Mexico’s statewide staples Blake’s Lotaburger, Dion’s Pizza, and Twister’s Burgers & Burritos, as well as the local Mac’s Steak In The Rough. American cuisine: Antiquity, Farm and Table, Indigo Crow, Seasons Rotisserie & Grill, and Mr. Powdrell’s Barbeque House. New American cuisine: Artichoke Café and, for New Mexican cuisine inspired New American cuisine, there’s Bien Shur inside Sandia Resort and Casino and Prairie Star at Santa Ana Star Casino Golf Club. Other choices: Japanese Kitchen, La Crepe Michel, Scalo Northern Italian Grill, and Teriyaki Chicken Bowl. Deserts and Beverages: Chill’z Frozen Custard, Olo Yogurt Studio, and La Michoacana De Paquime.

Specific Landmarks

  • Old Town Albuquerque; ABQ BioPark, Albuquerque Old Town Plaza, Tingley Train, Tingley Beach, Rattlesnake Museum, Tricentennial Tiguex Park, Explora, New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, and Turquoise Museum.
  • Downtown Albuquerque; Albuquerque Civic Plaza, Albuquerque Convention Center, Alvarado Transportation Center (Amtrak and Rail Runner), Holocaust & Intolerance Museum of New Mexico, KiMo Theatre, Main Library, and 516 ARTS.
  • Uptown Albuquerque; ABQ Uptown, Coronado Center Mall, EXPO New Mexico State Fairgrounds, and Tingley Coliseum.
  • Sandia Peak Aerial Tram
  • Balloon Fiesta Park; Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum.
  • The Villages of Corrales and Los Ranchos De Albuquerque, as well as the North Valley; Bosque Trails, Cottonwood Mall, Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, and Unser Racing Museum.
  • Albuquerque International Sunport
  • Cliff’s Amusement Park
  • Hinkle Family Fun Center
  • Isotopes Park  (Old Duke’s Stadium)
  • National Museum of Nuclear Science & History
  • Nob Hill
  • Petroglyph National Monument
  • Popejoy Hall
  • University of New Mexico

Views

From the center of 1st Street and Central Avenue (Historic Route 66).
From 3rd Street between the Albuquerque Convention Center and the Albuquerque Civic Plaza
View from River Loop Trail
View in from of entrance at the University of New Mexico
Travel video from the ABQ BioPark

Origin of Albuquerque

The Pueblo culture first called this area their home, in fact numerous Pueblos called the area their home. The Pueblo originally referred to the Albuquerque Metropolitan Area as Tiguex. The Spanish founded La Villa de Alburquerque in 1706, as the capital of the Tiguex in Nuevo México as a result of the Pueblo Revolt, as a military and trading post for the Neomexicanos and Pueblos; located on the Rio Grande for irrigation using acequias and arroyos, with a defensive position between the Sandia Mountains and the West Mesa, within trading distance of the nearby Pueblos such as Isleta and Sandia. Prior to the town being built, the Spanish towns such as Barelas had already been present since 1662. In the late 1700s the town’s first defining man-made landmark was created, the Old Town Plaza and its focal point, the San Felipe de Neri Church; and by 1880 the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway arrived in Albuquerque, another roadway to the west made its way through Albuquerque as Route 66 and later I-40.

  • Alternate names and spellings exist; Alburquerque and ABQ. The land of the Tiguex prior to colonization.
  • First Known Use: 18th century as La Villa de Alburquerque. Named after Don Francisco Fernández de la Cueva y Enriquez de Cabrera, 8th Duke of Alburquerque, Marquis of Cuéllar, Count of Ledesma and of Huelma, Grandee of Spain.
  • Other languages: ألباكركي (Arabic), 阿布奎基 (Chinese), アルバカーキ (Japanese), 앨버커키 (Korean), Albīqīorqīburg (Old English)