Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque skyline in the fall
Albuquerque is a city and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico U.S.A. It is situated in the central part of the state, about 325 miles southwest of Denver, Colorado, straddling the Rio Grande, at an average altitude of 5200 feet. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 448,607. The metropolitan area has a population 712,738 and includes the city of Rio Rancho, one of the fastest growing cities in the country. Albuquerque is also home to the University of New Mexico and Kirtland Air Force Base as well as Sandia National Laboratory. Nestled between the Sandia Mountains and the Rio Grande river, Albuquerque's climate is usually sunny and dry.
The city hosts the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta every October.The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta started in 1972.
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2 Geography 3 Culture and Technology 4 Demographics 5 Colleges and Universities 6 Professional Schools 7 Sports Teams 8 Airports 9 External links |
History
The old Spanish town of Alburquerque was founded in 1706, and was named in honour of the Duke of Alburquerque, viceroy of New Spain from 1702 to 1710. The first "r" was dropped at some point in the 19th century, supposedly by an Anglo station-master unable to correctly pronounce the city's name. During the Civil War it was occupied, late in February 1862, by Confederate troops under General Henry Hopkins Sibley, who soon afterwards advanced with his main body into northern New Mexico. In his retreat back into Texas he made a stand on the 8th of April 1862 at Albuquerque, where during the whole day there was a fight at long range and with few casualties against a detachment of Union soldiers commanded by Colonel Edward R. S. Canby.
The original extra "r" in Alburquerque is remembered in a modern local slang term for the city: Burque. Additionally, the Central Avenue Trolley Buses were emblazoned with the name Alburquerque in honor of the city's historic name.
Image of Albuquerque, New Mexico taken by NASAGeography
The Sandia Mountains which include Sandia Peak are situated to the East of the city. The Sandia Peak Tramway runs from the the base of the mountain to the peak, and is the longest aerial tramway in the world.
The Rio Grande River runs through the city, flowing North to South as it passes down through central New Mexico.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 469.5 km² (181.3 mi²). 467.9 km² (180.6 mi²) of it is land and 1.7 km² (0.6 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.35% water.
Culture and Technology
A distinctive architecture which celebrates the Pueblo tradition characterizes many buildings in the city as well as the entire campus of the University of New Mexico. Albuquerque is home to KiMo Theater [Carl Boller & Robert Boller architects, 1927] one of the United States' best Pueblo Deco Theaters. Even modern buildings are built in this tradition to be sand-colored with rounded corners and edges. Even near the center of town, rural characteristics such as the sounds of roosters crowing, still greet the inhabitants.
The city was formerly the home of the Chamber Orchestra of Albuquerque for 29 years. However, in July 2004 the group filed for bankruptcy after fund-raising failed to pay off the group's debts. It is expected to disband by fall 2004.
Albuquerque lies at the center of the New Mexico Technology Corridor, a band of high-tech private companies and government intitutions along the Rio Grande. Larger institutions whose employees contribute to the populace are numerous and include Sandia National Laboratories, Kirtland Air Force Base, and the attendant contracting companies which bring highly educated workers to a somewhat isolated region. Intel operates a large semiconductor factory or 'fab' outside the city and county, with its attendant large-capital investment.
Albuquerque was the initial home of Microsoft founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen.
Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory cooperate in an enterprise that began with the Manhattan Project.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 448,607 people, 183,236 households, and 112,690 families residing in the city. The population density is 958.9/km² (2,483.4/mi²). There are 198,465 housing units at an average density of 424.2/km² (1,098.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 71.59% White, 3.09% African American, 3.89% Native American, 2.24% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 14.78% from other races, and 4.31% from two or more races. 39.92% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 183,236 households out of which 30.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% are married couples living together, 12.9% have a female householder with no husband present, and 38.5% are non-families. 30.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.40 and the average family size is 3.02.
In the city the population is spread out with 24.5% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 94.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $38,272, and the median income for a family is $46,979. Males have a median income of $34,208 versus $26,397 for females. The per capita income for the city is $20,884. 13.5% of the population and 10.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 17.4% are under the age of 18 and 8.5% are 65 or older.
Colleges and Universities
Professional Schools
Sports Teams
Albuquerque is home to the Albuquerque Isotopes minor league baseball team and the New Mexico Scorpions ice hockey team.
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External links
This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica.