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View of downtown Albuquerque, NM (Photo from Wikipedia)

More About

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Albuquerque is located on the Rio Grande in central New Mexico at an elevation of 5,312 feet, although the elevation varies widely from the river to the base of the Sandia Mountains, which form a spectacular backdrop for the city. It is the largest city in New Mexico with a population of over 500,000 and a metro population of almost 850,000. Founded in 1706 by the Spanish, Albuquerque has always retained much of its Hispanic heritage and culture, from its early days as a Spanish presidio to its present status as one of the southwest’s largest cities. Today, Albuquerque is a crossroads of New Mexico and a center for commerce, government, high-tech companies, research institutes, and tourism. It is home to the world-renowned International Balloon Fiesta. In addition, there are many higher educational institutions such as the University of New Mexico. In connection to OSM, there are several active coal mines in the region in western and northwestern New Mexico and in northeast Arizona.

Just a few local features include Old Town, the Rio Grande Zoo, Petroglyph National Monument, and the abovementioned Sandia Mountains. Various other national monuments, national forests, state parks, and historical sites are in the vicinity. There are also numerous Native American pueblos and reservations in the area. The state capital of Santa Fe is only an hour northeast, while a bit farther away are the Sangre de Cristo Mountains with some peaks reaching 13,000 feet in elevation.

Albuquerque has an arid climate with about 9 inches of annual precipitation, 10 inches of snowfall, low humidity, and abundant sunshine. Precipitation is heaviest from summer to early fall when afternoon thunderstorms are frequent. Summer high temps average the lower 90’s with lows in the 60’s. Winter high temps average the upper 40’s with lows in the mid 20’s.

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WEB Page Last Updated: 03/18/2010
Website Last Updated:
January 25, 2013