Stats & Facts
Albuquerque Facts
New
Mexico is one of the nation's most sparsely populated states. The
state's largest city bar, the Albuquerque Metro area has just over
801,000 residents, can't help but retain its neighborhood feel.
Albuquerque is bordered on the east by the Sandia and Manzano
Mountains, on the west by Petroglyph National Monument, to the north by
Sandia Pueblo and to the south by Isleta Pueblo.
The city spans 187 square miles at elevations ranging from 4,500 feet
above sea level in the Rio Grande Valley to 6,500 feet in the foothills
of the Sandia Mountains. The greater Albuquerque metropolitan area,
which includes Bernalillo, Sandoval and Valencia counties, covers
approximately 400 square miles.
Albuquerque enjoys blue skies and sunshine 310 days out of the year. The weather makes Albuquerque a sports lovers paradise and outdoor activities are popular with residents and visitors.
Albuquerque International Sunport
Albuquerque is
served by eight major commercial airlines: American Airlines,
Continental, Delta Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Northwest Airlines,
Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, and US Airways. It also receives
regular service from two commuter airlines: Great Lakes Airlines and New
Mexico Airlines.
www.cabq.gov/airport
Albuquerque Convention & Visitors Bureau
20 First Plaza NW, Ste. 601 (87102)
PO Box 26866, Albuquerque, NM 87125-6866
Web:
www.itsatrip.org
Public Visitor Information: (800) 284-2282 (please use this number when listing a phone number in an article)
Visitor Information E-mail:
info@itsatrip.org
Business Office: (800) 733-9918, (505) 842-9918
Fax: (505) 247-9101
PR and media E-mail:
media@itsatrip.org
Distances from Albuquerque
| City |
Miles |
KM |
| Dallas |
655 |
1,048 |
| Denver |
448 |
717 |
| El Paso |
267 |
427 |
| Las Cruces, NM |
225 |
360 |
| Los Alamos, NM |
94 |
150 |
| Phoenix |
452 |
723 |
| Roswell, NM |
202 |
323 |
| Santa Fe, NM |
59 |
94 |
| Taos, NM |
129 |
206 |
Weather
|
Month
|
Average
High/Low
°F (°C)
|
Average Humidity
|
Possibility
of Sunshine
|
|
January
|
47/23 (8/-5)
|
55%
|
88%
|
|
February
|
53/27 (12/-3)
|
49%
|
77%
|
|
March
|
61/33 (16/1)
|
39%
|
73%
|
|
April
|
70/41 (21/5)
|
33%
|
79%
|
|
May
|
79/50 (26/10)
|
32%
|
76%
|
|
June
|
89/59 (32/15)
|
28%
|
85%
|
|
July
|
92/64 (33/18)
|
42%
|
75%
|
|
August
|
89/63 (32/17)
|
45%
|
67%
|
|
September
|
82/56 (28/13)
|
49%
|
71%
|
|
October
|
71/44 (22/7)
|
43%
|
69%
|
|
November
|
57/31 (14/-1)
|
48%
|
87%
|
|
December
|
48/24 (9/-4)
|
56%
|
86%
|
Albuquerque Facts
Albuquerque is considered the "Hot Air Ballooning Capital of the
World" because of the excellent flying conditions, number of resident
hot-air balloonists and the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta®.
Albuquerque has been recognized by Forbes and Popular Science as
one of the greenest cities in the country. The city also has one of the
highest percentages of open space in the country. Albuquerque is
committed to "green" initiatives. Details are outlined at
www.cabq.gov/albuquerquegreen
Albuquerque's KiMo Theatre is a Pueblo Deco style theater which was
built in 1927. Pueblo Deco was a short-lived flamboyant architectural
style that fused the spirit of the Southwest and Native American
cultures with the exuberance of America during the roaring 1920s. The
theatre fell into disrepair along with the now revitalized downtown
district and it was slated for destruction when, in 1977, the citizens
of Albuquerque voted to purchase the movie palace. After many years of
discussion, the theatre was brought up to standards and renovated to its
former grandeur by 2000. The historic KiMo is also rumored to have a
ghost. The ghost is said to be of a young boy who was killed in a boiler
explosion.
Historic Route 66 was firs commissioned in 1926 with a giant
S-curve connecting various cities in New Mexico with mostly unpaved
road. In 1931 federal funds were designated to realign the road on a
more east-west direction. The entire route from Chicago, IL, to Santa
Monica, CA, was paved in 1937. Today I-40 runs along much of the
original roadbed with many of the original neon signs still dotting the
path.
The American International Rattlesnake Museum in Albuquerque is
home to the largest collection of live rattlesnakes in the world.
Five dormant volcanoes mark Albuquerque's west side. They were
formed about 190,000 years ago, but smoke was seen rising from them as
recently as 1881. The volcanoes are still in the cooling stage and when
it snows in Albuquerque, the snow melts first in the area of the
volcanoes because of the residual heat. The "bosques" are groves of
cottonwood trees that grow along the riverbed of the Rio Grande amongst
an otherwise arid high desert environment. The ribbon of green (and
golden yellow in the fall) provide a colorful contrast to the desert
shades of the area. The Cibola National Forest full of green also lines
the eastern edge of the city along the foothills.
Albuquerque is home to several wineries. New Mexico is the oldest
wine-producing region in the country. The first grapevines were brought
to the state in 1629. Mexico’s sun-soaked soil and cool high-desert
nights create an ideal climate for making wine. The state now has 19
wineries, producing almost 350,000 gallons of wine each year.
www.nmwine.com
The New Mexico state question is “Red or Green?” This refers to red
or green chile when ordering Mexican food. Chile is featured in every
meal from breakfast through dinner in New Mexico and it is the number
one cash crop in the state. Mexico grows more chiles than any other
state, with more than 120,000 tons of chile being produced annually.
Film Production in Albuquerque
Feature films and television show productions are on the rise in the
Albuquerque area and throughout New Mexico. Albuquerque Studios, a
28-acre, $74 million state-of-the-art motion picture and television
production facility opened in 2007 with eight sound stages and a
combined total of 168,000 sq. ft. of space. New Mexico offers
outstanding incentives to production companies, which has helped
generate broad interest in the state for movie and television filming.
Sony Pictures Imageworks also has plans to open a new facility at the
Albuquerque Studios complex on the south edge of Albuquerque. www.filmABQ.com
Recent movies and television shows produced in and around Albuquerque include:
- The Spirit
- Breaking Bad
- In Plain Sight
- Crash: Season One
- Terminator Salvation
- Swing Vote
- Easy Money
- Wild Hogs
- Beerfest
- Wildfire
- Hamlet 2
- Fan Boys
- The Eye
- Game
- Transformers
- Employee of the Month
- No Country for Old Men
- In the Valley of Elah
- Observe & Report
- Sunshine Cleaning
- Love Lies Bleeding
- The Lost Room
- Love Ranch
- Tennessee
- Afterwards
- Bordertown
- Linewatch
- First Snow
- 21 Grams
- Trade
Notable Albuquerque Connections
“I knew I shoulda taken that left turn at Albuquerque.” -Bugs Bunny
Ben Abruzzo and Maxie Anderson, along with Larry Newman,
piloted the "Double Eagle II," the first manned balloon to cross the
Atlantic Ocean. An international hot air ballooning museum in
Albuquerque bears the Anderson and Abruzzo names.
- Rudolfo Anaya, a famous Mexican-American fiction author who is best known for his novel Bless Me, Ultima resides in Albuquerque.
- Coach John Baker, subject of the book and TV movie,
"A Shining Season," lived his highly inspirational life in Albuquerque
until his untimely death from cancer.
- Notah Begay III, the first full-blooded American Indian PGA golfer in the history of the game, was born and raised in Albuquerque.
- Jeff Bezos, founder, president, chairman and CEO of Amazon.com was born in Albuquerque.
- Bill Daily, a famous actor and comedian who is commonly known for his work in I Dream of Jeanie and The Bob Newhart Show currently resides in Albuquerque.
- Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft in Albuquerque in 1975 before moving to Bellevue, WA in 1979.
- Neil Patrick Harris is an American Golden Globe- and Emmy-nominated actor. Prominent roles include Doogie Howser, M.D. and Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother. He is a proud Albuquerque native.
- Tony Hillerman, was an award-winning author of
detective novels and non-fiction works best known for his Navajo Tribal
Police mystery novels. Some of his works were made into big-screen and
television movies.
- Mike Judge, creator of the television show King of the Hill and writer and director of the movie Office Space, was raised in Albuquerque.
- Ernie Pyle, a beloved World War II correspondent.
His house is now a branch of the Albuquerque Public Library and it
houses a display of his personal memorabilia.
- Danny Romero, world champion boxer, was born in Albuquerque.
- Steve-O, popular actor, stunt-man and slapstick-comedian is a native Albuquerquean.
- Diego Sanchez, welterweight fighter with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), was born in Albuquerque.
- The Shins, a Grammy-nominated indie rock group, was originally based out of Albuquerque.
- Kate Snow, co-anchor of ABC News' weekend edition of "Good Morning America," began her career as a reporter with Albuquerque's KOAT-TV.
- Johnny Tapia, the five-time world champion boxer, was born in Albuquerque.
- Al Unser Sr., Al Jr. and Bobby Unser, repeat
winners of the Indianapolis 500 auto race. The Uncer Racing Museum
highlights the family accomplishments and technologies of auto racing.
- Brian Urlacher was a University of New Mexico Lobo football favorite before heading to the NFL as starting linebacker for the Chicago Bears.
- Xzibit, rap artist and television host was born in Albuquerque.
Albuquerque Accolades
Albuquerque is regularly featured in rankings for best places to live, pet-friendly cities, festivals, green cities, local food and more. For a complete list,
visit our rankings page.
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