Albuquerque, New Mexico
Posted by Eloise Gift on April 11, 2007
Albuquerque, New Mexico is over 300 years old. It was not always the city that it is now, of almost half a million people. Before the Spanish explorers arrived, Pueblo Indians chose the fertile land on the bank of the Rio Grande to grow their crops. With the arrival of the Europeans, the small trading post established in the same area grew. Now spanning both banks of the Rio Grande (the Nile of New Mexico) Albuquerque has grown to be the state’s largest city, http://www.cabq.gov/.
Early Years
In its early years the city expanded north and south along El Camino Real, http://elcaminoreal.org/home.php, old Route 66, and east-west as the route got realigned along Central Avenue. Old Town, built in traditional Spanish style around the square is a good starting point for a visit to Albuquerque.
Arrival of the Railroad
The arrival of the railroads led to another growth surge, which helped to define and shape the city in ways that are still in evidence, even though the heyday of the railroads is past, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albuquerque,_New_Mexico.
New Growth
Currently, the city is experiencing another growth spurt; this time mainly in the western part of the city. The eastern edge of the city is already all up to the way up to the foothills of the Sandia Mountains, as far as it can go. There is little or no room left for growth except for infilling.
The Northeast
Of the four quadrants into which the city is divided, the northeast is the oldest, most developed and most populous. Well established over a number of years, this part of town is where you will find Old Town, Sandia Laboratories, the University of New Mexico, http://www.unm.edu/ , and Uptown with office buildings, shops, and restaurants. Many of the most expensive homes in the city are also found in this part of the city. As land becomes scarce, lot and home prices have increased.
The Northwest
The northwest quadrant is undergoing rapid development. Bulldozers and earth movers seem to be everywhere as large tracts of previously undeveloped lands give way to new housing, http://activerain.com/blogsview/42640/Go-West-In-Albuquerque. Single family homes, and an increasing number of commercial and industrial sites wrap around the Petroglyph National Monument and skirt the edge of the high mesa where the five sleeping sisters. (small extinct volcano cones) have remained undisturbed for thousands of years. On the northern edge, boundaries between the Albuquerque and sister city Rio Rancho are already becoming blurred.
The influx of new residents and the explosion in residential and commercial development across the city has led to a spate of road and highway construction to keep pace with the increased population and traffic.The “Big I” interchange is no longer the only one. The Coors /I-40 interchange, recently completed in 2000t is contributing to an ever-growing, big-city feel. Two other interchanges are in the planning stages at I-25 and Jefferson and Mesa del Sol and I-25.
Southeast Development
The development of the older northeast section of the city progressed naturally into the southeast. Thus the southeast quadrant is home to both older elegant and no-so-elegant neighborhoods that border on long-established Sunport airport and Kirtland Air Force Base, http://www.kirtland.af.mil/, both of which cover extensive tracts of land, essentially ruling out further expansion of the city in this direction.
The Southwest
Large parts of the southwest, such as the South Valley, have been largely agricultural land that border on pueblo lands (Isleta) farther south. More recently, as is happening all across the city, the areas of the south west are seeing the gradual introduction of small residential developments, and long-time dwellers of the area are learning to cope with these and accompanying commercial infrastructure, anchored by “big boxes.” Mesa del Sol, a declared master-planned mixed-use, sustainable development just south of the airport, is reported to be developing the last bit of available land (13,000 acres) within the city limits of Albuquerque.
Quality of Life
The charm of the city is its people, its high desert climate, its inspirational landscape and quality of life. The area abounds in parks, trails, and paths along the Rio Grande and through the Sandia Mountains. You san step out your door and walk straight up into the mountains, or you can leave your downtown office and in less than half an hour, be on the cable car for a fifteen minute ride to the top of Sandia Peak for an afternoon of skiing, then return to Albuquerque without concerns of dealing with snow or bad weather.
If you live on the west side, you enjoy the gorgeous seasonal changes of views of the bosque (woods), rosy, many-hued dawns, and the ever-changing moods of the Sandias throughout each day. If you live in the foothills of the northeast, you are may get to enjoy close-up views of the mountains and rather than dawns, more likely to enjoy gorgeous sunsets and views of Mount Taylor, snow capped in winter.
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