ABOUT ALBUQUERQUE:
By Sean Remington
Bugs Bunny always said "I knew I should have taken a left in Albuquerque." What he must have been thinking is that he should have just stopped and lived happily ever after here. Growing up outside of Boston, I remember vividly spending each summer in Albuquerque with my grandparents. We would ride the tramway from the base of the Sandia Mountains to the crest, hike the trails on the foothills, and enjoy the authentic Spanish and Mexican cuisines. It is no surprise that today I find my feet permanently planted in this metropolitan area with my own family. My wife Christine & I love the available activities such as play houses, jazz-bars, visiting historic Old-Town (Christine especially enjoys the Indian jewelry available at such reasonable prices in Old Town), and Albuquerque's annual "Summerfest," held in the center of the downtown district. Our daughter Taylor particularly enjoys the summer season at the zoo, where on Friday evenings we can enjoy live concerts on the lawn while she runs about terrorizing the animals. Taylor also LOVES Albuquerque's International Balloon Fiesta - held the first two weekends every October. During the Balloon Fiesta, hot-air balloonists from all over the world find themselves in Albuquerque to pilot colorful balloons across the horizon. Golfing and skiing are also available locally. Albuquerque has an extremely interesting history that I could easily write a book on. Instead, I have paraphrased Albuquerque's history here for you:
In the 1600's, what is now called Albuquerque was not formally a community. It was made up of various peoples living along the Rio Grande River in Albuquerque's valley. They ranged primarily of Spanish conquistadors and Native Americans. The Spanish were heavily, and many times violently, recruiting the natives to Catholicism. In 1680, after a century of violent cultural clashes, the local Pueblos revolted against the Spanish, driving them out of New Mexico. Although keeping them out for a good while, the Spanish decided to return just thirteen years later claiming New Mexico as their own.
In 1706, a formal community was formed. It was named Alburquerque in honor of Spain's Duke of Alburquerque (the extra "r" was dropped at some point that is unknown exactly). Shortly thereafter, a plaza, church, and buildings were erected as a town center - now known as historic "Old Town". When Mexico gained it's independence from Spain in 1821, it encouraged trade with the United States. The famous "Santa Fe Trail" was established - a courier route to exchange bartered goods from Santa Fe (then governed as a province of Mexico) all the way up to Missouri. This route passed through Albuquerque, bringing homesteaders, merchants, lawyers, cowboys, etc. to the area. In 1848, New Mexico was ceded to the United States by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The Santa Fe Railway was soon established to bring tourists to the southwest United States as an alternative to foreign, often overseas travel. Albuquerque was one of the major stops along the railway, exposing a medley of new peoples to this gorgeous southwestern city.
In the early 1900's, Albuquerque began to flourish as a tourist destination. Hotels such as the Alvarado (torn down, today rebuilt as the train station), the Fred Harvey (today the Wyndham Airport), and the La Posada De Albuquerque (still in existence as a Boutique Hotel in the downtown district) sprung up to accommodate this new boom.
Due to perfect flying weather most of the year and the need for aeronautical research, World War I transformed Albuquerque into an aviation research headquarters - hubbed at the Kirtland Air Force Base. Times were also shifting from horse-and-carriages to automobiles. By the 1960's, tourist travel by road trips became the new hot vacation theme. The most noteworthy highway during this era was Route 66. Since it passed through Albuquerque twice, Albuquerque became twice as popular as a destination.
As the years rolled forward, the city grew at a very fast pace. Many relocated to the area for retirement, while economic development efforts worked hard to bring major corporations such as General Mills, Tempur-pedic, Gap Inc., Honeywell, and various new film-related business to Albuquerque. With the recent additions of three world-class luxury resorts, and the existing convention center and corporate hotels, Albuquerque is still on the map and open for business as an exotic southwest destination.
Population: Approximately 650,000 (Albuquerque alone, not including surrounding areas).
- NUMBER1EXPERT 
