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Albuquerque, New Mexico Vacations, Travel Packages and Albuquerque Tours

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Visiting Albuquerque allows you to experience the authentic Southwest. One of the oldest cities in the U.S., Albuquerque boasts a unique multicultural heritage and history where Native American, Hispanic & Latino, Anglo and other cultural influences are a part of everyday life. You'll always feel you're someplace special when you're eating at one of our traditional New Mexican restaurants, shopping at one of our more than 3,000 shops and galleries, or enjoying our world-class visual and performing arts or playing on the best golf courses in the Southwest. Nowhere is the confluence of past and present more dramatic than here in Albuquerque, where the modern city skyline is set against a backdrop of the ancient Sandia Mountains and an endless, timeless blue sky — perfect for a mountain cabin vacation.

When visiting Albuquerque, you’ll find its spectacular weather — 310 days of sunshine - perfect for outdoor activities, including biking, skiing and playing on some of the country’s best golf courses. Our unique weather features also make Albuquerque the hot air ballooning capital of the world. Balloons dot our clear blue skies almost every morning, revealing a myriad of colors year-round. While visiting Albuquerque at night, you’ll notice the city is bathed in the glow of neon signs, relics of Albuquerque's place on historic Route 66. Locals and visitors kick up their heels in our bustling downtown entertainment district, go out for a night of entertainment by one of our international theater and dance companies, or visit one of the many casinos surrounding the metropolitan area.

Discover some of the best golf courses in America. Experience total relaxation with a mountain cabin vacation. Float over the beautiful Southwest scenery in a hot air balloon. No matter what your adventure, the spectacular culture, abundance of activities and breathtaking landscape that are uniquely Albuquerque await!

Come experience the spectacular culture, abundance of activities and breathtaking landscape that are uniquely Albuquerque!

Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 518,271 as of July 1, 2007  and ranks as the 34th-largest city in the U.S.

Albuquerque is home to the University of New Mexico (UNM) and Kirtland Air Force Base as well as the Sandia National Laboratories and Petroglyph National Monument. The Sandia Mountains run along the eastern side of Albuquerque, and the Rio Grande flows through the city, north to south.

Albuquerque History

Early settlers
The city was founded in 1706 as the Spanish colonial outpost of Ranchos de Alburquerque; present-day Albuquerque retains much of the Spanish cultural and historical heritage.

Albuquerque was a farming community and strategically located military outpost along the Camino Real. The town of Alburquerque was built in the traditional Spanish village pattern: a central plaza surrounded by government buildings, homes, and a church. This central plaza area has been preserved and is open to the public as a museum, cultural area, and center of commerce. It is referred to as "Old Town Albuquerque" or simply "Old Town." "Old Town" was sometimes referred to as "La Placita" ("little plaza" in Spanish).

The village was named by the provincial governor Don Francisco Cuervo y Valdes in honour of Don Francisco Fernández de la Cueva, viceroy of New Spain from 1653 to 1660. One of de la Cueva's aristocratic titles was Duke of Alburquerque, refering to the Spanish town of Alburqueque. The first "r" in "Alburquerque" was dropped at some point in the 19th century, supposedly by an Anglo-American railroad station-master unable to pronounce the city's name correctly. Some New Mexicans still prefer the spelling Alburquerque; see for example the book by that name by Rudolfo Anaya. In the 1990s, the Central Avenue Trolley Buses were emblazoned with the name Alburquerque (with two "r"s) in honor of the city's historic name.

During the Civil War Albuquerque was occupied in February 1862 by Confederate troops under General Henry Hopkins Sibley, who soon afterwards advanced with his main body into northern New Mexico. During his retreat from Union troops into Texas he made a stand on April 8, 1862 at Albuquerque. A day-long engagement at long range led to few casualties against a detachment of Union soldiers commanded by Colonel Edward R. S. Canby.

When the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad arrived in 1880, it bypassed the Plaza, locating the passenger depot and railyards about 2 miles (3 km) east in what quickly became known as New Albuquerque or New Town. To quell its then rising violent crime rate, gunman Milt Yarberry was appointed the towns first Marshal that same year. New Albuquerque was incorporated as a town in 1885, with Henry N. Jaffa its first mayor, and incorporated as a city in 1891.[7]:232–233 Old Town remained a separate community until the 1920s when it was absorbed by the City of Albuquerque. Albuquerque High School, the city's first public high school, was established in 1879.

Albuquerque Early 20th century
 
Depiction of Central Avenue, circa early 20th centuryNew Albuquerque quickly became a tidy southwestern town which by 1900 boasted a population of 8,000 inhabitants and all the modern amenities including an electric street railway connecting Old Town, New Town, and the recently established UNM campus on the East Mesa. In 1902 the famous Alvarado Hotel was built adjacent to the new passenger depot and remained a symbol of the city until it was torn down in 1970 to make room for a parking lot. In 2002, the Alvarado Transportation Center was built on the site in a manner resembling the old landmark. The large metro station functions as the downtown headquarters for the city's transit department, and serves as an intermodal hub for local buses, Greyhound buses, Amtrak passenger trains, and the Rail Runner commuter rail line.

New Mexico's dry climate brought many tuberculosis patients to the city in search of a cure during the early 1900s, and several sanitaria sprang up on the West Mesa to serve them. Presbyterian Hospital and St. Joseph Hospital, two of the largest hospitals in the Southwest, had their beginnings during this period. Influential New Deal-era governor Clyde Tingley and famed southwestern architect John Gaw Meem were among those brought to New Mexico by tuberculosis.

Decades of growth
On June of 2007 Albuquerque was listed as the 6th fastest growing city in America by CNN and the US Census Bureau.

The first travelers on Route 66 appeared in Albuquerque in 1926, and before long dozens of motels, restaurants, and gift shops had sprung up along the roadside to serve them. Route 66 originally ran through the city on a north-south alignment along Fourth Street, but in 1937 it was realigned along Central Avenue, a more direct east-west route. The intersection of Fourth and Central downtown was the principal crossroads of the city for decades. The majority of the surviving structures from the Route 66 era are on Central, though there are also some on Fourth. Signs between Bernalillo and Los Lunas along the old route now have brown, historical highway markers denoting it as Pre-1937 Route 66.

The establishment of Kirtland Air Force Base in 1939, Sandia Base in the early 1940s, and Sandia National Laboratories in 1949, would make Albuquerque a key player of the Atomic Age. Meanwhile, the city continued to expand outward onto the West Mesa, reaching a population of 201,189 by 1960. In 1990 it was 384,736 and in 2007 it was 523,590.

Albuquerque's downtown entered the same phase and development (decline, "urban renewal" with continued decline, and gentrification) as nearly every city across the United States. As Albuquerque spread outward, the downtown area fell into a decline. Many historic buildings were razed in the 1960s and 1970s to make way for new plazas, high-rises, and parking lots as part of the city's urban renewal phase. Only recently has downtown come to regain much of its urban character, mainly through the construction of many new loft apartment buildings and the renovation of historic structures like the KiMo Theater, in the gentrification phase.

Albuquerque and the surrounding mountainous terrain is a paradise for hikers and bikers. Varying levels of trails crisscross the Sandia and Manzano Mountains for Albuquerque hiking or mountain biking. Not into heights? Venture out on the interconnected trail system throughout the city. The Paseo del Bosque Bike Trail is an easily accessible 15-mile route enjoyed by walkers, runners, cyclists, inline skaters and even horseback riders. Walkers and hikers can also take a historic hike through Petroglyph National Monument on the west side of the city.  Camping in Albuquerque is another possibility.

Road cyclists take advantage of bike lanes throughout Albuquerque as well as miles of open road surrounding the city. Challenging elevation changes plus dramatic scenic vistas with flats and hills make New Mexico a haven for cycling. Runners - including several Olympic distance runners - also take advantage of the benefits of altitude training in Albuquerque.

With sunny weather all year 'round, outdoor enthusiasts enjoy their favorite activities during all four seasons in Albuquerque. During winter months, Sandia Peak offers skiing and snowboarding just minutes from the city. And don’t forget year-round golf. Golfers love the variation among Albuquerque’s 14 area golf courses that appeal to every skill level. Their favorite part is the value of the green fees at top-rated courses.

Whatever you do, be sure to stay well-hydrated. The mild temperatures can be deceiving and the high elevation may take its toll on unsuspecting adventurers.

www.wikipedia.com
www.cabq.gov
www.itsatrip.org
Albuquerque Convention & Visitors Bureau

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