We are visiting Albuquerque, New Mexico this weekend. While we’ve been to the city several times before, we haven’t really gotten to know the city. In anticipation of our upcoming visit, I did a little research.
Here are 18 Fun Facts About Albuquerque, New Mexico
1. Albuquerque is the only word in the English language that repeats the letter sequence “que” twice.
2. Albuquerque was founded in 1706, when Spain established a military presidio as the Spanish colonial outpost of Ranchos de Albuquerque.
3. Albuquerque was the sheep-herding center of the West.
4. Albuquerque was built following the traditional Spanish village pattern with a central plaza surrounded by government buildings, homes, and a church. This central plaza area dating to 1706 exists today and is known as “Old Town.”
5. The Rio Grande River flows through Albuquerque, north to south, bisecting the city just west of “Old Town.”
6. The Sandia Mountains that run along the eastern edge of Albuquerque are the first mountains west of the Mississippi River. “Sandia” is Spanish for “watermelon;” the mountains often give off a reddish glow of color at sunset.
7. With an elevation of 5,312 feet, Albuquerque is considered by some as the highest elevation metropolitan city in the United States. Others sources say that Albuquerque, along with Denver, is one of the U.S.’s highest elevated major metropolitan areas. Elevation in Albuquerque ranges from 4,900-6,700 ft., while elevation in Denver ranges from 5,130 – 5,690 ft.
8. The 10,378 foot-high Sandia Crest, high point of the Sandia Mountains east of Albuquerque, offers a panoramic view of more than 11,000 square miles.
9. A 2.7-mile aerial tramway located five miles northeast of Albuquerque whisks visitors to the top of 10,378 foot Sandia Peak in about twenty minutes. It is the longest tram in North America, and has the third longest span in the world.
10. Albuquerque is home to the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History.
11. Albuquerque is the home town of actress Ethel Mertz, famous for her role in “I Love Lucy.”
12. Since the local soil makes it tough to support high-rise buildings, Albuquerque’s tallest building is only 351 feet high with 22 stories.
13. Albuquerque is the Hot Air Balloon Capital of the world, and hosts an annual international competition.
14. While Microsoft is mainly associated with the Greater Seattle area, Bill Gates and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen started the company in Albuquerque, where it was located between 1975 and 1979.
15. Albuquerque is equidistant from Los Angeles to Kansas City, from Phoenix to Denver, and from Salt Lake City to Dallas.
16. The Albuquerque Isotopes, a minor league baseball team, got their mascot name from an episode of the “Simpsons” where Springfield’s minor league baseball team plans to move to Albuquerque
17. New Mexico was one of the first states to offer tax breaks for movie and film production. The “Breaking Bad” television series was filmed in Albuquerque, and you can take a location tour.
18. The first-ever Bitcoin machine debuted in a cigar shop called Imbibe in Albuquerque.
What fun fact can you add about Albuquerque? Please share in comments below.
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