Albuquerque Travel Guide
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About Albuquerque
Albuquerque is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Founded in 1706 as La Villa de Alburquerque by Santa Fe de Nuevo México governor Francisco Cuervo y Valdés, and named in honor of Francisco Fernández de la Cueva, 10th Duke of Alburquerque and Viceroy of New Spain, it was an outpost on El Camino Real, linking Mexico City to the northernmost territories of New Spain. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County. Located in the Albuquerque Basin, the city is flanked by the Sandia Mountains to the east and the West Mesa to the west, with the Rio Grande and its bosque flowing north-to-south through the middle. According to the 2020 census, Albuquerque had 564,559 residents, making it the 32nd most populous city in the U.S. and the fourth largest in the Southwest. The Albuquerque metropolitan area had 955,000 residents in 2023, and forms part of the Albuquerque–Santa Fe–Los Alamos combined statistical area, which had a population of 1,162,523. Albuquerque is a hub for technology, fine arts, and mass media. It hosts New Mexico's primary international airport, Albuquerque International Sunport, and the state's flagship and largest university, the University of New Mexico. The U.S. federal government has a strong presence through Sandia National Laboratories, one of three laboratories of the National Nuclear Security Administration, and Kirtland Air Force Base, the largest installation in the Air Force Global Strike Command. Nicknamed ABQ, Burque, and Duke City, Albuquerque is home to several historic landmarks, including over 160 sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Albuquerque fun facts
- Albuquerque sits at the highest elevation of any major U.S. city at 5,312 feet above sea level.
- The city's name comes from the Spanish word for 'white oak' - Alburquerque (the first 'r' was dropped by an English-speaking station agent in the 1800s).
- The International Balloon Fiesta is the world's largest hot air balloon festival, with over 500 balloons launching simultaneously during mass ascensions.
- The Sandia Mountains turn brilliant watermelon pink at sunset due to the minerals in the rock reflecting the dying sunlight.