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About Albuquerque
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. 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 448,607 as of the 2000 census. In 2005, the city had an estimated population of 494,236. The metropolitan area has a population of roughly 712,738 and includes the city of Rio Rancho, one of the fastest growing cities in the United States.
ABQ (the code for the city's airport and also a colloquialism for the city) is located where the Interstate highways I-40 and I-25 meet in an interchange which locals refer to as the "Big I."
Albuquerque is home to the University of New Mexico (UNM) and Kirtland Air Force Base as well as 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's climate is usually sunny and dry, averaging no more than 10-12 inches (250 to 300 mm) of precipitation per year. With more than 300 days of sunshine annually, Albuquerque is considered as having one of the best climates in North America.
The city has hosted the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta every October since 1972.
Recently, government leaders and many citizens in the city have actively pursued urban projects taken on by cities many times larger. A huge push has resulted in the amazingly successful revitalization of downtown, creating restaurants, offices, and residential lofts. The strip of Central Avenue between First and Eighth streets has become a bustling, exciting, hub of urban life, with a big-city feel to match its population. Alvarado provides convenient access to other parts of the city. Now, the mayor wants to tackle a rapid transit project to ease some of the city's traffic woes. Light rail is being considered and would initially extend up the Central Avenue corridor from the westside, through downtown, past UNM and the Nob Hill district, and into the Uptown Area. The system would later be expanded to cover Rio Rancho and the Northeast. Construction is expected to start very soon, and will become one of the best systems in Western America.
Some citizens and city councilors, especially from the semi-rural pockets in the city, fear Albuquerque may be "growing up too quickly." Their idea is to keep Albuquerque small and sleepy, avoiding increasing crime and traffic, worsening air quality, and encroachment of the fragile bosque. For instance, 1995's controversial construction of the Montaño Bridge crossing at the Rio Grande resulted in the corridor only being striped for two lanes. Recognizing the need for all four lanes of travel originally intended, the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce passed a board position in 2003 supporting the opening of two additional lanes. They claim this measure is necessary to ease West Side traffic woes. These lanes were eventually opened in March 2006, but only under the outcry of local residents. However, the vast majority of Albuquerque residents support the four lanes, as well as the initial construction of the bridge in 1995.
Elsewhere, a sort of middle ground has been struck with the passage of the West Side Strategic Plan, which provides strict rules concerning building permits for the extreme western fringes of the city. This act is to encourage in-filling developments and discourage the fleeing of wealthy residents to outlying suburban areas. In fact, Albuquerque has always made efficient use of land. Urban sprawl is roughly bound by the Pueblo of Sandia to the north, the Pueblo of Isleta and Kirtland Air Force Base to the south, the Sandia Mountains to the east and Petroglyph National Monument to the west, making sense to reuse land within the city. For instance, a gas station along Eubank Boulevard that closed in 2001 was replaced by a strip mall in a matter of months.
Partly because of the aforementioned geographical and legislative constraints, much of the growth in the metropolitan area is taking place outside of the City of Albuquerque itself. In Rio Rancho to the northwest, the communities east of the mountains, and the incorporated parts of Valencia County population growth is upwards of twice that of the city. The primary cities in Valencia County are Los Lunas and Belen, both of which are home to booming industrial complexes and new residential subdivisions. Rapid growth in the area is a very real thing. The Mid Region Council of Governments (MRCOG), which includes constituents from throughout the Albuquerque area, was formed to insure that these governments along the middle Rio Grande would be able to meet the needs of their rapidly rising populations. MRGOC's cornerstone project is the New Mexico Rail Runner Express, a commuter rail line that serves the region. Phase I, which runs on existing BNSF Railway tracks between Belen and Bernalillo, is set to begin operation in July, 2006, with stops at the urban centers along the way.
In the summer of 2005, ACORN community groups placed a minimum wage initiative on the October 4th ballot. The initiative would have created a city wide minimum wage of $7.50. The measure was defeated by less than one percent. In April of 2006, the Albuquerque City Council and Mayor Martin Chavez worked together to enact a minimum wage ordinance. Under this ordinance, the minimum wage will increase to $6.75 on January 1, 2007 and will eventually be raised to $7.50 by 2009.
Source: Wikipedia
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