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Where It Is
Located in the geographical center of New Mexico and nestled between the Sandia Mountains and the Rio Grande River, Albuquerque is the financial and industrial hub of the state. The Rio Grande Research Corridor, a 300-mile long high-tech corridor between Los Alamos and White Sands Missile Range, includes the Albuquerque Metropolitan Area.

History
Albuquerque, named for the Duke of Alburquerque, was founded in 1706 by a few Spanish families who built a small chapel and adobe homes around a plaza close to the Rio Grande. The city's historic heart is the Old Town Plaza, where shops of local and imported crafts, galleries and restaurants surround the plaza.

What is Here
The city serves as the state's center for commerce, finance, communications, transportation and medical facilities. Albuquerque's diverse economic base includes education (University of New Mexico), government (Kirtland Air Force Base), and research and development (Sandia Laboratories).

Business
Albuquerque has a pro-business climate: the city offers a dozen sophisticated industrial parks; an international airport with a port of entry from any country in the world; airline, rail and motor freight. Two major interstates provide direct connections in all directions, especially to West Coast and Mexican markets. The city also boasts a diverse, skilled labor force.

Parts of the City
The city is divided into four quadrants: NE, NW, SW, and SE. Each area offers its own unique qualities.

• The Northeast section contains many large residential areas. A diversity of housing can be found in the NE Heights ranging from large, custom homes to tract neighborhoods, to smaller, older communities. Homes for almost every taste and lifestyle can probably be located in this area. Also found here are many of the city's large shopping areas, businesses, and entertainment centers.
   
• The Northwest section has two main areas: the North Valley and the West Mesa (or West Side). The Valley includes a unique mix of Albuquerque's exclusive housing communities, farms, and some of the city's oldest communities, all close to the banks of the Rio Grande River. Albuquerque's Old Town is in this area of town. The West side is the city's fastest growing area. Residential housing has increased dramatically in the past few years causing a huge increase in business growth as well.
   
• The Southwest section also runs along the Rio Grande and includes many farms. This area is a diverse blend of old and new, large and small. Several commercial and industrial parks are also found here.
   
• The Southeast section includes Kirtland Air Force Base and Sandia National Laboratories, two of the city's largest employers. Residential areas range from older exclusive neighborhoods to middle and lower cost housing.

Facts About the Area

• Albuquerque's elevation of 5,300 feet makes it the highest metropolitan city in America
   
• Albuquerque is equidistant from Los Angeles to Kansas City, from New Orleans to San Francisco, from Phoenix to Denver, from Salt Lake City to Dallas
   
• U.S. News and World Report (April 11, 1994) chose Albuquerque as one of "America's New Boomtowns"
   
• Entrepreneur Magazine (October, 1993) rated Albuquerque as one of the top 20 U.S. business locations
   
• Trend Letter, published by Megatrends author John Naisbitt, identified Albuquerque as one of the ten cities at the cutting edge of growth over the next ten years
   
• Newsweek chose Albuquerque as one of the ten "hot spots" in the U.S.
   
• According to the 1990 Census, Albuquerque is the 38th largest city in the United States; Albuquerque's average citizen is about 30 years old
   
• Seventeen Albuquerque public schools have been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education's Effective School Recognition Program as centers of excellence - more schools than any other district in the U.S.
   
• Kirtland Air Force Base, the 6th largest Air Force installation in the United States, is located in Albuquerque
   
• America's first Astronauts were determined to have the "right stuff" by physical tests administered at Albuquerque's renowned Lovelace Medical Center

Some of Albuquerque's scientific "firsts" include:

• the original personal computer
• first radioactive isotope to identify cancerous tumors
• first implantable insulin pump for the management and control of diabetes
• first laminar-flow "clean room"

Environment
Temperatures in Albuquerque are those characteristic of high altitude, dry, continental climates. The average daily range of temperature is considerable but extremes are infrequent. Over a period of 43 years, only 13 brought temperatures over 100 degrees and only eight of the years have seen readings below zero degrees.