Albuquerque, << AL buh `kur` kee >> (pop. 564,559; met. area pop. 916,528), is the largest city in New Mexico. It serves as a financial, industrial, trade, and transportation center of the Southwest. The city is also a leading center for energy, space, and defense research. Albuquerque’s heritage of both Pueblo Indian and Spanish cultures gives the city a special atmosphere.
Description.
Albuquerque, the county seat of Bernalillo County, covers 189 square miles (489 square kilometers). The Albuquerque skyline includes a number of skyscrapers, but many low, flat-roofed, adobe houses help the city keep its Indian character. One of the city’s landmarks, the Roman Catholic Church of San Felipe de Neri, served as a fortress that protected the early settlers during Indian raids. East of the city, the Sandia Mountains provide ski slopes, an aerial tram, and other recreational facilities. Albuquerque is the home of the University of New Mexico.
Federal nuclear weapon research and defense-related research rank as the chief industries in Albuquerque. Nearby Kirtland Air Force Base is a defense and energy research center. Sandia National Laboratories, on the Kirtland base, conducts energy research and development programs. Tourism is the city’s most profitable nongovernment industry. Clothing and electronics factories, food-processing plants, and health care facilities employ many Albuquerqueans.
Government and history.
Albuquerque has a mayor-council form of government. The voters elect a mayor and nine councilors to four-year terms.
Francisco Cuervo y Valdés, the governor of the Spanish province of New Mexico, founded Albuquerque in 1706. The community was named for the Duke of Alburquerque, a Spanish nobleman. The town became part of the United States as a result of the Mexican War (1846-1848). Albuquerque was incorporated as a city in 1891. It had about 3,785 people and served as a trading center for sheep ranchers.
After World War II ended in 1945, an increase in military spending created thousands of jobs in the nuclear research centers in and near Albuquerque. The city’s population more than doubled from 1950 to 1960, rising from 96,815 to 201,189. An urban renewal program in the mid-1970’s included a new convention center and a public library. In the late 1900’s, the city completed expansions of the convention center and the airport, called Albuquerque International Sunport.
