I love Albuquerque, it’s where the Q is and where the heart is. Albuquerque is a city in the state of New Mexico, it has the most people living there and is ranked the 32nd-most populous city in the United States according to census data. The city has two nicknames, The Duke City and Burque. The population is estimated to be around 560,218 in 2018 not including surrounding towns or cities.

The Sandia Mountains are a major landmark for the city and run along the eastern side of Albuquerque. The Rio Grande flows north to south through the center of the city while the West Mesa makes up the western part of the city. Albuquerque is one of the highest elevation cities in America.

Albuquerque is home to the Kirkland Airforce Base, Sandia National Laboratories, Lovelace Hospital, Presbyterian Health Services, and both the University of New Mexico and Central New Mexico Community Colleges. There are a lot of places to shop like the ABQ Uptown, Nob Hill, Winrock and Coronado or Cottonwood mall. 

The city hosts the International Balloon Fiesta, the world’s largest gathering of hot-air balloons and the event takes place every October at the City’s Balloon Fiesta Park. The Expo New Mexico is where annual events like the Gathering of Nations and the New Mexico State Fair takes place. Other popular places to visit are the National Hispanic Cultural Center, the University of New Mexico’s Popejoy Hall, Santa Ana Star Center, and Isleta Amphitheater. A nice place to see as well is the Old Town Albuquerque Plaza Hotel and San Felipe de Neri Church.  Also, near Old Town is the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History, Explora, and Albuquerque’s Biological Park (aka the Zoo). Located in the Downtown area are historic theaters like the KiMo Theater and Albuquerque Convention Center with its Kiva Auditorium.

Albuquerque’s diverse restaurant scene includes the state’s distinct New Mexican cuisine, crops like New Mexico chile grow along the Rio Grande river, the red or green chile pepper is a staple of the State and very well known by many. Hatch Valley is well known for its New Mexico chile peppers with many New Mexicans buying boxes of the peppers annually.

Albuquerque was founded in 1706 as a Spanish colonial outpost called Villa de Albuquerque and officially joined the U.S. as a state in 1923. If you love Albuquerque as much as I do click the link below and show the world how much this city means to you. Remember to love Albuquerque, its where the Q is and where the heart is.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ABQ1Designs?ref=seller-platform-mcnav