Albuquerque, New Mexico

The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. ~St. Augustine

Albuquerque, New Mexico - Our Destination (Page Three)

According to the United States Census Bureau, Albuquerque has a total area of 181.3 square miles (469.6 km²). 180.6 square miles (467.8 km²) of it is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²) of it (0.35%) is water. The metro area has over 100 square miles developed.

Albuquerque lies within the northern, upper edges of the Chihuahuan Desert ecoregion, based on long-term patterns of climate, associations of plants and wildlife, and landforms, including drainage patterns. Located in central New Mexico, the city also has noticeable influences from the adjacent Colorado Plateau Semi-Desert, Arizona-New Mexico Mountains, and Southwest Plateaus and Plains Steppe ecoregions, depending on where one is located. Its main geographic connection lies with southern New Mexico, while culturally, Albuquerque is a crossroads of most of New Mexico.

Albuquerque has one of the highest elevations of any major city in the United States, though the effects of this are greatly tempered by its southwesterly continental position. The elevation of the city ranges from 4,900 feet (1,490 m) above sea level near the Rio Grande (in the Valley) to over 6,700 feet (1,950 m) in the foothill areas of Sandia Heights and Glenwood Hills. At the airport, the elevation is 5,352 feet (1,631 m) above sea level.

The Weather In Albuquerque

Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Avg high °F 48 55 62 71 80 90 92 89 82 71 57 48
Avg high °C 9 13 17 22 27 32 33 32 28 22 14 9
Avg low °F 24 28 34 41 50 59 65 63 56 44 32 24
Avg low °C -4 -2 1 5 10 15 18 17 13 7 0 -4
Rainfall inches .49 .44 .61 .50 .60 .65 1.27 1.73 1.07 1.00 .62 .49
Rainfall mm 12.4 11.2 15.5 12.7 15.2 16.5 32.3 43.9 27.2 25.4 15.7 12.4

A View From Above

Albuquerque arial
It's like a real city!

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 U.S. census. As of the 2007 census estimate, the city's population was 523,590, with a metropolitan population of 841,133 as of July 1, 2007. In 2007, Albuquerque ranked as the 32nd-largest city as well as the 2nd fastest growing city in the country. Albuquerque has the 59th-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. The Albuquerque MSA population includes the city of Rio Rancho, one of the fastest growing cities in the United States, a hub for many master-planned communities which are expected to draw future businesses and residents to the area.

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.


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