Weather and Climate | Cost of Living | Recreational Opportunities | Culture | Entertainment | Directory of Community Websites|

New Resident Location Profile

Albuquerque is well-known for its wonderful weather, scenery, recreational and cultural opportunities. Albuquerque was ranked the "Most Creative Mid-Size City" by Professor Richard Florida, author of the "Rise of the Creative Class".

Weather and Climate
Albuquerque is located on a semi-arid plateau at over 5,300 feet above sea level - making it the highest metropolitan city in the United States. Located along the Rio Grande River, the city is bounded by the Sandia Mountains to the east of the city. The highest peak of the Sandia Mountains is over 10,800 ft.

The risk of natural disasters is extremely low in Albuquerque. The last recorded tornado was over 25 years ago. Albuquerque is classified as a Zone 2B for earthquakes by the federal building code - which indicates a very moderate degree of risk. Floods are not considered a likely natural disaster because of the low amount of rainfall.

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Cost of Living
Albuquerque boasts of a great quality of life - at an affordable price. Albuquerque's composite score in the ACCRA Cost of Living Index hovers at just over the national average of 100.

Recreational Opportunities
If you like the outdoors - you will love Albuquerque. The mild climate and abundant running, biking, and hiking trails make Albuquerque a recreational hotbed. Over 80 miles of running and biking trails exist in the City of Albuquerque, and nearly all main thoroughfares have dedicated bike lanes. The City of Albuquerque has a list of recreational activities available.

Sports fans have both collegiate and professional athletics to enjoy. The University of New Mexico plays major college football, baseball, basketball, soccer, and fields over a total of 22 varsity teams. The Albuquerque Thunderbirds, part of the NBA Development League, is Albuquerque's newest sports team. The Albuquerque Isotopes, Albuquerque's Triple A baseball team, began entertaining fans in a new multi-million dollar stadium in April of 2003.

Family recreational opportunities are also abundant including, The Albuquerque Biological Park, which contains the Albuquerque Aquarium and the Rio Grande Botanical Garden. The City of Albuquerque also includes the LodeStar Planetarium, the first planetarium in the world to showcase high-definition video imagery covering a domed projection screen.

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Culture
The Albuquerque-Santa Fe region has become a nationally recognized cultural center, offering audiences everything from the world-class Santa Fe Opera to little theatre, to tribal historical museums, sites and art. Albuquerque has over 40 art galleries, and Santa Fe, although much smaller, has over 250.

Popejoy Presents is celebrated at Popejoy Hall on the University of New Mexico campus, and the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra is one of the nation's finest. Albuquerque's Opera Southwest features multiple diverse, quality performances each season.

Be sure to visit Old Town, a beautiful, charming and serene Historic Village within a modern city. Old Town Albuquerque is a must visit to a place where centuries of history and modern life merge to blend 18th century architecture with narrow brick paths, world famous artwork, the finest jewelry, delicious food and rare specialty shops offering the creative talents of Spanish, Native American and Anglo heritages.

A shopper's and photographer's dream, Old Town Albuquerque is full of enticing nooks and crannies where you will find quaint merchant shops in the true southwestern style all located within a ten minute walk from each other. (Old Town Map) For the romantic in you, horse drawn carriages can transport you back in time allowing you to imagine how life was in Old Town, 300 years ago.

Albuquerque's International Balloon Fiesta, is a major international event that attracts nearly 800,000 visitors over a two week period each October.

There are many museums to visit in Albuquerque such as the Albuquerque Museum, Casa San Ysidro, Explora Science Center & Children's Museum , the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center Museum and the New Mexico Museum of Natural History to name a few. Albuquerque is also home of the National Hispanic Cultural Center of New Mexico.

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Entertainment
Albuquerque attracts many popular and diverse entertainment acts to the area. Venues that have presented music, comedy and other forms of entertainment include the Journal Pavilion, Sandia Casino, Isleta Casino, and Santa Ana Casino. Each fall, the New Mexico State Fair (Expo New Mexico) also offers up many acts in conjunction with the rodeo during this annual event at Tingley Coliseum.

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