Living & Nursing in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Okay. Face it. It’s going to take a while to learn to spell it, but on the other hand, you’re going to fall in love with this place immediately! Albuquerque, Duke City, ABQ or just Q—call it what you will, this is one amazing city, a great place to live and a great place to practice!

Albuquerque is New Mexico’s largest city and the seat of Bernalillo County government. It’s located on the famed Rio Grande River in west-central New Mexico. Founded in 1706 as a Spanish colonial outpost, Albuquerque was named in honor of the Duke of Alburquerque the viceroy of New Spain from 1702 till 1710. No, I didn’t just misspell Albuquerque! There was originally another “r” in there that was dropped sometime during the 19th century. Was that to make it easier to spell? Didn’t work.
 
Once primarily a farming community and military outpost, the town was originally built in the traditional Spanish village style with a central plaza surrounded by government buildings, homes and a church. Preserved and referred to as “Old Town” the plaza is now 5 museums, a cultural area and serves as a center for commerce. While becoming a thriving big city Albuquerque has not forgotten its past and has preserved it for future generations, allowing them a glimpse of the simpler times it once offered. 
When the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railroad bypassed the original plaza “New Town” was established two miles away with the depot and rail yards. Eventually the two towns became one in an early case of “urban sprawl”.

Route 66 appeared in 1926, running through the city and introducing a whole new generation of cross-country travelers to the wonders of the city. It quickly became a favored stop of those travelers and remains so today for those following the famous old route from Chicago to California. The “Mother Road” is still alive in sections across the country and in Albuquerque.
 
Today Albuquerque is divided into quadrants. All Albuquerque addresses incorporate an abbreviation for the appropriate quadrant-northeast, southeast, northwest or southwest. The northeast quadrant snuggles up to the base of the beautiful Sandia (Spanish for Watermelon-no, really!) Mountains and has been home to housing growth since the 1950’s. Some of the most affluent areas of the city can be found here along with the University of New Mexico, the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology and the “Uptown” area that contains malls, parks and schools. By population and geography this is the largest of the quadrants of the city.

The northwest quadrant contains the historic “Old Town” and the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. It is a mixture of commercial, low-income, middle-income and some of the city’s most expensive homes. It includes the largest portion of downtown, the Rio Grande Nature Center State Park and through both the Northwest and the Southwest, the Bosque (“woodlands” Cottonwood forest), the Petroglyph National Monument, the Double Eagle II airport, Cottonwood Mall, Martineztown and the “North Valley” area with its small ranches and expensive homes along the Rio Grande. The area west of the Rio Grande is referred to as “West Mesa” and is primarily residential subdivisions.

The Southeast quadrant is home to Kirtland Air Force Base, Sandia National Laboratories, the Central New Mexico Community College main campus, Albuquerque International Sunport, University Stadium, Isotopes Park, and “The Pit” (University Arena). It’s also where you will find trendy Nob Hill straddling Central Avenue in the northernmost section of the quad. Expensive developments Four Hills and Ridgecrest are found here as well as some of the cities most poverty-stricken neighborhoods.
 
The southwest, known as the “South Valley” is mainly agricultural and rural areas. Although parts are outside the limits of the city, the South Valley extends to the Isleta Indian Reservation. It encompasses several smaller communities such as Kinney, Mountainview, Padillas and Pajarito. It also includes the south end of downtown, the Rio Grande Zoo and Tingley Beach. The quadrant is currently undergoing rapid growth as new retail stores and subdivisions are being built.
 
Albuquerque has undergone a complete revitalization of downtown. New restaurants, offices and residential lofts have been created. A rapid transit project is being put into use to ease the traffic congestion the growth has brought to the city. The New Mexico Rail Runner Express serves parts of the Metro area and extends to the North and South.
 
Albuquerque is an eminently “livable” city. With a population of around a half million the city is noted as a center for health and medical services in the region. That’s great news for you and your nursing practice. Government agencies, nuclear research, banking and tourism are all important parts of the local economy. It also hosts a growing high-tech center. Home to the University of New Mexico it also boasts the Albuquerque Biological Park, the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, the National Museum of Nuclear History and Science and the Sandia Mountain Wilderness not to mention almost 200 city parks. With average daily temperatures of 47 degrees F in January and 92 degrees F in July the weather is generally perfect to get out and enjoy all the city has to offer.

The city is home to a symphony orchestra, contemporary and classic theatre companies, choral, and opera companies. It has more than 20 unique museums focused on everything from Indian and Hispanic culture to turquoise, rattlesnakes, hot air ballooning to atomic bombs and atomic energy! If you can’t find something at least mildly interesting you’re just not looking!

Voted one of the top 25 arts destinations by American Style magazine Albuquerque offers over 100 galleries and studios hosting an excellent variety of styles and expressions. Artists who have tired of Taos and Santa Fe have found inspiration in Albuquerque. It’s also a haven for bird watchers, hot air balloonists and tourists who find the surroundings just beyond beautiful. Play a round of golf at any of the beautiful courses then take the Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway to the mountaintops for snow skiing, hiking and fantastic scenery. Whatever you want to do you can find it in Albuquerque.

Here are a few of this amazing cities latest accolades; Among America’s Most Walkable Neighborhoods in the Top 40 U.S. Cities, the Paseo Del Bosque Trail Ranked No. 1 for Top 10 City Bike Rides, 2008 Best Modern Golf Courses (2 courses in the top 100) named among Hollywood’s Favorite Cities, Top Ten Movie Cities of 2008, 3rd Fittest City in the U.S., 5th place ranking in the Best Places to Build Wealth, one of the Top Ten Places in the U.S. to Live, One of the 100 Best Communities for Young People. Forbes magazine rated Albuquerque the Best City in America for Business and Careers in 2006 and it was rated 13th best in 2008.
 
This is just a brief sampling of why you should consider Albuquerque as your new home. Do a little more research for yourself but you’re going to love it here—and, don’t worry- you will learn how to spell it. It just takes a while!

Photos and information for this article courtesy of the Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau.