|
Geography |
|
Albuquerque is located at 35°6'39" North, 106°36'36" West (35.110703,
-106.609991)1. |
| According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has
a total area of 469.5 km˛ (181.3 mi˛). 467.9 km˛ (180.6 mi˛)
of it is land and 1.7 km˛ (0.6 mi˛) of it is water. The total
area is 0.35% water. |
Distances
- Dallas: 645 miles (1038 km) from DAL, northwest
- Denver: 445 miles (716 km) from DEN, south-southwest
- Phoenix, Arizona: 465 miles (748 km) from PHX, east northeast
- Salt Lake City: 620 miles (998 km) from SLC, southeast
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| Terrain |
| The Sandia Mountains which include Sandia Peak are situated
to the East of the city. The Sandia Peak Tramway runs from the
base of the mountain to the peak, and is the longest aerial
tramway in the world. |
| "Sandia" comes from theSpanish for "watermelon". |
| The name is a reference to the mountain's reddish color during
sunsets.The Rio Grande (Spanish for "great river") flows North
to South through the city and supports a title="Riparian forest"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riparian_forest">riparian
forest habitat called a "bosque. |
| Interestingly enough, Albuquerque has one of the highest
altitudes of any major city in the United States. The elevation
of the city ranges from 4900 feet (1490 m) above sea level near
the Rio Grande (in the Valley) to 6500 feet (1980 m) in the
Northeast Heights. At the airport, the elevation is 5352 feet
(1631 m) above sea level. |
| Quadrants |
| Albuquerque is geographically divided into four quadrants
which are officially part of the mailing address. They are NE
(Northeast), NW (Northwest), SE (Southeast), and
SW (Southwest). The North-South dividing line is Central
Avenue (the path that Route 66 took
through the city) and the East-West dividing line is the Burlington Northern
Santa Fe railroad tracks. |
| Northeast quadrant |
| This is an area which has been experiencing a housing expansion.
It abuts the base of the Sandia Mountains and contains portions
of the Sandia Heights neighborhoods, which are situated in or
near the foothills and are significantly higher than the rest
of the city. The University of New Mexico and some of the most
affluent regions of the city are located here. |
| Northwest quadrant |
| This quadrant contains Albuquerque's Spanish "Old Town" as
well as the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. Additionally, the
"North Valley" area, which consists of ranches and expensive
residential homes along the Rio Grande River, is located in
this quadrant. The area on the West side of the Rio Grande River
is known as the "West Mesa" and consists primarily of traditional
residential subdivisions. |
| Southeast quadrant |
| Kirtland Air Force Base, Sandia National Laboratories, the
Albuquerque Technical Vocational Institute main campus, and
the Albuquerque International Sunport are located in the Southeast
quadrant. Several expensive residential developments are located
in this quadrant. |
| In sharp contrast to the expensive developments, some of the
most poverty-striken neighborhoods are also located in Southeast
Albuquerque. These neighborhoods are sometimes referred to as
the "war zone". |
| Southwest quadrant |
| Primarily consisting of agricultural and rural areas, the
Southwest quadrant is often referred to as the "South Valley".
Downtown Albuquerque and the National Hispanic Cultural Center
are also located here. |
| The southwest area is currently undergoing rapid development.
Open range-land is being replaced by cookie-cutter subdivisions
and big box stores. In 2004, Wal-Mart began
construction of a new super center on the site of a former dairy
farm. |
