Albuquerque, New Mexico Relocation Guide
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Population: 504,949 Located in Bernalillo County
The largest city in New Mexico, Albuquerque boasts a unique multicultural heritage and history where Native American, Hispanic & Latino, Anglo and other cultural influences are a part of everyday life. 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. During the 21st century, the Albuquerque population has continued to grow rapidly, the city proper and metro area population have both increased 13 percent from 2000 to 2006, and this trend is expected to continue. Rated two consecutive years by Forbes¹ Magazine as the #1 and #7 city (respectively) in America to do business in, and #2 in the 2008 MovieMaker Magazine as ³Best City to Live, Work and Make Movies In,² Albuquerque beat out hot spots like Miami, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. New Mexico's flourishing film industry has exploded over the last four years, with a banner year for film production in 2006, most notably in Albuquerque, serving more productions and training more crew than ever before. The membership of the New Mexico Union of Theatrical and Stage Employees increased from 65 to more than 900 in the past few years. One of the primary benefits of Albuquerque¹s thriving film industry is that it provides high-paying jobs for locals. In 2005, (the latest available data), statewide average annual wages in the film production industry were $41,226 versus $32,876 annual wage for all industries. Forbes¹ Magazine also rated Albuquerque as the # 8 ³Best City for Jobs in 2007.² The film industry has been perhaps the biggest catalyst to the Albuquerque economy throughout the past five years. During that time span, over $400 million has been spent in the local economy by the film industry. In the same period, Albuquerque Studios, the largest privately owned sound studio in North America was built here. To understand how vibrant the film industry is in Albuquerque, consider just a few of the feature films and television series that have been partially or completely filmed in here: Terminator Salvation; No Country for Old Men;Wild Hogs; In The Valley of Elah; Swing Vote; Book of Eli; Transformers; First Snow; Hamlet 2 Breaking Bad; In Plain Sight; and Crash: Season One. Sony Imageworks resides here as well. Additionally, Central New Mexico Community College has begun designing programs to train below the line crew, and University of New Mexico is developing an interdisciplinary digital media/arts program to support the burgeoning industry. It goes without saying that a city committed to keeping the movie and entertainment industry happy, the options for shopping and dining here abound. The many unique shops and galleries offer Native American quality jewelry, pottery and countless other fabulous finds, including contemporary boutiques Historic Old Town has more than 150 shops, galleries and restaurants, a charming 300-year-old plaza with beautiful 18th century architecture, narrow brick paths and picturesque patios. Albuquerque is also the birthplace to Gridwise, which will revolutionize the way power is distributed. The organization's goal is to modernize the nation's electric system by weaving together the most productive elements of the city¹s traditional infrastructure with new technologies. In the past year, Albuquerque was selected as the location for Schott Solar¹s newest manufacturing plant in North America. The company will ultimately invest $500 million in equipment and construction of a 200,000 sq. ft. facility, while ultimately creating over 1,200 high-wage jobs in the community. Schott joins EMCORE, Advent Solar, UniRac and Sterling Energy in a group of Albuquerque companies committed to researching, developing and delivering advanced solar power to the city and nation. In aerospace, AeroParts Manufacturing, Aspen Avionics, GE Aircraft Engines, Sun Country Industries, Aero Mechanical Industries, Devore Aviation, Vibrant Corp and the expansion of Double Eagle II Airport represent the new and growing industry in the metro area. The city¹s General Mills facility recently committed to a $100 million dollar expansion for their 176,000-square foot expansion, which will create 60 new jobs with average salary of $42,000 with 90 percent being local hires. Fidelity Investments opened their 217,000 sq. foot facility in the beginning of the year. The company currently employs 300 and will expand to full employment of 1,500. Albuqueque¹s Kirtland Air Force Base broke ground on 145,000 square foot, $53.5 million Battlespace Environment Laboratory in January. The Battlespace Environment Division will have an annual budget of $89 million and employ 175. Most residents are attracted to Albuquerque's sunny and dry climate. Brilliant sunshine defines the region, averaging more than 300 days a year; periods of variably mid and high-level cloudiness temper the sun at other times. The city has four distinct seasons, but the heat and cold are mild compared to the extremes that occur more commonly in other parts of the country. For the last few years Albuquerque has been in the top five ³fittest cities in America,² and this year is no different. In fact, Men¹s Fitness Magazine ranked the city at #3 for year-round sunny climate and close proximity to the city¹s 361 municipal parks. Studies show that there is a connection between access to parks and green space and reduced obesity rates. Furthermore, basketball courts are practically everywhere here, among the highest number per capita. There's a court here for every 4,353 residents; the national average is one court per 7,260 people. Plus, there are 46 percent more tennis courts per capita here than average among cities in the magazine¹s survey. When it comes to fitness, this city means business. Albuquerque and the Albuquerque Alliance for Active Living hope to improve community health through increased daily activity. WALK Albuquerque is dedicated to creating and preserving safe, attractive, and accessible walking environments throughout the Albuquerque area through programs like the Albuquerque Neighborhood Walking Tour Series. Pedestrian advocates, neighborhood residents, and planning and design professionals collaborated on this series of neighborhood walking guides. These walks highlight the architecture, art, history, gardens, hidden gems, and quirky details of Albuquerque neighborhoods. The walking guide project is one of several initiated by WALK. You can even get a prescription for walking through Albuquerque¹s Prescription Trails Pilot Program for walking and wheelchair rolling and a walking guide that suggests routes in the community. With all this activity, it¹s no wonder National Geographic Adventure Magazine recently named Albuquerque as one of the best cities for outdoor adventure with nine softball fields, ten basketball courts, 31 tennis courts, 11 summer pools, six year-round pools, four golf courses, five skate parks, one shooting range park, one indoor track featuring a red and white Mondo track that is state-of-the-art with 6-36 200-meter lanes on the 60-degree banked oval, 8-42 60-meter straightaway lanes running the entire length of the infield which are also the surface for the high jump. This includes two jumping runway and pits, areas for shot put, weight throw, pole vault, and high jump events. This track is stored in a warehouse when not in use. The City also holds youth fishing clinics and group fishing events. With the sun shining about 90 percent of the year here, it¹s no wonder why a neat hobby such as model rocketry would be popular in Albuquerque. The city¹s outdoor recreation department has two 6-rocket launchers, each totally self-contained and easy to set up. The equipment is loaned on a first-come-first-served basis. There are also classes and seminars offered for parents, educators and enthusiasts on how to help kids build a rocket. Also, hobby shops sell "bulk" rocket kits to groups at great prices. The Sandia Mountains are the predominant geographic feature visible in Albuquerque. "Sandía" is Spanish for "watermelon", and is popularly believed to be a reference to the brilliant coloration of the mountains at sunset: bright pink and green. Other spectacular geographic sites include: the Sandia foothills, the "heights," the Rio Grande valley, and the "West Mesa." With all the wide, open space and majestic Sandia Mountains, time in Albuquerque would not be complete without experiencing the extreme adventure of "spelunking" with caving trips to El Malpais National Monument Caves, Braided Cave, and Diablo Cave. And of course, you can¹t go to the caves without learning about cliff-hanging! Experience a fun, cool and risky high adventure sport climbing 80 to 120 feet up a vertical cliff supported by a rope, a harness and your own skill. You can also learn to rappel those cliffs, too, and try your new skill out at the Sandia Foothills and Battleship Rock. If you¹re not quite ready to brave Albuquerque¹s ³watermelon rockies,² you can try your luck on both rappelling and climbing adventures on a 25-foot tall, portable rock-climbing wall, which can be set up anywhere to teach how to safely enjoy rock climbing. And if you¹re not really into the great outdoors, you can learn all about camping through the City¹s Wonderful Outdoor World (WOW) program for the new camper, which supplies equipment, a city park, food, and sleeping bags that the youth can take home. The new camper will set up camp, cook meals, enjoy a "camp fire", learn environmental skills through the Leave No Trace initiative, clean up, and experience the fun of sleeping under the stars. Campers check in at 1:30 p.m. the first day and stay through 2 p.m. the following day. Albuquerque residents and visitors alike enjoy many other outdoor activities for the whole family at the Open Space System, which is 78 acres on Albuquerque's West side and expands to Gutierrez Canyon, an additional 420 acres of open space. Here, you can enjoy movies in the parks, the Albuquerque Veloport / Bicycle Moto-Cross (BMX) Track, swimming lessongs, lifeguard courses, flag football, winter sports, tennis lessons, water exercise and water therapy classes that run year-round with open enrollment. Now, if all that¹s not reason enough for you to want to call Albuquerque ³home,² consider the fact that the median price for a single family home is $171,000 and is among the lowest in the southwestern U.S. Much of the housing in Albuquerque is new; however, established neighborhoods retain their desirability and southwestern charm. The Albuquerque metro area boasts a wide range of architectural styles. Pueblo and Territorial adobe are the dominant southwestern styles. Victorian and Ranch style homes, built with wood frame or brick, are also traditional in the area. Albuquerque is home to many unique designs from nationally-renowned architects who have incorporated environmentally sound materials into their design. Historical buildings have been redeveloped into modern urban lofts, work-live spaces and condos. There are eight regions is the area, from the Sandia Mountain foothills to the river valley of the Rio Grand all offering spectacular views from the bluffs to the city. The Albuquerque Public School System serves more than 87,000 students with 11 high schools, 10 alternative schools, 26 middle schools, and 83 elementary schools. The teacher-to-pupil ratio is relatively low: one to seven in high school; 1-15 in middle school; and 1-14.9 in the elementary schools. Albuquerque Institute for Mathematics and Science (AIMS) is a public charter high school located on the University of New Mexico campus. AIMS seeks a diverse student population and provides a rigorous academic curriculum that rivals the best programs in the country. AIMS student will enroll concurrently at the University of New Mexico during their junior year, and begin working on their college education while earning their high school diploma. Students enrolled in AIMS will have the opportunity to get tremendous exposure to the technologies used in digital media applications. The multi-disciplinary approach and extensive usage of digital media technologies used at this charter school will create an additional potential pool for above-the-line talent. Additionally, the two new high schools located on Albuquerque¹s West side will have a digital media component in their curriculum. They are the first general public high school in Albuquerque to incorporate digital media so prominently in their curriculum. As for safety and disaster-preparedness, Albuquerque¹s medical and emergency response is second to none with 911 calls answered within ten seconds and 99 percent of the calls coming through the City¹s 242-COPS call line answered within 30 seconds. There are many hospitals serving the Albuquerque community. Medical clinics, private physicians and other health care professionals are numerous and are growing rapidly. The Albuquerque metro area offers many retirement communities and nursing homes. |
