25+ More Things about ABQ (Albuquerque)

1. Remember Bugs Bunny often using this phrase? “I knew I should’ve taken that left turn at Albuquerque.”  

2.  At the time of this writing, there are over 40 breweries in the city!

                                                                                   

3.  The Spanish supposedly planted the first vineyards in the Americas in New Mexico.     

         

4.  The New Mexico flag is yellow and red.  The colors were taken from Spain’s flag.  The red symbol in the middle represents the sun used by the Zia tribe.

           

5.   Colorful murals on the walls of buildings are numerous in all parts of town.  Many big cities have a lot of murals, but Albuquerque may top the cake.        

6.  Take advantage of Taco Tuesday in the city.  There are so many tasty places to eat!    

7.  Chile is the state’s official vegetable.  Chile cheeseburgers are a local favorite (and delicious)!

8.  New Mexico’s nickname is the ‘Land of Enchantment’.

9.  The Candy Lady, a store in Old Town, made the blue crystal meth for Breaking Bad.  She now sells it as rock candy. 

10.  Albuquerque was founded in 1706 and is one of the nation's oldest inland communities. 

11.  Gila National Forest, located in New Mexico, is the largest national forest in the USA.

12. A large part of The Avengers (2012) movie was filmed in Albuquerque.  In fact, a number of popular movies and TV shows are filmed in New Mexico.                 

                                                                                               

13.  Transportation has always been a major part of the economy.  Railroad Avenue  became Route 66.  Now Central Avenue, the street still is still important and runs through the city.      

                                                                                  

14. Albuquerque is the nuclear capital of the United States. Much of the nation's nuclear research program is conducted or supervised here.                                                                                   

15.  Jesse Tyler Ferguson, the star of the popular TV show Modern Family, is from Albuquerque.      

                                                                                                            

16. The city of Santa Fe, about an hour north of Albuquerque, has the oldest capitol building in the United States -- the Palace of the Governors, built in 1610.                                                       

17.  The Tiwa Indians were the first inhabitants in the area of Albuquerque. 

18.  There were several UFO sightings in Albuquerque in the late 1940s.  New Mexico supposedly continues to have the largest number of reported UFO sightings in the United States.

      

19.  Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft in Albuquerque in 1975.  The building where they started the company is now a smoke shop!      
         

                                                                                            

20.  Albuquerque was the home of Ernie Pyle, the famous war correspondent. Pyle wrote, "If we could only have one house, then it has to be in New Mexico, preferably in Albuquerque." Pyle's home is now a memorial library.   

                                                

21. New Mexico’s largest employer is The University of New Mexico, mostly in ABQ.     

                              

22. Albuquerque is the home of the famous racing family, the Unsers, who are multiple winners of the Indianapolis 500 Auto Race: Bobby, Al Jr., and Al Unser.  

                                                                                                                     

23. ABQ has the largest number public parks per capita in the entire United States!           

24. The 2.7-mile aerial tramway located five miles northeast of Albuquerque is the longest in North America. It has the third longest span in the world. The tram whisks visitors from the base of 6600 feet to the top of 10,378 foot Sandia Peak in about twenty minutes.                                                                     

25. The UNM Lobos have never won a national championship in football, but that does not stop fans from supporting them enthusiastically.         

                                                

26.  The famous Pan American Highway, which runs from the top of Alaska to the bottom of South American, runs through ABQ.

                                   

27.  In 1926, Route 66 became a major highway through the USA and went through ABQ.  Even though the highway was decommissioned, the street, now Central Avenue, is the main artery through the city.  You can see old motels, signs, etc. along the historic route.

28. The Sandia Mountains house the world's highest television towers -- those belonging to Albuquerque's three commercial and one educational network.    
                                          

29. Approximately 40% of the uranium reserve in the United States is found in deposits 70 miles west of Albuquerque.                                                                                                              

30. The Sandia National Laboratory was originally the engineering division of Los Alamos Laboratory, the central laboratory of the top-secret Manhattan Project (the atomic bomb) during WWII.                                                                                                                                 

31. ABQ has no professional sports teams, but the Albuquerque Isotopes are a Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies.                                                                                                       

32. Smokey the Bear was created in New Mexico.