Albuquerque is a unique city that can experience experience snow in the morning and blistering heat at night. With over 300 days of sunlight, ABQ offers a warm and temperate climate that breeds tranquility. There’s plenty of nights that residents find themselves just sitting down and staring out at the beautiful Sandia Mountains in the backdrop of the city.
ABQ possesses both small town quirks and big city nightlife. The cost of living in ABQ is cheap and ABQ boasts a booming tourism industry, welcoming 6.2 million travelers last year to its fair city. Houses for sale in Albuquerque are valued well below the national average and the city offers plenty of opportunities for businesses and young professionals.
But there’s something special about ABQ that’s ingrained into the culture of the city itself. Aside from affordability and long summer days, there are so many more reasons locals love ABQ.
Old Town
ABQ is anchored by historic Old Town, which was founded in 1706. Influenced by both Native American and Spanish cultures, Old Town is composed of old, adobe houses and cobblestone streets that wind through the neighborhood. Old Town is famous for its souvenirs shops and jewelers who create one-of-a-kind Pueblo-Spanish inspired artifacts that you can only find in Old Town.
Old Town also offers unique attractions from ghost-tours to its own regional rattlesnake museum. The best treat of being in Old Town is simply experiencing the history that’s etched into the landscape of the village. Taking a brisk walk through the cobblestone streets and looking over the hidden patios and steam coming from the flat roofs really transforms you to another world.
The Food
Old Town is also home to some of the best southwestern cuisine in America. Hit up Hacienda del Rio for some famous New Mexican sopapilla or chow down on Monroe’s famous tortilla cheeseburger. There’s plenty of Spanish and New mexican inspired dishes throughout ABQ from enchiladas to Tewa Tacos and everything in between
Of course, if there’s one symbol that defines the American southwest and ABQ, it’s the famous green chile. USA Today readers ranked ABQ’s green chile as the best regional food in the country, even over Maryland crabs. Once you taste a bacon green chile cheeseburger from Blake’s Lotaburger, you’ll never want to leave ABQ.
Going Green
Speaking of green, ABQ is a leading international city in practicing sustainability. Albuquerque’s air quality alerts are pretty well-known among the local residents, but ABQ takes going green very seriously. It’s been ranked in the top 5 by one study for cities with the best air quality in America. Over thirty percent of the city is dedicated to green spaces and the city is also one of the leading agricultural producers in America.
One area ABQ is starting to stick its neck out beyond the competition is in renewable energy. With so much sunshine, solar is a booming industry in the area. This includes everything from hordes of PV arrays on commercial buildings to residents actively using solar thermal heaters for their pools and daily HVAC requirements.
Festivals and Traditions
By now, I’m sure you’re looking for the amenities and best attractions Albuquerque has to offer. ABQ’s most famous festival is obviously the International Balloon Fiesta. While the locals may honk their horns at the increased traffic this time of year, everyone will admit that when the fiesta actually begins, it’s pretty magical.
There’s also much more ABQ has to offer from Christmas Eve light shows to the famous New Mexico Jazz Festival. For foodies, ABQ presents its own Fiery Foods Show and the Greek Festival is a big hit. Summerfest and the Arts and Crafts Festival are also popular attractions that bring together tourists and locals.
Climate or Geology
Finally, the best reason to love ABQ is its unique climate. The climate around ABQ is generally temperate and semi-arid, with low-humidity. Rain is very uncommon in the area so every time a thunderstorm comes around the locals typically drop what they are doing to watch. Mostly, it’s those Sandia Mountains that catch the hearts and souls of its residents and continue to inspire wonder and tranquility throughout the city.
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