Albuquerque New Mexico is one of the finest visits you will ever experience. It is a city where the views literally go on forever. From the West Side's Petroglyph National Monument, you can see the Rio Grande meander through the tree-lined valley. The rugged Sandias, the southernmost mountains of the Rocky Mountain chain, tower over the city. A ride up the Sandia Peak Tram, the world's longest single-span tramway, puts you on top of a mountain where the view encompasses 11,000 square miles. To the west, silhouettes of volcanoes against fiery red sunsets inspire the soul. As darkness blankets the city, thousands upon thousands of lights twinkle like tiny desert diamonds. Albuquerque is a city full of exciting attractions and events, from Old Town, where Albuquerque was founded in 1706, to the Kodak Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. It's been called the most ulturally-diverse city in the country!

History of Albuquerque: Albuquerque is the largest city in New Mexico and the seat of Bernalillo County. It is situated in west central New Mexico on the upper Rio Grande River. Early Spanish settlers arrived there in the mid-1600s. The old town was founded in 1706 by Don Francisco Cuervo y Valdés, the governor of New Mexico, and named after the Duke of Albuquerque, the viceroy of New Spain. During the Civil War, Confederate forces briefly occupied the city in 1862. The new town section was founded in 1880. In 1883, Albuquerque became the county seat and was incorporated as a city in 1891. The city is noted as a center for health and medical services in the region, and government agencies, nuclear research, banking, and tourism - Albuquerque hotels and restaurants are first rate - are important to the economy. There is a growing high-tech center in Albuquerque and Intel Corp.'s largest manufacturing facility is located here.