Straddling the banks of the exotic Rio Grande River as it flows through the desert on its way to Mexico, you will find the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico. With a population of over 500,000, Albuquerque is the largest city in the state and one of the fastest growing cities in America. People come to Albuquerque for a variety of reasons: the sunny, dry weather, the gorgeous pink-and-green sunsets in the surrounding Sandia Mountains, the jobs in the New Mexico technology corridor, and the top-drawer education available at the University of New Mexico are the most common. Whether you're arriving to study, recuperate, or retire, the community of Albuquerque will welcome you.

Founded in 1706 by the Spanish, Albuquerque has managed to grow from a Spanish farming community into a thriving American city without losing its cultural heritage. Buildings in Albuquerque, even newer ones, tend to be built in styles that compliment the desert landscape. Housing developers favor the one-story clay tiled stucco ranches of the Spanish Colonial Revival Style, while the University of New Mexico is a famous example of the boxy adobe style known as Pueblo Revival. It is not only the desert heat but also the silty river soil that tends to restrict the height of buildings in Albuquerque, giving it a lower-profile skyline.

The downtown skyline is more modern than historic now, since some of the buildings were replaced by high rises in the 60s and 70s. Today the emphasis is on downtown revival through loft conversions and restoring historic structures while the new developments are happening on the outskirts of the city. Albuquerque is a prime location for new pre-planned real estate in communities like Mesa del Sol, which when completed, will be a pedestrian oriented village of town homes, custom houses, condos, retail shops, and parks. Though land is continually being eaten up by residential developments (over 1,000 homes are built each year), there are still some agricultural areas in the southwestern part of the city.

The constant influx of new residents is why Albuquerque needs to expand so quickly. One of the reasons people are attracted to the city in the first place is its low cost of living, which is twelve points below the national average; unusual for a big city not on the down-and-out. Housing values in Albuquerque are higher than the New Mexico average but far below the averages for other desert cities like Phoenix and Las Vegas. For instance, you can buy a decently sized single family home in a safe neighborhood for around $230,000 in Albuquerque, whereas the same home would be about $345,000 in Phoenix.

Please continue browsing AlbuquerqueZip.com to learn more about the Albuquerque New Mexico zip codes.

Lamkaren Torikaye