History of Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque (International Phonetic Alphabet|pronounced {{IPA|[ˈæl.bÉ™.kÉš.kiË]}}, Spanish Language|Spanish: {{IPA|[al.βu.ˈkeɾ.ke]}}; known as Bee'eldÃÃldahsinil in Navajo language|Navajo) is the largest List of cities in the United States|city in the US state|state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico|Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 448,607 as of the 2000 U.S. census. As of the 2005 census estimate, the city's population was 494,236, with a metropolitan population of 816,811 as of July 1, 2006. In 2006, Albuquerque ranked as the List of United States cities by population|33rd-largest city and List of United States metropolitan areas|61st-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. The Albuquerque metropolitan area|Albuquerque MSA population includes the city of Rio Rancho, New Mexico|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.
Albuquerque is home to the University of New Mexico (UNM) and Kirtland Air Force Base as well as Sandia National Laboratories and Petroglyph National Monument. The Sandia Mountains run along the eastern side of Albuquerque and the Rio Grande flows through the city north to south.
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