Motorhome & RV Hire in Albuquerque United States

Situated between the Sandia Mountains and the Rio Grande Valley, Albuquerque, New Mexico is home to the University of New Mexico and Kirtland Air Force Base as well as Sandia National Laboratories and Petroglyph National Monument. New Mexico is a desert state, and on the same grounds where space age missiles are tested today, ten-thousand-year-old arrowheads have been found.

The Spanish founded the city in 1706 in the center of what is now New Mexico. Their cultural and historical heritage is obvious throughout the city, especially in the area of the city known as "Old Town Albuquerque", or more simply, "Old Town". This is the central plaza of the original settlement, which would have had government buildings, homes and a church; the typical Spanish village pattern. The area has been preserved, and is open to the public, offering a museum, cultural area and center of commerce.

Albuquerque is located on the world famous Route 66. In fact, thanks to a realignment of the route in 1937, it actually has 2 Route 66's! The older route is marked with brown historical markers denoting it as Pre-1937 Route 66.

Albuquerques climate is usually sunny and dry, with relatively low humidity, with brilliant sunshine averaging more than 300 days per year. The heat and cold of the seasons are mild, however, in comparison to other areas of the United States.

Albuquerque has a lot to offer as a tourist destination, with rock climbing in the Sandia Mountains and hiking and trailing in the Rio Grande valley. The area is expanding quickly, with urban projects being actively pursued by the city's leaders and citizens. A huge push has resulted in the successful revitalization of the downtown area, with restaurants, offices and residential lofts. The strip of Central Avenue between First and Eighth streets has become a hub of urban life, with a big-city feel.

Albuquerque is well served with facilities for tourism and recreation, with a variety of shops, museums and other points of interest. The Old Town Albuquerque are mentioned above, for example, and the Albuquerque Biological Park.

Every year in September, the city hosts the New Mexico State Fair, which lasts for 17 days (!), and in October you can see the skies fill with colour at the largest hot air balloon gathering in the world, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, which some say is the most photographed event in the world.

For those with an interest in Native American Culture, every April sees the annual Gathering of Nations Pow-Wow, when over 3,000 dancers and singers representing hundreds of tribes from all over America and Canada come together to socialise and compete. As an aside, the Navajo, the largest Native American group, have a reservation in New Mexico that covers 14 million acres.

Albuquerque has two airports, the main one that a tourist would use is Albuquerque International Sunport. Located only 3 miles from the central business district, this makes it very convenient for travellers. As Albuquerque is situated on the junction of 2 freeways (Interstate 25 which runs North - South, and Interstate 40 which runs East - West), it is very easy to explore the rest of New Mexico from this base.

Distances to other cities in this part of the United States are, for example:

Dallas, Texas : 645 miles (1038km)

Denver, Colorado : 445 miles (716km)

Phoenix, Arizona : 465 miles (748km)

Salt Lake City, Utah : 620 miles (998km)

Tucson Arizona : 505 miles (998km)

Little known fact about Albuquerque - The city's minor league baseball team, The Albuquerque Isotopes, gets its name from an episode of The Simpsons!