Timeline of Albuquerque, New Mexico facts for kids

Albuquerque is a large city in New Mexico, USA. It has a long and interesting history, from its early days as a small trading post to the busy city it is today. This timeline will show you some of the most important moments in Albuquerque's past.

Early History of Albuquerque

• 1706 – The town was started by Francisco Cuervo y Valdés for New Spain. It was a trading spot where Tiwa Puebloan peoples and Hispanos could meet.
• 1793 – The San Felipe de Neri Church was built.
• 1846 – The U.S. army built a fort in the town.
• 1850 – The town became part of the U.S. New Mexico Territory.
• 1862 – During the Civil War, Confederate troops took over the town, but the Union Army soon took it back.
• 1873 – A Jesuit College was started.
• 1879 – Albuquerque High School was established.
• 1880
  • A train station for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway was built near the old town.
  • A new part of town was planned out.
  • The Albuquerque Daily Journal newspaper started.
• 1881 – The Menaul School was established.
• 1882 – Park Van Tassel made the first balloon flight in New Mexico Territory.
• 1885 – The new town of Albuquerque officially became a town. Henry Jaffa was elected its first mayor.
• 1889 – The University of New Mexico was founded.
• 1890 – The population reached 3,785 people.

Albuquerque Becomes a City

• 1891 – New Albuquerque officially became a city.
• 1901 – The Albuquerque Public Library opened.
• 1902 – The Alvarado Hotel opened for business.
• 1904 – Electric streetcars started running in the city.
• 1910 – The population grew to 11,020.
• 1912
  • New Mexico became a U.S. state, and Albuquerque became part of the State of New Mexico.
  • The New Mexico State Fair began.
• 1914 – The main building for Albuquerque High School was built.
• 1925 – The Santa Fe Railway Shops (Albuquerque), a large train repair facility, were built.
• 1926 – The courthouse moved from Old Town to the new part of the city.
• 1927
  • The Rio Grande Zoo opened.
  • The KiMo Theater, a famous movie theater, was built.
• 1928 – Oxnard Field, Albuquerque's first airport, was built.
• 1929 – The first commercial airline flights started.
• 1932 – The Museum of Anthropology opened at the University of New Mexico.
• 1939 – The Albuquerque Municipal Airport was built.
• 1942 – Kirtland Air Force Base, an important military base, was established.
• 1946 – The U.S. military's Sandia Base became active.
• 1949 – Old Town officially became part of the city.

Modern Albuquerque

• 1959 – Uncle Cliff's Kiddieland, an amusement park, opened.
• 1961 – The Winrock Shopping Center opened.
• 1963 – The Albuquerque Municipal Airport was renamed Albuquerque Sunport.
• 1965 – A new terminal opened at the Albuquerque Sunport. The Coronado Center shopping mall also opened.
• 1967 – The Albuquerque Museum of Art and History was established.
• 1972 – The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, a famous hot air balloon festival, began.
• 1976 – The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center opened.
• 1980 – The population reached 331,767 people.
• 1986 – The New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science was founded.
• 1990 – The Albuquerque Plaza building was constructed. The American International Rattlesnake Museum opened. The population was 384,736.
• 1991 – The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History was officially started.
• 1993 – ¡Explora! Science Center and Children's Museum opened, offering hands-on learning.
• 1996
  • The city's official website went online.
  • The Rio Grande Botanic Garden and the Albuquerque Aquarium opened.
  • The Cottonwood Mall (Albuquerque, New Mexico) opened for shoppers.
• 2000 – The National Hispanic Cultural Center opened.
• 2005
  • The Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum opened, celebrating the city's ballooning history.
  • The ¡Globalquerque! music festival began.
• 2009 – Richard J. Berry became mayor.
• 2010 – The population was 545,852.
• 2017 – Tim Keller was elected Mayor.