An August of Opportunity in Albuquerque
As summer winds down, Albuquerque has been making the most of every last bit of it,
August brought a new school year, new opportunities for families, exciting investments in our economy, and plenty of reasons to get out and enjoy our city. It was also a chance to look ahead at how we can build on Albuquerque’s strengths to create more opportunity for everyone who calls our city home.
This month, we gathered at the Route 66 Visitor Center for State of the City, where we talked about moving Albuquerque from scarcity to abundance. We’re putting that idea into action by making nearly 200 unused City-owned properties available for new possibilities, opening more public facilities for evening and Sunday use, and creating opportunities for childcare providers to use available public spaces to serve more families.
Back-to-school season was in full swing, and Albuquerque showed up for our young people. More than 2,300 students picked out free backpacks and supplies at Cruzin’ Into the School Year, Stuff the Bus returned to collect school supplies for local students, and Route 790 returned to connect the Westside with UNM, CNM, Downtown, and Old Town. Families also returned to our Early Learning classrooms, while more than 100 kids took the field for the Summer of Nonviolence Youth Baseball Camp. We even sent off the Roadrunner Junior League All-Stars as they headed to the Junior League Baseball World Series, becoming only the third New Mexico team in 70 years to make it that far.
We’re creating more opportunities for Albuquerque residents at every stage of life. Gateway Young Adult hosted its first-ever Career and Resource Fair, connecting young residents with jobs, education, healthcare, transportation, and other resources. Quantinuum announced an expansion in Albuquerque, strengthening our growing role in quantum technology, while IndieWire once again named Albuquerque one of the nation’s best cities for filmmakers. We’re also making it easier to invest and build here through improvements to permitting and inspections, while hundreds of new and replacement streetlights, including solar-powered lights along East Central, are helping brighten neighborhoods across the city.
August also gave us plenty of reasons to celebrate what makes Albuquerque special. Thousands of Burqueños came together for Westside Summerfest and Winrock Fest, while historic neon came back to life at Neon @ Nine Mile Hill during the Route 66 Centennial. The Full Bloom Exhibit brought native plants and art to City Hall, and Albuquerque Museum’s Visiting Artist Program welcomed Eric J. García. At the BioPark, Tadpole Springs is keeping the fun going into fall, and the ABQ BioPark Zoo welcomed Poppy, a new binturong and one more reason for families to visit.
From helping kids start the school year strong to creating new opportunities, opening more of our city’s resources, and bringing neighbors together, August showed what abundance can look like in action. It means making the most of what we have and making sure more people have the opportunity to enjoy, participate in, and shape the city we call home.
As we head toward fall, there is so much to look forward to and even more to be proud of. Albuquerque’s greatest strength continues to be our people and what we can accomplish together.
Here’s to another month of progress, pride, and connection,
Tim Keller
Mayor of Albuquerque