Albuquerque was founded in 1706 and is now the largest city in New Mexico, with the metro area population nearing the 1,000,000 mark. With the Sandia Mountains to the east and the Rio Grande River running through the center of the city, Albuquerque offers all the beauty of the High Desert. It’s the birthplace of Carlo Inc. (and Carlo himself!)

Forbes ranked Albuquerque among the top 15 towns for business and careers in 2008

A variety of high-tech industries have settled along the Rio Grande and Albuquerque is at the heart of this New Mexico Technology Corridor. Kirtland Air Force Base and Sandia National Labs are two of the largest employers in the city, providing thousands of jobs and supporting a variety of related contractors and industries. Intel operates a semiconductor factory in Rio Rancho, a suburb of Albuquerque, and Northrop Grumman also has a large outpost in town. These high-tech operations are great for the local economy – Albuquerque ranked 7^th on the Forbes list of America’s Engineering Capitals in 2014.

In addition to all that industry, Albuquerque offers a vibrant local culture. It is home to the International Balloon Fiesta, the largest hot air balloon festival in the world. It also boasts more than a dozen local breweries, making it one of Travel & Leisure’s Best Cities For Beer Lovers. The local cuisine is a Spanish-Mexican-Native American fusion that heavily features Hatch red and green chile. Chile is so integral to the local culture, in fact, that New Mexico has designated an official State Question: red or green?

Forbes ranked Albuquerque among the top 15 towns for business and careers in 2008 and the US News And World Report ranked it among the top 10 Best Cities To Live In in 2009.