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Culture | THE HISTORY of Albuquerque dates back to the 6th century when Ancestral Puebloans (the Anasazi) became permanent residents. They took advantage of the Rio Grande by building their adobe and brick pit homes and planted corn, beans and squash for food. Mysteriously, they disappeared from the region around 1300 AD. In the mid-16th century, the Spaniards arrived. By the end of the century, they built a trading post just north of today's Albuquerque. Close-knit families of Spanish descent were most of the population during the 1700s & 1800s and were concentrated in the Plaza area which is now known as Old Town. The area was nothing more than a dusty trading center along the trail between Mexico and Santa Fe. By the mid-1800s, the sheep raising industry boomed, as California and Colorado miners fueled a demand. In 1880, the railroad was established and with it came new economic opportunities. The character and demographics of the new city changed becoming much like the East Coast in design and attitude. The city developed around the new railway station. As the city boomed, an influx of immigrants of all descents arrived making Albuquerque their home. Because of the "healing climate", the city became populated with many who were suffering from respiratory diseases. Our present day Presbyterian Healthcare Services and Sandia Healthcare were the original sanitariums to treat these individuals. Transportation and government followed the healthcare era. In the 1920s, Route 66 was open to transcontinental motorists and in the 1940s Kirtland Air Force Base and Sandia National Labs were constructed. Albuquerque continues to grow on all levels and is a global competitive economic region and is a favorite among expanding and relocating companies and a "place to watch".
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