The MetroABQs Westward Expansion
The MetroABQ's Westward Migration
There are intriguing patterns found in the new residential construction map, above. The majority of the city population lives in the middle-right section, in the street grid pattern. The vast majority of the new residences, though, are on the West Side & in Rio Rancho to the North West.
Easy to explain: immediately north of the city lives the sovereign Sandia Pueblo, with not a lot of people & a lot of mostly sweet, pristine, untouched land; on the eastern border of the city sits the fantastic Sandia Mountains in the Cibola National Forest; to the south is Kirkland Air Force Base, but beyond that the city is already developing a large community called Mesa del Sol, seen in the lower right on the map.
That leaves the West Side as the natural next phase in the city's migration.
The Unser Corridor
Starting in the North West of the Metro at Rte 550, Unser Boulevard begins & cuts its way down the middle of Rio Rancho. Entering Albuquerque, it winds down the West Side, snaking alongside the 17-mile-long Petroglyph National Monument; then across Interstate 40, finally zig & zagging another five miles to the edge of Pajarito Mesa, at the South Western edge of the city.
That 25-mile stretch is where tens of thousands of homes are planned, or are currently being built.Spanning almost two counties, Unser Blvd will see the vast majority of new homes built in the city within a mile of that corridor, as thousands of folks will be moving there over the next many years to come.
From a real estate perspective, it is instructive to see the natural migration in new housing, as our city evolves & opportunities open up for folks in different areas across the Metro.
Above & Below
New apartment complexes suddenly fill the skyline in numerous areas of the city, including the few thousand apartments being built near the Atrisco Heritage High School (here, finished), above.
Below is another prominent new apartment complex on the West Side, along Coors Blvd at Montaño Rd. It is a 55+ active adult community with over a hundred apartments, starting at $1250 for a one-bedroom unit.
