Roads and Byways

Rio Grande Boulevard
Rio Grande Boulevard is one of the oldest roads in the North Valley. Much of the area was previously an impassable swamp prior to the drainage work of the MRGCD in the 1930s. The road passes near the sites of the 18th century villages of Alameda, Los Ranchos and the historic district of Los Poblanos. It is an important gateway to the Village with significant scenic views of the Sandia Mountains rarely remaining in the North Valley. Vast open spaces of agricultural fields and horse pastures, contrast sharply with the developed character of the boulevard farther south.

Guadalupe Trail
Guadalupe Trail in the 19th century was used as a path along which sheep and cattle were driven. It served as a 'main street' for such historic settlements as Los Garcias and Placita de los Pais. Remnants of these settlements still survive along the historic roadway. Some of the oldest homes in the area lie near the intersection with Los Ranchos Road. The winding nature of this road with its starts and stops at several points only adds to its character. Homes tend to be clustered near the roadway. Open fields and pasture tend to be hidden away from the vantage of the road. Tripas tend to predominate in the corridor.

Fourth Street
Fourth Street was the first paved road through the North Valley, paralleling the railroad. In the 1920s it was designated as US Highway 66 (Route 66), later as U.S.Highway 85. It was the main north-south highway through Albuquerque until the interstate highway was completed in the 1960s. Much of the street's strip commercial character is a byproduct of this period. In addition, Fourth Street was a part of the original El Camino Real, running from Chihuahua, Mexico through El Paso to Santa Fe.

The corridor is a mixture of higher density single family homes, mobile home parks, both older and modern commercial buildings and, further north, even some irrigated fields. There it crosses Chamisal Lateral which was the historic acequia madre for the area.

As verified by the national chairman of historic Route 66, Fourth Street (within Los Ranchos) was part of the Historic Route 66 "spur" before it went through the Sandias from 1926 through 1937.

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