Los Lunas, NM

[xzmattzx]

Los Lunas is a village along the Rio Grande, about 20 miles south of Albuquerque. It is the seat of Valencia County. The population is around 16,000.

Los Lunas was originally an agricultural area in the fertile Rio Grande Valley. In 1852, Fort Los Lunas was established as a winter quarters post, but was abandoned in 1860.

The original Route 66 alignment went through Los Lunas, from 1926 to 1937, following the National Old Trails Road route, before it was streamlined through Albuquerque. Today, Los Lunas is a growing suburban area, with subdivisions sprouting up along I-25, about 30 minutes south of Albuquerque.


The Valencia County Courthouse, on Luna Avenue. The courthouse was built in 1960.



The old Solomon Luna High School, on Luna Avenue. The school was built in 1926.



The old Huning Mercantile Store, on Main Street. The store was built in 1860.



The Los Lunas Museum of Heritage & Arts, on Main Street. The museum was built in 1937 as a community center, and the water tower in front was built in 1939.



The Tranquilino Luna House, on Main Street. The house was built in 1882, and combines Victorian architecture with adobe building materials.



The old Dr. William Frederick Wittwer House, on Main Street. The house was built in 1904, and is now a restaurant.



An old gas station, at Main Street & New Mexico Route 314. The gas station was built in 1923, and is now a smoke shop.



The Los Lunas Railroad Station, on Juan Perea Road. The station was built in 2006.



The old Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad Depot, on New Mexico Route 314. The station was built in 1879.



The Valencia County District Courthouse, on New Mexico Route 314 at Morris Road. The courthouse was built in 2008.



La Capilla de San Antonio de Los Lentes, on Los Lentes Road. The church was built in 1789.



A house on Los Lentes Road.



San Clemente Catholic Church, on Luna Avenue. The church was built in 2004.



Houses on Cortez Street.



A house on Don Diego Street.



Houses on Coronado Street.



Houses on Calle Quieta.



Residential buildings on Gerald Chavez Lane.



Houses on Kingsbury Circle.



Houses on Calle Don Santiago.



Houses on Chavez Lane.



Houses on Dennis Drive in the Las Brisas Del Rio neighborhood.



A strip mall building on Main Street.



A fast food restaurant on Main Street.

[Doady]

Maybe they are just ordinary for this region, but I kinda like the designs of the new buildings, even the strip mall is okay. Only the fast food building seems really out of place.

[sopas ej]

Interesting photos!

I don't think I've seen a Wienerschnitzel with that type of architecture before.

And the style of that La Capilla de San Antonio de Los Lentes church is very interesting.

[xzmattzx]

Originally Posted by Doady

Maybe they are just ordinary for this region, but I kinda like the designs of the new buildings, even the strip mall is okay. Only the fast food building seems really out of place.

That Pueblo style is pretty common in much of New Mexico, even for mundane modern buildings like subdivisions and strip malls. It makes it much more interesting to visit! I don't know if people out there get sick of the Pueblo style, though.

Originally Posted by sopas ej

Interesting photos!

I don't think I've seen a Wienerschnitzel with that type of architecture before.

And the style of that La Capilla de San Antonio de Los Lentes church is very interesting.

La Capilla is definitely authentically rural Spanish! It seems almost Patagonian or Galatian to me.

[geomorph]

Does the city seem like a suburb of the big city, or more remote?

[xzmattzx]

Originally Posted by geomorph

Does the city seem like a suburb of the big city, or more remote?

Well, "big city" for Albuquerque is a relative term, because it seems as big and important as a Hartford or Syracuse. Los Lunas has some physical disconnect with Albuquerque: there's the Isleta Pueblo in between, meaning there is undeveloped land between the two places, and you have to cross the Rio Grande on I-25 as well. The Rio Grande is undeveloped in most places, with the riverbanks still covered in cottonwoods and all. So I would say LosLunas is mainly separate from Albuquerque, unlike the suburbs north of Albuquerque, where there's some connecting taking place between Albuquerque and Santa Fe. On the other hand, there is some connection between Los Lunas and Albuquerque, because the center of Los Lunas is much different from the sprawl near I-25, which appears to be exploding. There was also decent traffic on I-25, although that could be metro traffic, or also intercity traffic heading between Albuquerque and El Paso.

[kcexpress69]

Nice little town. Love the adobe architecture!! I'd definitely live in NM if I retire and decide to leave the midwest.

[mrnyc]

nice to see this. i’ve never made it north of socorro. kinda saving it for a meandering albuquerque to denver cruise sometime. i do like southern nm a lot.

[Omaharocks]

Originally Posted by xzmattzx

Well, "big city" for Albuquerque is a relative term, because it seems as big and important as a Hartford or Syracuse. Los Lunas has some physical disconnect with Albuquerque: there's the Isleta Pueblo in between, meaning there is undeveloped land between the two places, and you have to cross the Rio Grande on I-25 as well. The Rio Grande is undeveloped in most places, with the riverbanks still covered in cottonwoods and all. So I would say LosLunas is mainly separate from Albuquerque, unlike the suburbs north of Albuquerque, where there's some connecting taking place between Albuquerque and Santa Fe. On the other hand, there is some connection between Los Lunas and Albuquerque, because the center of Los Lunas is much different from the sprawl near I-25, which appears to be exploding. There was also decent traffic on I-25, although that could be metro traffic, or also intercity traffic heading between Albuquerque and El Paso.

Yeah, that's metro traffic, which flows between ABQ, Los Lunas, and Belen a bit further south. Los Lunas sort of still has its own identity, as shown in these photos, though functionally is now more of a suburb than a small town. Belen, which is the next town down I-25, is functionally a bit more small town than suburb.

It may appear that growth is exploding, but sprawl has more or less been at a standstill for about the last 10 years in Albuquerque. What little growth has occurred has been around Rio Rancho/Placitas or on Albuquerque's west side.

[EastSideHBG]

Lovely!