Where It Is:
The Sawmill neighborhood lies between Rio Grande Avenue to the west, Mountain Road to the south, 12th Street to the east, and I-25 to the north.
Getting There:
By car, take I-40 to the Rio Grande exit and travel south. Take a left on Mountain Road and you're in the Sawmill neighborhood. It's easy enough to take the
Rail Runner in to downtown and
hop on a bus to the area.
Real Estate:
Housing in the Sawmill neighborhood is still affordable, but starting to rise in cost. There is infill housing coming in to empty lots, and a great deal of renovation and updating of modest homes. Because the homes in the neighborhood were built for workers at the sawmill that was once nearby, they are small and modest. Some are adobe and some are even constructed of terrone, a sod brick from the nearby water channels.
Overview:
The Sawmill area is one of the oldest pockets of the city, and is just north of Old Town. Although it is small in area, the Sawmill neighborhood contains museums, businesses, restaurants, homes, and a commercial district, making it one of the most diverse areas of town.
Museums:
Restaurants:
The Sawmill neighborhood has some of Albuquerque's best restaurants. Within walking distance of Old Town is
Season's Rotisserie and Grill at 2031 Mountain Road, which also has a wonderful outdoor lounge, sometimes with live music.
Cristobal's in the
Hotel Albuquerque at 800 Rio Grande, offers fine dining on an outdoor portal in good weather.
For more casual dining, there is the Melting Pot, a fondue restaurant at 2011 Mountain Road, or Little Anita's, a local chain with New Mexican dishes and a folk art motif. Little Anita's is on the corner of Mountain Road and Rio Grande.
Bars:
The
Q Bar in Hotel Albuquerque at 800 Rio Grande is a plush lounge with drinks so delicious it is often voted as having the best happy hour in town.
Season's has a rooftop cantina that can't be beat. On Saturday and Sunday nights in summer, the Summer Jazz Series brings you music as well as atmosphere. And every other Saturday afternoon, there are theme oriented wine tastings. Season's is located at 2031 Mountain Road.
Essentials:
Zip Code: 87104
Tiguex Park of Old Town is across the street from Explora Science Center, at 18th and Mountain Road.
Organizations:
The Sawmill Neighborhood Association is relatively new, but it has a strong commitment to building a great sense of community. It works closely with the Wells Park Neighborhood Association and with the
Sawmill Community Land Trust.
Best Known For:
The Sawmill neighborhood takes pride in its deep sense of history. It still maintains some of its former agricultural roots. There are chicken coops and sheep in some of the larger back yards, and some residents are even known to keep goats. But overall, the area is part of an emerging trend toward living in older pockets of the city. The area's modest, older houses are being renovated, and the few remaining pockets of empty lots are seeing a renaissance of housing infill. The area's closeness to amenities makes it a popular place to live.
The Sawmill neighborhood has only a few remaining arroyo culverts that point to the past and the use of water for irrigating fields, and all of them are dry. But speak to the older residents and they remember what it was like when the area had open fields, running water in the ditches, and apple trees.
In the beginning of the 20th century, a sawmill operated in the area that is now filled with warehouses and commercial businesses, off 12th Street and Sawmill Road.
New businesses and offices are moving in to the area because of its centralized location. Within walking distance to museums and Old Town, the Sawmill neighborhood has the advantage of being close to the city's cultural institutions, and its easy access to the nearby freeway makes it an attractive place to live. With its ties to the past, and its commitment to a better future, the Sawmill neighborhood is a wonderful neighborhood in which to live.
