Ridgecrest in Albuquerque, NM

Ridgecrest is a historic residential neighborhood on Albuquerque's Southeast Mesa, laid out in 1931 by planner S. R. De Boer as the Ridgecrest Addition and running from Kathryn Avenue south to Gibson Boulevard between Washington Street and San Mateo Boulevard. It grew alongside the older Parkland Hills Addition, and the two names now describe one neighborhood, known locally for the tree-lined boulevard that cuts through it. Building arrived in two waves: Mediterranean Revival houses shaped by City Beautiful ideas before the war, then modernist ones during the postwar boom. Four small city parks sit within its streets. There is no homeowners association.

The Parkland Hills Addition carries a listing in the National Register of Historic Places. The Ridgecrest plat did more than draw lots: it closed an argument over ownership that had run since a federal land patent was issued in 1908.

Two volunteer associations cover the ground instead of a governing board. The Ridgecrest Neighborhood Association is a nonprofit built around community programs and public information, while the Parkland Hills Neighborhood Association keeps its membership dues voluntary. Neither levies assessments nor enforces covenants.

The parks are neighborhood-scale. Ridgecrest Park sits along the boulevard, with Hermosa Green Park, Beyer Park and Eunice Kalloch Park spread through the surrounding blocks.