San Gabriel in Albuquerque, NM

San Gabriel is a residential neighborhood in Albuquerque's Northeast Heights, filling the rectangle between Montgomery Boulevard on the north and Comanche Road on the south, with Eubank Boulevard along the west edge and Morris Street along the east. Montgomery and Eubank are major arterials, which keeps shopping and cross-town routes at the edges rather than through the interior. Mitchell Elementary, Hoover Middle School and Eldorado High School serve addresses in the area. No homeowners association governs these blocks, so there are no dues and no covenants.

For decades a volunteer group, the San Gabriel Area Neighborhood Association, spoke for these blocks at the city level. It wound down after a neighborhood-wide yard sale and left no successor. Because it was an association of neighbors rather than a governing body, nothing here carries architectural review or a mandatory fee; upkeep and street character rest with individual owners.