The Silver Hill Neighborhood Association, in existence for more than 30 years, is an active force in maintaining and enhancing the quality of life in Silver Hill. SHNA participates in city-sponsored civic improvement events each year. SHNA also sponsors decoration of the Silver median and parkways throughout the neighborhood on Christmas Eve. The Association holds regular get-togethers at neighbors’ homes as a way of getting to know one another better. Other civic projects include our trash can adoption programs.
Among significant achievements of SHNA is the successful execution of the Reforestation Project — along the Silver Avenue medians, Gold, Lead, Coal, and University Blvd. Eventually, the north-south side streets will be reforested, too. It is one of the largest urban reforestation projects in the country and one that will serve as a model for years to come. Another major accomplishment is the designation of the Historic District as an Historic Overlay Zone, completed in 2010 in collaboration with the City of Albuquerque Historic Preservation Department.
We are a volunteer organization and rely on residents’ contributions of time and money to support our activities. Silver Hill membership dues are only $10 per adult member of your household for the year. Make checks payable to Silver Hill Neighborhood Association and mail to Elizabeth Doak, Treasurer, at 1606 Silver Ave SE, Albuquerque, NM 87106. You may also drop it off at our association meetings held every second Monday of the month at the Heights Community Center starting at 7 p.m. You will receive a receipt.
Silver Hill is bounded roughly by Yale on the east, Presbyterian Hospital on the west, St. Cyr and CNM on the south, and Central Avenue on the north. Much of the neighborhood is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the New Mexico Cultural Properties List. I has recently received Historic Overlay Zone status, protecting our historic housing stock. The architecture of the buildings, the median on Silver Avenue, the original landscaping including the tree canopy on most streets, and the fact that Silver Hill was among the first “east mesa” developments in Albuquerque during the 1920s, make our neighborhood distinct, historic, and significant as a place.
Residents of the neighborhood include working people, retired people, descendants of some of the original residents of Silver Hill, UNM and CNM students, and newcomers to Albuquerque. Residents are young, middle-aged and old and of all races and ethnicities. Some of us own our homes; some of us rent from others. We all share the same historic, tree-shaded streets and sidewalks and the wonder of a place that is pedestrian-friendly.
The place, the people and the lifestyle that is possible in a small geographic area make Silver Hill a true urban village. Living here affords access to most of the amenities of urban life within easy walking distance.