1st January 1979
Microsoft moves from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Bellevue, Washington

On 1st January 1979, Microsoft relocated its company headquarters from New Mexico to a new home in Bellevue, Washington. Recruiting engineers to New Mexico was proving difficult, and none of their customers were in Albuquerque.

Bill Gates said of the move:

"It took a while for me to sell the idea to everybody. Albuquerque has its advantages ... But everybody was very involved in what they were doing, and there was the excitement behind where we were going. So, I was able to get literally everyone but my secretary, Miriam Lubow, to come up with us. And that became the core group"

Related information:

• Centre for Computing History: Microsoft
• Centre for Computing History: Bill Gates

Image:

• Microsoft employees in Albuquerque, just before the move to Washington. Top row, left to right: Steve Wood, Bob Wallace and Jim Lane. Middle: Bob O'Rear, Bob Greenburg, Marc McDonald and Gordon Letwin. Bottom: Bill Gates, Andrea Lewis, Marla Wood and Paul Allen.
  Credit: Copyright Microsoft. Images remain the copyright of the original copyright holder. Used under fair use policy for educational purposes only.

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