All of these photos were taken on our journeys to Rio Rancho and Sandoval County!
Rio Rancho sits about 15 miles NW of Albuquerque and 50 miles SW of Santa Fe. It is the third largest and one of the fastest growing cities in New Mexico. It is bordered by Albuquerque to the S, the Santa Ana Indian Reservation to the N, and Bernalillo and Corrales to the E. To the W is the Rio Puerco Basin. It sits high atop a mesa offering stunning views of the Sandia Mountains and Rio Grande River!
At 5,290 feet, the high desert offers year round perfect weather with winter temperatures averaging 49 and summertime averaging 91. There are 330 sunny days a year with 8.2 inches of rainfall. It snows several times during the winter but usually melts the same day.
Anchored by chip maker Intel, other employers include Victoria Secret and Sprint. The Albuquerque International Airport, less than 40 minutes away, offers several major airline choices. New schools, new companies, a 14-screen cinema theater, the list goes on and on.
I have spent the last ten years researching the growth of Rio Rancho and have chronicled quite a bit of this on our county web page and here are some of the highlights:
*In July 2012 the Sandoval Regional Medical Center with its emergency room had their grand opening! This is located at the city center.
*In August, 2011 the Rail Runner commuter train line pulled into Rio Rancho! This train runs between Santa Fe, Rio Rancho, Albuquerque, Los Lunas and Belen.
*In August 2010, the Central New Mexico (CNM) Community College opened at the new city center.
*The first building as part of the University of New Mexico Regional Medical Center opened in January 2010. Once completed, the $200 million facility will house 68 hospital beds and will include an emergency room and surgical center.
*In the fall of 2009, V. Sue Cleveland High School opened - home of the Storms!
*Hewlett Packard Tech Center opened their 218,000 square foot building at the City Center in December 2009.
*The new city hall that opened in 2007.
*In October 2006 the Sandoval County Commissioners approved a master plan for a new city, Rio West, in the Rio Puerco Basin. It covers eighteen square miles of the basin and was estimated to some day be home to some 70,000 people. I read an article from 2010 that discusses the Rio Puerco Desalination Plant and the issue of bringing water to this area. The County and the developer have ended their joint efforts on this project and continuing efforts will be by the developer.
*In the fall of 2006 the Santa Ana Star Center, a major component in the City Center, opened.
We really believe in Rio Rancho as an investment and I still see the infrastructure growing even in this slower economy. Wikipedia has some great information about the growth in Rio Rancho so be sure and check that out as well.
For more pictures and information from our journeys to this area be sure and click here - Char's older web page of Sandoval County!
Official Rio Rancho Site
Wikipedia Rio Rancho Information
Here is a copy of the New Mexico State Liquid Waste Regulations Click Here.