Rio Rancho

Rio Rancho is the largest city and economic hub of Sandoval County in the U.S. state of New Mexico. A small portion of the city extends into northern Bernalillo County. It is the third-largest and also one of the fastest expanding cities in New Mexico. As of the 2013 census, Rio Rancho had a population of 93,820.

Rio Rancho is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The Rio Rancho area was originally part of the Alameda Grant, which was founded by the Spanish in 1710. By the early twentieth century, much of the land grant had been sold to land investment companies. Amrep Corporation purchased 55,000 acres (22,000 ha) in 1961 and turned the land into a housing development called "Rio Rancho Estates" with the first families moving in the early 1960s. Most of these early residents were New Yorkers, as the developers advertised heavily in New York media. The population grew tenfold between 1970 and 1980, and the City of Rio Rancho was incorporated in 1981. The opening of a large Intel Corporation plant in 1981 had a major economic impact on the city.

Since the 1990s, Rio Rancho has taken steps to become more independent from neighboring Albuquerque, including the establishment of separate school and library systems and attempts to attract businesses to the area. The city's latest project is the Downtown City Centre development that includes a new city hall building, a new UNM West and CNM campus as well as the Santa Ana Star Center. The arena opened in October 2006. City Hall opened in September 2007.

Geography

Rio Rancho is located at 35°17'10" North, 106°40'14" West (35.286185, -106.670660). It lies in the Albuquerque Basin to the west of the Rio Grande, which bounds the northeast corner of the city. There is an escarpment to the west of the city limit.

Rio Rancho is bordered by Albuquerque to the south, the Santa Ana Indian Reservation to the north, and Bernalillo and Corrales to the east.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 103.7 sq mi (268.5 km2), of which 103.4 square miles (267.7 km2) is land and 0.31 sq mi (0.8 km2), or 0.31%, is water.

Schools

Rio Rancho Public Schools serve students in Rio Rancho.

Rio Rancho has two major public high schools:

• V. Sue Cleveland High School (opened in 2009)
• Rio Rancho High School (opened in 1997)

In addition, Rio Rancho has one public charter school called The ASK Academy. The ASK academy focuses on STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) education, and currently serves grades 6-12. http://theaskacademy.org/

Transportation

Albuquerque's transit department, ABQ RIDE, operates a bus route (251 Albuquerque-Rio Rancho Rail Runner Connection) connecting Rio Rancho with the New Mexico Rail Runner Express station at Journal Center. There is a proposed regional transportation taxing district.

In late January 2011, ABQ RIDE extended two additional routes (96 Crosstown Commuter and 155 Coors Blvd), as well as introducing an additional route (551 Jefferson/Paseo Del Norte Express) into Rio Rancho. The northern terminus of these routes are at Southern Blvd and Unser Blvd. Other than these few extensions from the Albuquerque Transit system, there is no public transportation in Rio Rancho. Also, the city is so poorly planned that there are miles of empty space between major destinations in the city.

The Rio Metro Regional Transportation District operates Rio Transit, a door to door paratransit service for Senior Citizens 55 years of age and older, and disabled adults 18 years of age and older, for residents of Rio Rancho. The service is operated out of the Meadowlark Senior Center, and provides service Monday-Friday from 7:30 am to 3:00 pm. Riders must register with the service prior to using it. Rio Metro RTD also operates a commuter bus route serving the Enchanted Hills neighborhood in Rio Rancho. This service connects residents of Enchanted Hills to the US 550 New Mexico Rail Runner station and provides service during the morning and evening commutes. Rio Metro Bus connections are available at the US 550 Rail Runner station for Zia Pueblo, San Ysidro, Canon, and Jemez Springs. A Rio Metro commuter bus route provides service to and from the Cuba NM area, with a Park and Ride designated at Home Depot, which is located near the corner of NM 528, NM 550. Rio Metro's website and schedules may be viewed at: www.riometro.org