Rio Rancho, New Mexico
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| Rio Rancho, New Mexico | |
| Nickname: "City of Vision" | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | New Mexico |
| County | Sandoval County |
| Founded | 1961 |
| Incorporated | 1981 |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Kevin Jackson Image:Jackson.jpg |
| Area | |
| - City | 73.4 sq mi (190.4 km²) |
| - Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²) |
| Population (2005) | |
| - City | 66,599 |
| - Density | 907.3/sq mi (349.8/km²) |
| - Metro | 797,940 (Albuquerque) |
| Time zone | Mountain (UTC-7) |
| - Summer (DST) | Mountain (UTC-6) |
| Website: www.ci.rio-rancho.nm.us | |
Rio Rancho, (Spanish: Río Rancho) a city northwest of Albuquerque, is the largest city and economic hub of Sandoval County in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest and fastest-growing city in New Mexico. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 51,765. The city's population was 66,599 as of the 2005 census estimate and is expected to reach 125,000 by 2010.[1] Current population estimates for 2006/2007 place the number at 77,000.[2]
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[edit] History
The Rio Rancho area was originally part of the Alameda Land 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 Southwest, Inc. purchased 55,000 acres in 1961 and turned the land into a housing development called "Rio Rancho Estates" with the first families moving in the early 1960s. 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 and a multipurpose arena, Santa Ana Star Center. The project is scheduled for completion by the end of 2006.
[edit] Geography
Rio Rancho is bordered by Albuquerque to the south, the Santa Ana Indian Reservation to the north, and Bernalillo and Corrales to the east. The northeast corner of the city is bounded by the Rio Grande.
[edit] Economy
Intel is by far the largest employer in Rio Rancho. The services, retail, and government sectors are also major components of the local economy.
In September 2005 Lions Gate Entertainment was wooed by the City of Rio Rancho and the State of New Mexico to build a studio in the City of Vision. After months of public denials, Lions Gate (a Canadian company) announced plans and was then approved by the City Council to build a $15 million USD film studio in the new Rio Rancho City Centre. Serious questions have been raised throughout the community as to whether or not this studio will be built.[3]
Several call centers call Rio Rancho home. Walmart has recently opened in Rio Rancho sparking several new commercial retailers to locate nearby.
New construction of large facilities include: City Centre Development, including new City Hall and Events Center, New Indoor Aquatic Recreation Center, New City Library, New 48,000 SF office complex, home to Waste Management’s Regional Offices, New 50,000 SF Aerospace Components Warehouse, New 8,000 SF office for Professional Chefs Association, New 19,000 SF retail center at Hwy 528 and Rockaway, Lionsgate Entertainment 52.8 acre major motion picture studio, Loma Colorado Development, Mariposa Home Construction underway, New high school site acquired and construction funded for 2009 opening, New UNM West Campus location identified, land acquired and planning underway.[4]
Rio Rancho is very dependent on new development. The history of the city points to a single developer where housing sales were the main source of growth. Little effort to provide for a diversified tax base in an environment that most municipalities in the state have a larger percentage of their revenue from gross receipts tax means that the bulk of revenues come from property taxes and development fees. This has been and continues to be the city's real peril. Without continued attention to this area, increases in property taxes may be the only way to keep up with the needs of a growing city.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 51,765 people residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 64.1% White non-Hispanic, 2.7% African-American, 3.4% Native American, 10.85% from other races, and 4.12% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 27.7% of the population.
There were 18,995 households out of which 40.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.7% were non-families. 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.14.
In the city the population was spread out with 29.2% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males.
The median income for city was $47,169, and the median income for a family was $52,233. Males had a median income of $39,162 versus $27,385 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,322. About 3.7% of families and 5.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.1% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Transportation
Albuquerque's transit department ABQ RIDE operates a bus route connecting Rio Rancho with the New Mexico Rail Runner Express station at Journal Center. These transportation choices may come at a cost. Albuquerque in the past has shown that managing budgets have been less than favorable. There is a proposed regional transportation taxing district. The City of Albuquerque continues to seek additional revenues while rideship there stagnates. Rio Rancho has continued to meet the needs of specific groups by supporting Rio Transit. These are mini buses that take riders to specific locations.
The city has never really resolved a dispute with members of the Enchanted Hills Homeowner's Association regarding the severing of the neighborhood by Paseo Del Volcan. Some residents claim that the city did not properly disclose a freeway when they purchased their homes. Now rumor has it that the city will not adhere to the Final Environmental Impact Statement used to manage federal transportation dollars.
[edit] Sports
Rio Rancho is home to the New Mexico Scorpions minor-league ice hockey team, which relocated from Albuquerque in 2006. The Scorpions play at Santa Ana Star Center.
[edit] Media
The twice-weekly Rio Rancho Observer is the local newspaper, while Rio Ranchoans also have access to television and radio broadcasts from Albuquerque as well as the daily Albuquerque Tribune, which does not provide a Sunday edition, and the daily Albuquerque Journal, along with its localized daily version the Rio Rancho Journal."
Rio Rancho is also served by a public access channel, that is only available through the city's only cable television provider CableOne. This channel shows all of the government meetings on multiple showings.
[edit] Trivia
- Rio Rancho is the site of Intel's Intel Fab 11X, the largest and most advanced semiconductor plant in the world. The fully-automated, $2 billion facility opened in 2002 and was the first Intel plant to manufacture 300 mm silicon wafers, which can hold almost twice as many chips as the standard 200 mm wafers. Fab 7, Intel's original Rio Rancho plant, closed in 2002 but is being converted into a test facility.
- In 2005, Rio Rancho became the first U.S. city to offer citywide voice-over-WiFi (VoWiFi) service although many of its residents complained that the service did not live up to its expectations.
- The now former City Manager, James Palenick, was fired from his post in December 2006 by unanimous vote of the City Council, although only four of six councilors were present. This followed his firing from a similar post at Bay City, Michigan.
[edit] External links
- City of Rio Rancho
- Rio Rancho Convention & Visitors Bureau
- Rio Rancho Economic Development Corporation
- Rio Rancho Observer
- Rio Rancho City Guide
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
[edit] References
- ^ 2005 - 2010 Land Use Assumptions for the City of Rio Rancho Impact Fee Study
- ^ "Rio Rancho Economic Development Community Overview - January 2007 - PDF File."
- ^ "Lionsgate Gets Land to Build Studio." (August 15, 2006). Albuquerque Journal.
- ^ "Rio Rancho Economic Development Community Overview - January 2007 - PDF File."
| Albuquerque, New Mexico |  |
|---|---|
| Metropolitan area | |
| North Valley | Rio Rancho | South Valley | |
| Belen | Bernalillo | Carnuel | Corrales | Isleta Village Proper | Los Lunas | Los Ranchos de Albuquerque | Santa Ana Pueblo |
 |
State of New Mexico Santa Fe (capital) |
|---|---|
| Regions |
Central New Mexico | Colorado Plateau | Eastern New Mexico | Llano Estacado | Northern New Mexico | Sangre de Cristo Mountains | Southwestern New Mexico |
| Major cities |
Albuquerque | Las Cruces | Rio Rancho | Roswell | Santa Fe |
| Smaller cities |
Alamogordo | Artesia | Carlsbad | Clovis | Corrales | Deming | Española | Farmington | Gallup | Grants | Hobbs | Las Vegas | Los Alamos | Los Lunas | Lovington | Portales | Ruidoso | Silver City | Socorro | Sunland Park |
| Counties |
Bernalillo | Catron | Chaves | Cibola | Colfax | Curry | De Baca | Doña Ana | Eddy | Grant | Guadalupe | Harding | Hidalgo | Lea | Lincoln | Los Alamos | Luna | McKinley | Mora | Otero | Quay | Rio Arriba | Roosevelt | San Juan | San Miguel | Sandoval | Santa Fe | Sierra | Socorro | Taos | Torrance | Union | Valencia |
