Rio Rancho Map
Rio Rancho (Spanish: Río 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 growing cities in New Mexico. U.S. Census Bureau data shows that Rio Rancho's population rose to 87,521 in 2010.
Rio Rancho is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area.
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 (220 km²) 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 whom were New Yorkers. 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.
Nearby cities include Algodones, Placitas, Albuquerque, San Ysidro, Corrales.