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City Tour of Rio Rancho
Prehistoric to Early Historic
It is commonly held that the Rio Grande Valley was inhabited approximately
10,000 to 12,000 years ago. The remains of a hunting campsite, located
within the current City limits of Rio Rancho, reveal that the first indigenous
residents lived in the Rio Rancho vicinity approximately 11,000 years
ago. These early inhabitants were hunters and gatherers whose tools of
the trade were arrowhead-like artifacts called “Folsom Points” named after
the location where similar artifacts were first located in New Mexico
in 1927.
Archaeologists have located numerous pit house settlements, evidence of
early habitation along the banks of the Rio Grande. The sites, one of
which is estimated to have been occupied for nearly four hundred years,
have either been excavated for academic study or preserved in perpetuity
for future generations as open space.
Spanish Period 1540 to 1821
The end of the prehistoric era is marked by the appearance of the first
Spanish explorers into the area. Francisco Vásquez de Coronado led Spanish
conquistadors to the Rio Rancho vicinity in the winter of 1540 in search
of the fabled, “seven cities of gold,” while conquering native peoples
along the way. An early twentieth century excavation of a large 1,000-room,
Tiwa pueblo revealed that it was occupied by the Anasazi (a Navajo word
meaning the “ancient ones”) into the 16th century. The site included a
temporary campsite associated with early Spanish expeditions into the
middle Rio Grande region by Coronado. Located just north of Rio Rancho,
is the Coronado State monument consisting of the ruin of the Pueblo of
Kuaua. The monument contains reproductions of original murals on the walls
of a ceremonial kiva. The murals represent some of the most superb pre-European
examples of mural art in North America.
Instead of the Seven Cities of Gold, Coronado’s party found an agrarian
society of more than 60,000 persons living in 12 to 16 inhabited pueblos
along the Rio Grande between present-day Bernalillo and Isleta Pueblo.
The Spanish explored New Mexico as a combination of exploration and missionary
efforts by the Catholic Church of Spain. The Spanish entered the middle
Rio Grande valley and mandated catholic teachings in every pueblo they
encountered. This was in direct conflict with the native Americans’ traditional
religions and eventually led to unrest and the ensuing Pueblo Revolt of
1680. In 1706, Colonization increased and Albuquerque was founded by Governor
Don Francisco Cuervo y Valdes and named in honor of the Duke of Alburquerque,
viceroy in Mexico City. Four years later the Town of Alameda Land Grant,
land upon which Rio Rancho is built, was officially conveyed by the Spanish
Crown. It stretched from the Rio Grande to the Rio Puerco, and included
present day Alameda, Corrales, Paradise Hills and Rio Rancho. Within the
grant the land was divided by varas: long, parcels that extended westward
from the Rio Grande and connected each farmer to his neighbor through
a network of acequias or irrigation ditches. This parcel platting is still
evident in the ownership pattern and street pattern visible in the adjoining
community of Corrales, New Mexico.
Mexican Period 1821 to 1846
In 1821, Mexico won its independence and the Santa Fe Trail was opened
as a major commerce route between Mexico City and Missouri. The route
parallels the Rio Grande corridor adjacent to present-day Rio Rancho.
American Period 1846 to 1912
In 1846, President Polk declared war with Mexico under the direction of
General Stephen W. Kearny. Santa Fe was subsequently captured and the
American Period began with and New Mexico was organized as a territorial
entity. At the close of the Mexican War two years later, the Treaty of
Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed commencing the process of formally adopting
New Mexico, as a Territory of the United States. After the establishment
of the American territorial government in 1848, private land holdings,
such as the Alameda Land Grant, were challenged in the United States Court
leading to a number of lawsuits resulting in disputed boundaries for many
years. In 1864, the Office of the US Surveyor General surveyed the Town
of Alameda Land Grant followed by the creation of Sandoval County in the
early 1900’s. The total population of the entire State of New Mexico was
estimated to be approximately 327,300 persons. President William Howard
Taft signed the legislation that made New Mexico the 47th state of the
union in 1912.
Statehood - 1912 to 1960
It has been speculated that because land grant heirs did not understand
property laws or were unable to pay taxes, much of the Alameda Land Grant
was sold to a land investment company. The San Mateo Land Company purchased
the property in 1919 for $0.19 per acre as an investment and sold the
property several years later in 1948 to Brownfield & Koontz to become
the “Koontz Ranch” with over 500 head of cattle grazing on the property.
In 1959, the property was sold to Ed Snow a local investor and developer.
The land, located immediately north and west of the City of Albuquerque,
continued to increase in value as the Albuquerque metropolitan area grew
to just over 200,000 persons in 1960. In 1961, Rio Rancho Estates, Inc.
(hereinafter, “AMREP”) purchased an estimated 55,000 acres as an investment.
AMREP’s success in New York City as a rose flower mail order business
afforded the company the financial ability to purchase the property for
approximately ten million dollars. In the years immediately following
the purchase, a plan was created to subdivide the property into tens of
thousands of lots and sell them using mass marketing and mail order techniques.
AMREP platted and sold this land as Rio Rancho Estates in half acre and
one acre lots to thousands of absentee property owners through mail order
sales in the 60's and 70's. AMREP sold 77,000 lots to 40,000 buyers for
$200 million at $795 for one half acre and $1,495 for one acre, while
retaining over 25% of the acreage for future development. In 1966 the
100th family moved into the community and by 1970, “Rio Rancho Estates”
had grown to 91,000 acres with the purchase of an additional 35,000 acres
of King Ranch property. AMREP continued its interest and involvement in
the community and established its role in the development of the emerging
City as builder, land developer, economic development coordinator and
leader in the construction of affordable housing.
In 1975, AMREP ceased mail order land sales and began concentrating on
housing and commercial development. Beginning in 1977, AMREP marketed
most of its early subdivisions to retirees, but it soon shifted its focus
to providing affordable housing for young families. After Rio Rancho incorporated
on February 23, 1981, AMREP began promoting economic development to provide
a more favorable jobs/housing balance for the area and an economic base
to generate high paying jobs and tax revenues for the growing City. In
1980, the City had 1,500 jobs, less than one third of which were economic
base jobs that export goods and services out of the area and bring in
money. By 2000, employment in the City had increased to over 19,000 jobs,
over 10,000 of which were in the economic base category. The 1990's were
marked by Rio Rancho’s monumental steps forward with respect to its ability
to mature as a City – from bedroom community to a self-sustaining City.
The City acquired the Water and Wastewater Utility, established its own
school district, solicited the development of several post-secondary educational
facilities, elected to become a “Home Rule” Chartered community, achieved
the second lowest crime rate in the State of New Mexico and encouraged
the development of a variety of business through the development of efficient
public/private partnerships and through incentives such as industrial
revenue bonds.
Rio Rancho has also made exceptional strides toward becoming a self-sufficient
community by playing a leading role in the creation of economic base jobs
within the greater Albuquerque metropolitan area. The Intel Corporation,
as the world’s largest single producer of computer chips, has had a significant
positive economic impact on the community since 1980. While in 1997 and
1998, the City added about 4,500 jobs associated with the ”Call Center”
industry. Wholesale & Retail Trade employment accounts for approximately
23% of the employment distribution, up from 14% in 1982. As the City continues
to grow, diversification of the economy becomes more important in the
creation of a stable business development climate. The population of the
City has continued to grow from 9,985 in 1980, 51,765 in 2000 to approximately
62,000 today. If the current pace of growth continues at an annual 3.5%
growth rate, Rio Rancho is anticipated to double its current population
in twenty years, and have 100,000 residents by 2020.
Rio Rancho Links
City of Rio Rancho
Rio Rancho Chamber of Commerce
Rio Rancho Public Schools
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