Rio Rancho, New Mexico

Rio Rancho, New Mexico
City
Seal
Nickname:  "The City of Vision"
Location within Sandoval County
Rio Rancho Location within New Mexico Show map of New Mexico Rio Rancho Location within the United States Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 35°17′10″N 106°40′14″W / 35.28611°N 106.67056°W / 35.28611; -106.67056
Country	United States
State	New Mexico
Counties	Sandoval, Bernalillo
Founded	1961
Incorporated	1981
Government
• Mayor	Gregg Hull (R)[citation needed]
Area [1]
• City	103.62 sq mi (268.38 km2)
• Land	103.36 sq mi (267.70 km2)
• Water	0.26 sq mi (0.67 km2)
Elevation [2]	5,509 ft (1,679 m)
Population  (2020)[3]
• City	131,852
• Density	1,006.63/sq mi (388.66/km2)
• Metro	910,950 (Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area)
Time zone	UTC−07:00 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−06:00 (Mountain)
ZIP Codes	87124, 87144, 87174[4]
Area code	505
FIPS code	35-63460
GNIS feature ID	2410954[2]
Primary Airport	Albuquerque International Sunport ABQ (Major/International)
Secondary Airport	Double Eagle II Airport KAEG (Public)
Website	www.rrnm.gov

Rio Rancho (Spanish: Río Rancho) is the largest and most populous city in Sandoval County, part of the expansive Albuquerque metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of New Mexico. A small portion of the city extends into northern Bernalillo County.

It is the third-largest city in New Mexico, and one of the most rapidly growing. As of the 2020 census, Rio Rancho had a population of 104,046.^[5] The name Rio Rancho derives from Los Ranchos, the Spanish colonial ranches established along the Rio Grande in the Albuquerque Basin, and throughout historic Nuevo México. There were large ranches also in neighboring Corrales. Since the late 20th century, it has developed as a suburb of Albuquerque.