Rio Rancho Marks 45th Anniversary With Officials, Business Leaders, Community Celebration

A celebration for Rio Rancho Day at The Neighborhood in Loma Colorado on Wednesday marked 45 years since the city's incorporation, drawing a broad cross-section of elected officials, business owners, legislators and residents to honor a milestone that almost never happened.

Jerry Schalow, president and CEO of the Rio Rancho Regional Chamber of Commerce, recounted the origins of the city's founding push. "How that happened was, back in incorporation of the city Rio Rancho, it failed twice and business leaders got together, they took a trip to Durango, (Colorado) and they were walking down the strip in Durango, and there was a chamber of commerce. So they went down there and asked, 'What does the Chamber of Commerce do?'" Within a year, Schalow said, the business community went door to door to every resident in Rio Rancho to campaign for incorporation. "Hence, 45 years later, you're living in the best city in the Southwest."

Schalow recognized the accolades Rio Rancho has earned over the years, including its placement on the Top 100 Cities in the Southwest for three consecutive years, though he also acknowledged with humor that the city has been ranked the sixth-best place to retire on realtor.com.

Rio Rancho was incorporated in 1981, when its population had reached 10,000. Today, the city's population stands at 112,524, making it the largest and most populous city in Sandoval County.

The guest list at The Neighborhood spanned nearly every sector of the county's civic and commercial life. Elected officials in attendance included Councilor Bob Tyler of the City of Rio Rancho, Sandoval County Commissioner Kenneth Eichwald, Sandoval County Commissioner Dora Dominguez, Mayor Jack Torres of the Town of Bernalillo, Mayor JoAnne Roake of the Village of Corrales, and Mayor Richard Velarde III of the Village of Cuba. Representatives from Rio Rancho Public Schools, Intel, PNM and New Mexico Gas Company were also present, alongside leaders from local nonprofits including WESST, St. Felix Pantry and Haven House, and business owners from firms including Brycon, Lectrosonics, Insight Lighting, Aeroparts and Realty One of New Mexico.

Community institutions with deep roots in Sandoval County were represented as well, including the Rio Rancho Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club of Rio Rancho, New Mexico Highlands University and the Sandoval Health Collaborative. Carey Plant of the Rio Rancho Observer was also among those gathered at the event.

AMREP Southwest laid the foundation for what would become "The City of Vision," beginning with the purchase of a 55,000-acre ranch northwest of Albuquerque in the 1960s, and the development company was represented at the celebration. The opening of a large Intel Corporation plant in 1981 generated numerous jobs and had positive economic effects for the city, and Intel's presence in Rio Rancho has only grown since, with Erika Edgerly representing the company at the anniversary event.

The gathering underscored how profoundly the city's civic fabric has expanded in 45 years: from a community that had to knock on doors twice before voters approved self-governance, to one whose anniversary draws mayors from across Sandoval County and business leaders representing industries from semiconductor manufacturing to compounding pharmacy.