What is the general opinion of Rio Rancho among Alb. people? (Albuquerque: fit in, rent)

[mmckenna]

Is it considered a nice, respectable community? Really family oriented, or with a mix of married and single?

[rotorhead]

It depends on where you live and how long you've been here, and about which part of Rio Rancho you're talking about. Its a medium sized city all on its own, and not homogenious at all. There are some pretty nice parts, and some really low-rent parts.

People on the E. side who have been here a while tend to think of Rio Rancho as a sort of low-income suburb, but its really not these days. People from the W. side sort of forget that Albuquerque exists at all sometimes, as pretty much everthing you could need on a day-to-day basis is available on the W. side.

The truth is that many of Rio Ranchos residents live there and work in ABQ, leading to the traffic problems on the bridges during rush hour. Relatively few make the commute the other way around.

[mortimer]

rotorhead posted (at 1 am while I was sound asleep):

> many of Rio Ranchos residents live there and work in ABQ,
> leading to the traffic problems on the bridges during rush
> hour. Relatively few make the commute the other way around.

I wonder what the numbers are?

Many people reading these Rio Rancho - related threads might
not know that Rio Rancho has had a huge driver in terms of the
Intel factories over there. Two of the factories, one closed,
the other closing (for now) were at one time, the largest
semiconductor factories in the world. The RR complex has also
been the largest semiconductor complex in the world at times,
but that's not going to happen again.

Perhaps 10,000 or so people directly depend on Intel for their
job - either as a direct employee or a contractor or a vendor.

When it was built, it was pretty much all alone and now the
retail and residential complexes around it probably employ
10,000 more people.

Some of them come from the East side of ABQ in a reverse commute
which is hectic, but pretty quick to drive. I imagine some people
live within walking distance of Intel and ironically, drive across
the river to a job over there.

Just guessing, but I betcha 90% of working people in Rio Rancho
drive across the river to their job and I betcha 75% of those
10,000 'Intel people' also crose the river.

[Zoidberg]

To a lot of us longtime Albuquerque residents, Rio Rancho represents most of the bad aspects of growth. Rio Rancho residents crowd Albuquerque streets without paying city taxes to support them, cause Albuquerque pollution without complying with Bernco emissions, and (up until the formation of their own school district) caused horrendous overcrowding in a school district with no say on when enough was enough.

Rio Ranchans (?) are also viewed as outsiders. At first New Yorkers, then now mainly non-Albuquerque New Mexicans, Rio Rancho doesn't quite fit in with the rest of the town. Many of us feel like newcomers moving to Rio Rancho to get a feel of the southwest is like going camping and blasting your radio.

Today, Rio Rancho is less like an unwanted baby and more like a tolerated little brother to Albuquerque.

Might explain the hostility if nothing else does..

[abqsunport]

Rio Rancho is typically a lower rent / lower housing cost. suburb, but it is relatively clean and has several modern facitlities.

I read in the paper that Rio Rancho doesn't want to be included as the Albuquerque Metro and that it should be the Albuquerque-Rio Rancho Metro. Well Rio Rancho, Albuquerque is 5 1/2 times bigger than you and your city limits are not big enough to ever be bigger than Albuquerque (or even comparable), so until then, you can be Albuquerque's little brother. Especially because it wasn't that long ago when you guys were considered the outskirts of Albuquerque and Rio Rancho was nothing more than Paradise Hills. I find it so rediculous that a community that was based on Albuquerque's jobs doesn't want to be part of the Albuquerque Metro. Whatever! Rant over!

Anyway, it is a nice enough community. There are a lot of families and singles out there. There is only one huge high school at the moment, but another is on its way. Traffic is terrible (comparitively to other parts of Albuquerque.) It is considered one of the more upscale suburbs (Corrales, Los Ranchos, Placitas, are still nicer).

[rotorhead]

Yeah Morty, I'm a night owl. :>)

It's the only time of day that I can get on the computer without the "help" of our three-year old. Good thing he sleeps in late most days.

Ironically, our family is one of the few that commutes from E. to W. for work, and I can tell you that the traffic coming into RR during the morning rush hour is a tiny fraction of the traffic going the other way.

All of the established traffic patterns in both cities are bound to change with the gigantic suburban developments planned for Mesa Del Sol and and the (Atrisco?) land grant W. of Rio Rancho. The numbers they're talking are HUGE, like 50,000 homes in each. Where they're going to find buyers for those homes is a complete mystery, there is nothing like that number of jobs available in the forseeable future here in NM.

[onelilredrose]

Ooooo-K...
WOW, I had no idea some Albuquerque residents had such harsh feeling about Rio Rancho. I feel kinda like an unwanted step-child now...
I don't think I've ever had conversation with friends and neighbors declaring how we should be Albuquerque-Rio Rancho metro area.
I do recall having conversations about how I wish we could get more businesses in Rio Rancho so we do not have to drive into "the city" and spend all our money there. We would like to be able put our money back into our community.
I do like enjoying our exclusion from Albuquerque's crime stastics! And the fact that most view us as a small town located close to a big city (convience to ammenities), but there again, are people leaving Rio Rancho to go into Albuquerque to spend their money. I know most of those I know do avoid going into Albuquerque, to avoid the hustle and bustle of the city, and avoid the traffic!
Mortimer, I think you have a very good insight there, as I work in a call center where over 2/3rds of our employees live in Albuquerque and drive here to Rio Rancho to work.

[Zoidberg]

I think it bears saying that most Albuquerque residents are nice and welcoming, even to Rio Rancho residents. Most of us separate the person from the community. If you work with us in Albuquerque, we'd be happier if you lived near us in Albuquerque.

Interestingly enough, particularly downtown and near freeways, crimes that occur in Albuquerque are often perpetrated by out-of-towners, who have no better outlet for their lifestyle where they live, and make the journey into town. We have our local criminals too, but as the entertainment and transportation hub of the state, we carry additional burden.

I think it's also kind of ironic that the traffic that Rio Rancho residents complain about on the west side, bridges, and north I-25, is full of Rio Rancho residents.

[mmckenna]

The people who fill those houses will be moving out of Massacusetts, like me! Also like me, many people are now "consultants" who work from home and can live anywhere they want, even though the companies they consult with are in other states. So the jobs don't always have to be IN that area.

Originally Posted by rotorhead

Yeah Morty, I'm a night owl. :>)

It's the only time of day that I can get on the computer without the "help" of our three-year old. Good thing he sleeps in late most days.

Ironically, our family is one of the few that commutes from E. to W. for work, and I can tell you that the traffic coming into RR during the morning rush hour is a tiny fraction of the traffic going the other way.

All of the established traffic patterns in both cities are bound to change with the gigantic suburban developments planned for Mesa Del Sol and and the (Atrisco?) land grant W. of Rio Rancho. The numbers they're talking are HUGE, like 50,000 homes in each. Where they're going to find buyers for those homes is a complete mystery, there is nothing like that number of jobs available in the forseeable future here in NM.

[LLD]

Interesting -- first I'd say, take things with a grain of salt and don't assume that a small amount of posting on city-data is representative. It could be, but most likely is not.

I think there are several reasons people choose RR over Albuquerque -- in RR you get more for your money. Houses in Albuquerque were older, over priced and smaller comparatively speaking. And many people don't like the high crime stats in some areas of Albuquerque and incorrectly equate that to all of Albuquerque. Also, I'd have to see some evidence that most Albuquerque crime is by non-Albuquerque people -- just don't believe that. Albuquerque has had a high crime stat associated it with it for decades from what I understand. Just like New Mexico has a high incidence of drunk driving and I don't think that is because people from Arizona, Texas and Colorado are driving drunk across the border. :-)

Albuquerque is the largest population in the state so has a bit more probability for more positive and negative things occurring within its boundaries. I completely agree that the RR government gets too big for its britches and needs to get with it in terms of participating in a regional plan for transportation and services etc.

I've been here almost three years and frankly I haven't noticed one iota of negativity or resentment from people of Albuquerque to people of Rio Rancho.

Albuquerque is just one big metro area like any other metro area in the US and has its suburbs and bedroom communities etc. and the standard associated growing pains and coordination issues between various governmental municipalities.