Reno (Spanish for "Rio Rancho") is a city in New Mexico, USA, about 60 miles east of Albuquerque. It is located on the Rio Grande in the northeast of the city and borders the counties of Corral del Rio, San Luis Obispo, El Paso and San Diego. Besides the city limits, Rio Ranche is home to the Sandoval County Municipal Court, which serves as a hub for the district's judicial affairs.
The weekly Rio Rancho Observer is the local newspaper, as is a localized weekly edition of the Albuquerque Journal. The ranchers of Rio also act as local radio stations for local news and information about local events. The station features local sports, news, sports and entertainment as well as local and national news about Rio Ranche and local events such as the annual New Mexico State Fair and the San Diego County Fair.
Rio Rancho is also home to the New Mexico State Fair and San Diego County Fair, as well as other local events such as concerts, festivals and events.
The Rio Metro commuter bus line provides service to Cuba, NM via a park-and-ride system designed for the Home Depot at the corner of NM 528 and NM 550. This service connects residents of Enchanted Hills with the New Mexico State Fair and San Diego County Fair, connects them with residents of Rio Rancho and provides service during morning and evening commutes. There is a RioMetro bus service between US 550 and Rail Runner stations. A number of events, such as the annual UNM Summer Concert Series, are also held within walking distance of the UNM campus.
In addition, there are two public charter schools in Rio Rancho, the ASK Academy and Cyber Academy, both focused on science, technology, engineering and math education, and currently serving grades 6-12.
The Albuquerque Department of Transit (ABQ RIDE) operates bus lines that connect Rio Rancho with Albuquerque International Airport, the New Mexico State Fair Grounds and the Santa Fe Express. The Rio Metro Regional Transportation District operates a bus service between Albuquerque and Albuquerque City Hall, as well as the Albuquerque City Public Transportation System.
Since February 2012, Rio Rancho has been home to the New Mexico State Fair Grounds, the largest competition for strong men in the United States. It is also home to the Strongman Association, an amateur organization dedicated to promoting and organizing strong-men competitions in New Mexico.
In recent years, Rio Rancho has taken steps to become more independent of neighboring Albuquerque, including building the Star Center, a multi-million-dollar hotel and restaurant complex, to attract businesses to the area. Starting in the fall of 2010, the Star Center was home to New Mexico's first football team, New York City FC. Before moving to Albuquerque in 2006 and closing in 2009, it was home to a high school football team, a men's and a women's basketball team for many years.
The latest project of the city is the development of the city center, which includes the Star Center, a multi-million dollar hotel and restaurant complex. The signal is transmitted by the city of Rio Rancho as it is part of the New Mexico Public Broadcasting System (NMPBS) network. It is the only public radio station in the Albuquerque area and one of only a handful in New York City to broadcast from a small rural area north of downtown Albuquerque.
Rio Rancho is a dry climate due to its location in the western part of New Mexico and its proximity to the Colorado River. Between 8 and 90 cm of rainfall falls every year, with the western part of the city recording slightly more rain and snow, while the eastern part has developed more densely.
The vast majority of Rio Rancho was originally part of the Alameda Foundation, which was founded in 1710 by Spanish settlers. Amrep Corporation acquired 55,000 acres (22,000 hectares) in 1961 and turned the land into a housing estate called Rio Rancho Estates, where the first families moved in in the early 1960s. In the 1970s and 1980s, the population increased tenfold and in 1981 it was incorporated into the Rio Ranche. The name Riorancho derives from the ranch that stretches along the Rio Grande from historic Nuevo Mexico to the Albuquerque Basin, including the neighboring Corrales.
At the end of January 2011, ABQ RIDE introduced Rio Rancho, expanded its partnership with Rio Aggregate Services, Inc., a subsidiary of Amrep Corporation, and introduced the first water quality test in the state of New Mexico. RioAggregate was put on the sidewalk in 2010 and conducted its first test on a 3,500-acre stretch of the Rio Ranche in San Juan County, Nuevo Mexico, near the city of Albuquerque, NM, in collaboration with the Albuquerque Department of Water and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, according to the company's website. The owner and president is Craig Bennetts, a new company based in the Mohave Valley with offices in Las Cruces, Arizona and Albuquerque.