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Rio Rancho, (Spanish: Río Rancho) a city northwest of Albuquerque, is the largest city and economic hub of Sandoval County in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest and fastest-growing city in New Mexico. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 51,765. The city's population was 66,599 as of the 2005 census estimate and is expected to reach 125,000 by 2010. Current population estimates for 2006/2007 place the number at 77,000. History
The Rio Rancho area was originally part of the Alameda Land Grant, which was founded by the Spanish in 1710. By the early twentieth century, much of the land grant had been sold to land investment companies. AMREP Southwest, Inc. purchased 55,000 acres in 1961 and turned the land into a housing development called "Rio Rancho Estates" with the first families moving in the early 1960s. The population grew tenfold between 1970 and 1980, and the City of Rio Rancho was incorporated in 1981. The opening of a large Intel Corporation plant in 1981 had a major economic impact on the city. Since the 1990s, Rio Rancho has taken steps to become more independent from neighboring Albuquerque, including the establishment of separate school and library systems and attempts to attract businesses to the area. The city's latest project is the Downtown City Centre development that includes a new city hall building and a multipurpose arena, Santa Ana Star Center. The project is scheduled for completion by the end of 2006. Research Tips
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