About Sandoval County

County History

Sandoval County has been a place rich in diverse cultures and thriving businesses for hundreds of years, well before 1504 when Don Francisco de Coronado explored and camped near the present-day Town of Bernalillo. The County was founded in 1903, nine years before New Mexico was granted statehood. Prehistoric artifacts discovered in many areas of the County date back thousands of years.

In 1842, parts of Sandoval County had origins in Santa Ana County when the Mexican government created seven political subdivisions, known as partidos. Then, in 1876, Bernalillo County absorbed Santa Ana County. Later, in 1903, Sandoval County was created from the northern part of Bernalillo County. This is why the Town of Bernalillo is not in Bernalillo County, N.M. The area that forms Los Alamos County was separated from Sandoval County in 1949.

The County Today

Sandoval County is the third most populous county in New Mexico, and the fastest-growing county in the state. Recognized for its flourishing industry hubs of bioscience, defense, education, healthcare, technology, and tourism, Sandoval County also boasts more than 800,000 acres of ranches and farms, illustrating its mix of business and agriculture.

The County encompasses 3,714 square miles with a population of more than 160,000. It comprises the City of Rio Rancho, the third-largest city in the state, the incorporated municipalities of the Town of Bernalillo, the Town of Cochiti Lake, and the Villages of Cuba, Corrales, Jemez Springs, and San Ysidro, numerous unincorporated communities, and all or portions of 10 Pueblos and two Tribal Nations. This significant representation earns the County the distinction of having the second-highest concentration of Native American communities in a county in the United States. These sovereign nations include the Pueblos of Cochiti, Jemez, Laguna, San Felipe, San Ildefonso, Sandia, Santa Ana, Santa Clara, Santo Domingo (Kewa), and Zia; the Navajo Chapters of Counselor, Ojo Encino, and Torreon/Star Lake; and the Jicarilla Apache Nation.