Did You Know – February 2024

Sandoval County has always been rich in culture and business enterprise. It was a thriving area for centuries well before Don Francisco de Coronado explored and camped near present-day Bernalillo in 1540. Prehistoric artifacts in many areas of the County date back thousands of years, with archaeological finds suggesting that Sandia Man lived and hunted in the area thousands of years ago.

In 1842, parts of Sandoval County had origins in Santa Ana County when the Mexican government created seven political subdivisions, known as partidos. In 1876, Bernalillo County absorbed Santa Ana County. Then, in 1903, nine years before New Mexico’/s statehood, Sandoval County was created from the northern part of Bernalillo County. The area that forms Los Alamos County was separated from Sandoval County in 1949.

Today Sandoval County is the fastest-growing county in New Mexico. It encompasses 3,714 square miles of diverse geography and has a population of approximately 154,000 people. Sandoval County includes the incorporated municipalities of Bernalillo, Cuba, Corrales, Jemez Springs, Rio Rancho, San Ysidro, and the Town of Cochiti Lake as well as numerous unincorporated communities, and all or portions of 12 Indian Pueblos and Tribal Nations.