Sandoval

Formed January 1, 1903 (22^nd county)

Sandoval County (148,829), Bernalillo (9,004), Rio Rancho (104,039)

The brown stucco facility in the middle of this small community is perfect for the surrounding environment.  The courthouse is located on Camino del Pueblo at Calle Corte.  Interstate Highway 25 passes one mile to the east.  The Colonial Revival facility was originally built in 1928 and remodeled in 1975.  George M. Williamson provided the designs.  It features columns and veteran memorials on the grounds.  A Judicial Complex was added in 2005 and an Administrative Building in 2010.  This county was created on January 1, 1903 from Bernalillo County as the 22^nd county with Bernalillo as the only county seat.  The county seat was named for settlers, the Bernal family.  Bernalillo County has the same source for its name. 

Sandoval County government consists of a manager, a sheriff, a treasurer, an attorney, an assessor, and a clerk (executive).  It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.)  Ten District Court Judges serve Sandoval, Cibola, and Valencia counties (judicial.)  Sandoval County is in the north central part of the state.  Albuquerque, New Mexico is directly south and Santa Fe, New Mexico is east of the site.  The Rio Grande flows through the eastern part of the county.  The county center is 27.9 miles Northwest of Bernalillo nearer Jemez Pueblo.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Rio Arriba, Los Alamos, Santa Fe, Bernalillo, Cibola, McKinley, and San Juan counties. 

The area of the county is 3710 square miles.  It is 18 out of 33 in the state.  It ranks 4 out of 33 in population in the state.  It has a density of 40.1 persons per square mile making it 6 out of 33 in the state.  Sandoval County has 82.3% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 25 enters from the northeast, Santa Fe County, and exits to the south, Bernalillo County.  United States Highway 550 comes from Rio Arriba County on the northwest and terminates.  The county’s shape is a chair facing toward the east.  Bernalillo is in the extreme southeast part of the county.  Rio Rancho is on the southern border and extends into Bernalillo County.  Bernalillo is the county seat and Rio Rancho is the largest city.  Bernalillo is 6.1% of the county population while Rio Rancho is 69.9% of the county population.  The county is pronounced SAN-DOE-VAL.  The seat is pronounced BUR-NA-LEE-YO.  This county is in the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Rio Rancho