Rio Rancho is a
suburb of
Albuquerque located northwest of the city. The second largest city in
New Mexico, it boasts a population of around 60,000. Unlike many suburbs, it is more than a
bedroom community;
Intel has a large chip manufacturing plant there. There are no
freeways connecting Rio Rancho to Albuquerque, so residents are forced to take
surface roads into town.
"Rio Rancho" means "river ranch" in Spanish.