Written by Mark T Fiedler - The Mark and Sheila Team July 16th, 2010
The City of Rio Rancho was named #51 in the Top 100 Places to Live and Launch (a business) by Money Magazine in their latest issue. In 2006, Rio Rancho was #56 on the list, and was #83 in 2008. While there is some controversy about the magazine’s methodology in selecting their top 100, there is no denying that many things have been going right in Rio Rancho in the past few years…. Economically, Rio Rancho has been attracting a number of new and well known companies to settle here. Housing prices have remained moderate compared with much of the country, and the ups and downs of the national economy have had a lesser effect locally. You can see the statistical results for the latest rating below.
Rio Rancho stats
City stats
Best places avg.
Median family income
(per year)
$66,971
$90,957
Job growth %
(2000-2009)*
67.48%
15.71%
Median home price
$168,625
$239,391
Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)
22.5%
22.9%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)
41.4%
22.9%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000)
3
2
Property crime incidents (per 1,000)
25
24
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)
1,316
2,967
High temp in July ° F
85.2°
86.2°
Low temp in Jan ° F
15.1°
21.3°
Median age
33.1
35.3
Financial
City stats
Best places avg.
Median family income
(per year)
$66,971
$90,957
Family purchasing power
(annual, cost-of-living adjusted)
$68,865
$86,860
State sales tax
5.12%
5.45%
State income tax rate
(highest bracket)
4.90%I
7.35%
State income tax rate
(lowest bracket)
1.70%I
2.96%
Auto insurance premiums
(Average price quotes, for the state)
$1,805
$1,707
Job growth %
(2000-2009)*
67.48%
15.71%
Housing
Median home price
$168,625
$239,391
Average property taxes
(2008)
$1,406
$3,418
Education
Colleges, universities and
professional schools (within 30 miles)
4
25
Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)
22.5%
22.9%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)
41.4%
22.9%
% students attending public/private
schools (located within town limits)
97.2/2.8
87.8/12.2
Quality of life
Air quality index*
(% of days AQI ranked as good)
68.0%
77.8%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000)
3
2
Property crime incidents (per 1,000)
25
24
Median commute time (in minutes)
25.0
21.4
% population with commute
45 mins. or longer
17.3%
13.6%
% population walk or bike to work
1.1%
3.6%
Leisure and culture
Movie theaters
(within 15 miles)
17
31
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)
1,316
2,967
Bars
(within 15 miles)
61
207
Public golf courses
(within 30 miles)
26
162
Libraries
(within 15 miles)
31
72
within 30 miles)
3
10
Ski resorts (within 100 miles)
4
12
Arts funding (Dollars per person of state funds spent on arts)
1.4
1.5
Weather
Annual rainfall
(inches)
13.99
37.40
% clear days in the area
46
29
High temp in July ° F
85.2°
86.2°
Low temp in Jan ° F
15.1°
21.3°
Meet the neighbors
Median age
33.1
35.3
Completed at least some college
(% of residents)
62.7%
71.5%
Married %
59.2%
56.6%
Divorced %
11.2%
8.4%
Racial diversity index
(100 is national average; higher numbers indicate greater diversity)
347.2
94.9
From the August 2010 issue
Notes: *County data
(I) Income tax notes:
The tax brackets reported are for single individuals. For married couples filing jointly, the same rates apply for income under $8,000 to over $24,000. Married households filing separately pay the tax imposed on half the income.
These states allow personal exemption or standard deductions as provided in the IRC.
Written by Mark T Fiedler - The Mark and Sheila Team July 13th, 2010
Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church is a small but growing congregation in Rio Rancho, NM. The church debuted as Rio Rancho Lutheran Mission in 1994, and adopted its current name when it joined the the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod in 1996. After holding services in a school cafeteria and a store front for several years, they built the first phase of their current facility on a hilltop near Pasilla Rd. and Highway 528. Reverend Kenneth DeSoto has been Pastor of the church since 2008.
In the Fall of 2002, the church opened a Christian Preschool, keeping the enrollment low, and quality high. Children 2 1/2 years through 5 years old are eligible for admission.
The address is 2400 Monterrey Road NE, Rio Rancho, NM 87144. The phone number is 505-867-9554. Visit their website for a schedule of services and events: http://www.shepherdofthehillsrr.org
Written by Mark T Fiedler - The Mark and Sheila Team July 7th, 2010
The Music in the Park series put on by the Rio Rancho Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department runs late Spring through the Summer at the Rotary Club Barbecue Pavilion at Haynes Park.
The activity is free, and people are encouraged to bring chairs, blankets and snacks. Sorry, they don’t allow anything harder than lemonade to drink. Most nights an ice cream truck shows up to offer cold treats. The video above features the Mudd Brothers Band.
Performances start at 7pm and end around 8:30. The rest of the 2010 season offerings are below:
July 11: Placitas Mountain Band (Bluegrass and Old Time Music)
July 18: Michael and Donna Coy (Folk)
July 25: Bosque Blues (Acoustic Blues Duo)
August 1: Rudy Boy Experiment (Hot Rockin’ Blues)
August 8: Dennis Higgins & The 2010 Band Folk (Folk, Blues & Contemporary Jazz)
August 15: Saints and Sinners (Classic Rock and Blues)
August 22: Twisted Mojo (Classic Blues, Rock and Soul)
August 29: Rio Rancho Symphonic Band (Symphonic Music)
*Musical acts subject to change
Haynes Park is located at 2006 Grande Blvd., which is across the street from Intel on N.M. 528/Pat D’Arco Highway.
For additional information, please call the city of Rio Rancho’s Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department at (505) 891-5015.
Written by Mark T Fiedler - The Mark and Sheila Team July 7th, 2010
When we visited Straight Chiropractic in Rio Rancho, we found it to be a really first-class operation. Their philosophy is that chiropractic care is not just about occasional adjustments, say when you are hurting, but is a part of a larger process of overall health care, including good nutrition, exercise, limiting the use of drugs and medications, etc. Dr. Brad Fackrell owns Straight Chiropractic, although other doctors practice alongside him as well. He offers weekly classes in the evening on a variety of subjects for patients and visitors who are interested in improving their health.
When patients commit to a program, they can come in for adjustments at times convenient to them, from very early to some evening hours. Dr Brad’s use of technology in his practice helps patients get in and back out quickly, while keeping the quality of care high. His office staff is friendly and knowledgeable, most often greeting patients by name on sight. We had the opportunity to sit in on a staff meeting at day’s end when filming there, and the positive attitude, the supportiveness and conviction of all the employees and doctors was astounding. In January of 2010, the practice moved into larger quarters within the same shopping center off Southern Blvd. You can reach Straight Chiropractic at 505 507-9355. They are located at 3301 Southern Blvd. Suite 105 (next to the Albertson’s Grocery Store)
(Note) On the first day we were filming at Straight Chiropractic the staff was holding a special event where everyone was wearing matching T-shirts. Although the office atmosphere is casual, Dr. Brad is usually dressed more conservatively than shown in parts of the video. The fact that he went on camera wearing the special T-shirt speaks to the fact that his focus is on patient health and wellness, which we believe is to his credit…
Written by Mark T Fiedler - The Mark and Sheila Team June 27th, 2010
We’ve been keeping an eye on the construction site for the new Green2V Solar factory, which was announced about 8 weeks ago. A construction office trailer, storage container, and a generator have been sitting on the large, cleared site for many weeks. Construction was projected to begin “June 1, 2010 or soon after” on the 125,000 sq ft 1st phase of the project, which could eventually hire 1500 local employees. Rio Rancho administrators have been waiting for the company to produce funding before the city completes the $6.9 Million land purchase for the factory.
This week there was some activity at the site – the generator was on, running the A/C for the building. Later, telephone equipment was being installed in the trailer, so it appears that the construction management company (Reid and Associates, it appears) is moving ahead with preparations to start work soon. We’ll keep you informed as further developments occur.
Written by Mark T Fiedler - The Mark and Sheila Team June 26th, 2010
Well, another of Mark and Sheila’s Neighborhood Yard Sales in Rio Rancho came to a successful conclusion today… The weather cooperated, with warm, but not hot temperatures, slightly elevated humidity, a light breeze, and it didn’t start to rain until an hour after the sale ended. Phew!
90 households (Yes – 90!) held sales in their own driveways in the Broadmoor, Ridges and Cascades areas – all within a few blocks of each other. If you haven’t experienced this before, to have this many yard sales in one place at the same time is truly a unique shopping experience. The fact is, if you started at 8:00 am and attempted to visit every sale site before they ended at 1:00 pm, (and spent just 30 seconds getting from site to site) you would only be able to spend 3 minutes going though the goodies at each location. Since we know that a number of people actually do make it all the way through the whole thing, it’s interesting to study their technique – evaluating the goods via drive-by, negotiating prices while their husband is already putting purchases in the car and Grandpa keeps it idling at the curb and maps the shortest route to the next sale site. It’s really intense!
Since by the morning of the sale most of our work of organizing things has already been completed, our job on sale day is to feed the Sellers and the Shoppers breakfast and snacks, to give out bottles of cold water to keep everybody hydrated, to arbitrate the occasional minor issue, and to keep the Shoppers shopping!
At the end of today’s sale we filled about 3/4 of our moving truck with donations of leftover sale goods. The books and tapes went to Friends of the Libray of Rio Rancho, and the household items went to support Big Brothers, Big Sisters.
The video shows just a few scenes from today’s activities. For a more complete view of what Mark and Sheila’s Neighborhood Yard Sale Series is about, plus dates and locations of our future sales, follow this link to our main Yard Sale web page.
Written by Mark T Fiedler - The Mark and Sheila Team June 20th, 2010
On June 12, 2010 around 1000 participants converged on Balloon Fiesta Park in Albuquerque for the 1st Annual Prostate Cancer Awareness Walk, dubbed the “Walk For Your Man”. Although 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetimes, a lot of men avoid going to the doctor for a simple test for the disease. The event name refers to the fact that often wives and partners are the ones that get educated and push their men to go have a PSA test or other screening.
The Prostate Cancer Support Association of New Mexico is a local non-profit that provides education, support, and encouragement to men and their families throughout the state in making informed decisions for the detection and management of prostate cancer. With state funding for their activities drying up, the organizers are hoping that this annual event will provide funding for their continued operations.
Chief Meteorologist Joe Diaz on KOAT TV was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2009 — a disease that killed his father years ago. Joe, KOAT, and a number of other corporate sponsors pledged and delivered funds, supplies and marketing for this worthwhile event. Joe has shared publicly how he dealt with the news, went through surgery, and how it all changed his – and his family’s – lives. Joe emceed the day and the station gave lots of air time to cover the event.
Joe’s wife Diane Diaz, who is a Senior Buyer Representative with the Mark & Sheila Real Estate Team at Coldwell Banker Legacy, raised hundreds of dollars in donations from Coldwell Banker Associates, staff and affiliates, including Legacy Mortgage. However, perhaps more importantly, the combined effort of all involved raised the awareness of the disease (and the need to get screened) of tens of thousands in the Albuquerque Metro area.
Written by Mark T Fiedler - The Mark and Sheila Team May 23rd, 2010
The Idalia Road Marketplace is an outdoor shopping hub of great food, arts and crafts, music, entertainment, and local and organic fresh produce. The next time you’re looking for someplace different to go on a Saturday or Sunday morning, give IRM a try. Don’t eat breakfast before you go… you can get a great breakfast burrito, a fruit smoothie, great coffee, and some luscious French pastries there! I visited today, and bought some fresh yellow squash, some HUGE Haas avocados and some fresh corn on the cob – all for about 30-40% less than the price I’d pay at a commercial grocery store (they were bigger and fresher too)! This is the first outdoor marketplace in the Rio Rancho area, and the owners (Marc and Phyllis Calderwood) have gone all out to provide a great retail space for the vendors, and a pleasant and different experience for shoppers. Give it a try!
