Rio Rancho : New mexico

Rio Rancho is the third-largest and also one of the fastest growing cities in New Mexico. As of the 2010 census, this new and suburban city had a population of 90,000, a 75% rise from 2000. It lies in the Albuquerque Basin to the west of the Rio Grande, about 12 miles from Albuquerque. Although the community is very popular with young families, we hear reports that some people of retirement age enjoy living here, some of them saying the community offers good value for the money. The housing and community have a suburban feel. Photo of The New City Hall courtesy of Wikipedia and AllenS (public domain).

It is in the beautiful state of New Mexico near mountains and the big city of Albuquerque. There is a community college.

You might have to drive down the hill for good shopping and restaurants.  Tends to be more for younger families than retirees.

People who want to be near the mountains of New Mexico and close to Albuquerque, but not in it, might enjoy living in Rio Rancho.

There are a fair number of good sized businesses in Rio Rancho, including Intel, which is by far the largest. There is considerable development going on including Mariposa, a 6,500-acre Development and the Rust Medical Center, which opened in 2011.

It is located 12 miles from Albuquerque in north central NM. January average temp is in the mid 30s and July avg temp in the mid 70s.  There is typically a few inches of snow per month in winter. The rest of the year is dry.

Restaurant chains are more likely than independents.  Univ of NM has a branch here, and there is also Central New Mexico Community College,.