Bernalillo County () is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 676,444. The county seat, Albuquerque, is the most populous city in New Mexico. Bernalillo County is the central county of the Albuquerque, NM Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Bernalillo County was one of seven partidos established during Mexican rule; in 1852, within two years of the creation of the New Mexico Territory, Bernalillo became one of that territory's nine original counties. The towns of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque and Bernalillo were previously the county seats, but the capital was finally established in Albuquerque in 1883. In 1876, it absorbed Santa Ana County.

In 1906, years after the Land Revision Act of 1891 provided for the setting aside of forest reserves, the parts of Bernalillo County currently known as Cibola National Forest were established as reserves.

USS LST-306, a World War II tank landing ship that participated in the Allied invasion of Italy, was renamed as USS Bernalillo County in 1955. Sandia Mountain Wilderness was created in 1978 and the Petroglyph National Monument was established in June 1990.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.5%) is water. It is the third-smallest county in New Mexico by area.

Bernalillo County is in central New Mexico, and "stretches from the East Mountain area (just east of the Sandia Mountains) to the Volcano Cliffs on the west mesa."

Adjacent counties

  • Sandoval County - north
  • Santa Fe County - east
  • Torrance County - east
  • Valencia County - south
  • Cibola County - west

National protected areas

  • Cibola National Forest (part)
  • El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail (part)
  • Petroglyph National Monument

Demographics

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In presidential elections prior to 1992, Bernalillo County primarily voted for Republican Party candidates, supporting only three Democratic candidates in six elections total. (Franklin D. Roosevelt four times, Harry S. Truman and Lyndon B. Johnson once each).

From 1992 on, the county has backed Democratic Party candidates in every presidential election. While the margins were relatively narrow from 1992 to 2004, since then the county has tilted strongly Democratic similar to many urban counties nationwide.

The region around Nob Hill and Downtown, which includes the University of New Mexico, is where the greatest Democratic strength in the county lies, with parts of the North Valley near the river also contributing. The Isleta Reservation in the southern strip of the county is also a highly Democratic region. The majority Hispanic South Valley, as well as Atrisco and Armijo, which have long been Democratic strongholds, have been trending strongly toward the Republican party, with several precincts flipping in the 2024 election. Republican strength in the county lies east of Tijeras, in parts of the southeast near Kirtland Air Force Base, and for a long time in much of the Northeast Heights region. This latter area showed a Democratic trend in the 2024 election.

Communities

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A local toponymic oddity is that the town of Bernalillo, north of Albuquerque, is no longer in Bernalillo County. When established in 1852, the county was named for the town of Bernalillo. But the latter was incorporated into the newly established Sandoval County in 1903.

:Bracketed number refers to location on map, right

Cities

  • Albuquerque (3) (county seat)
  • Rio Rancho (partial)

Town

  • Edgewood (partial)

Villages

  • Los Ranchos de Albuquerque (1)
  • Tijeras (6)

Census-designated places

  • Carnuel (9)
  • Cedar Crest (5)
  • Cedro
  • Chilili (8)
  • Edith Enclave
  • Isleta (7)
  • Kirtland AFB
  • Manzano Springs (partial)
  • North Valley (2)
  • Paa-Ko
  • Pajarito Mesa
  • Paradise Hills
  • Ponderosa Pine
  • San Antonito
  • Sandia Heights
  • Sandia Knolls
  • Sandia Park
  • Sedillo
  • South Valley (4)

Unincorporated communities

  • Alameda
  • Barton
  • Cañoncito
  • Isleta Pueblo
  • Laguna Pueblo
  • Sandia Pueblo (partial)
  • Zuzax

Education

There are three school districts in the county:

  • Albuquerque Public Schools
  • Moriarty Municipal Schools
  • Rio Rancho Public Schools

Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) schools:

  • Isleta Elementary School
  • Albuquerque Indian School (closed)

Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI), a BIE community college, is in an unincorporated area in the county.

Transportation

Major highways

  • / (unsigned)

Intercity rail

  • Amtrak serves Albuquerque with a station located adjacent to the Alvarado Transportation Center. It is on the Southwest Chief line which runs between Los Angeles and Chicago.

Public transportation

  • ABQ RIDE provides public transit bus service to Albuquerque. In addition to local and express service, it operates the Albuquerque Rapid Transit (ART) bus rapid transit lines, which replaced the Rapid Ride BRT system in 2020.
  • New Mexico Rail Runner Express (NMRX) operates a commuter rail service between Belen and Santa Fe, with stops in Bernalillo County including the Alvarado Transportation Center (the main hub of ABQ Ride) in downtown Albuquerque.

Air

  • Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ) is the major airport serving Albuquerque and Central New Mexico.

See also

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Bernalillo County, New Mexico

References