Bernalillo, New Mexico

Bernalillo, New Mexico
Town
Bernalillo Town Hall, May 2009
Location of Bernalillo, New Mexico
Coordinates: 35°18′50″N 106°33′08″W / 35.31389°N 106.55222°W / 35.31389; -106.55222
Country	United States
State	New Mexico
County	Sandoval
Founded	1695
Government
• Mayor	Jack Torres
Area [1]
• Total	5.296 sq mi (13.717 km2)
• Land	5.258 sq mi (13.619 km2)
• Water	0.038 sq mi (0.099 km2)
Elevation [2]	5,053 ft (1,540 m)
Population  (2020)[3]
• Total	8,977
• Estimate  (2023)[4]	9,114
• Density	1,733/sq mi (669.2/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain (MST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
ZIP Code	87004
Area code	505
FIPS code	35-06970
GNIS feature ID	2411678[2]
Sales tax	6.94%[5]
Website	bernco.gov

Bernalillo (/ˌbɜːrnəˈliːjoʊ/) is a town in and the county seat of Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States.^[6] The population was 8,977 at the 2020 census.^[3]

Bernalillo is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area.

In the 1620s, the wine grape was introduced to Bernalillo by the Catholic priests and Spaniards. The wine industry grew rapidly since. Families were making their own wine and the vineyards were flourishing. The market dipped due to drought and floods. Slowly over time, the wine industry came back into Bernalillo and has sustained its health today, becoming a tradition and staple within the town itself.^{[citation needed]}

The town has embraced its wine heritage and hosts the New Mexico Wine festival yearly during each Labor Day. The event brings in people from all of New Mexico as well as tourists. The event has served as an economic development project for the area as well.^[7]

Bernalillo lies in the Rio Grande Valley of the Albuquerque Basin on the east bank of the Rio Grande. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.296 square miles (13.72 km²), of which 5.258 square miles (13.62 km²) is land and 0.038 square miles (0.10 km²), or 2.34% is water^[1]

As of the 2020 census, there were 8,977 people, 3,563 households, and 2,367 families residing in the town.^[10] The population density was 1,837.7 inhabitants per square mile (709.5/km²). There were 3,801 housing units. The racial makeup of the town was 44.2% White, 0.7% African American, 6.6% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 24.5% from some other races and 23.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 63.8% of the population.^[11] 14.7% of residents were under the age of 18, 3.6% were under 5 years of age, and 25.2% were 65 and older.

As of the 2000 census, there were 6,611 people, 2,309 households, and 1,724 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,436.9 inhabitants per square mile (554.8/km²). There were 2,473 housing units at an average density of 537.5 per square mile (207.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 60.17% White, 0.74% African American, 3.92% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 31.34% from other races, and 3.63% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 74.75% of the population. Most of these are descendants of colonial Spanish and Mexican settlers in the area from the 16th through the 19th century.

There were 2,309 households, out of which 40.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples living together, 18.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.3% were non-families. 20.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.30.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 31.0% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 9.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $30,864, and the median income for a family was $36,286. Males had a median income of $27,417 versus $22,125 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,100. About 13.9% of families and 18.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.4% of those under age 18 and 16.3% of those age 65 or over.

Most of Bernalillo is in the Bernalillo Public Schools district. Some is in the Jemez Valley Public Schools district.^[12] The former operates Bernalillo High School.

Anton Docher, who became known as "The Padre of Isleta", first served as a priest in Bernalillo after coming as a missionary to the United States from France. He later served for decades in Isleta.^[13]

Bernalillo Courthouse is the setting for the marriage between Jimmy "Saul Goodman" McGill and Kim Wexler in Better Call Saul.

Bernalillo is mentioned several times in Willa Cather's 1927 novel Death Comes for the Archbishop.

Sam Shepard's play The Late Henry Moss is set "on the outskirts of" Bernalillo.

Bernalillo is mentioned and is the scene of part of the action in Ben Sanders book "American Blood" Allen and Unwin 2015

• 
  Historic Santuario de San Lorenzo, Bernalillo
• 
  Entrance, Santuario de San Lorenzo
• 
  Kuaua ruins, Coronado State Monument, 1940
• 
  Downtown Bernalillo Rail Runner station, Bernalillo
• 
  Pueblo Style House - Coronado State Monument
• 
  US Route 550 with Sandia Mountains

• List of municipalities in New Mexico

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Bernalillo.

Media related to Bernalillo, New Mexico at Wikimedia Commons