Bernalillo () is a town in

Sandoval County Sandoval County is located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the population was 131,561, making it the fourth-most populous county in New Mexico. The county seat is Bernalillo, New Mexico, Bernali ...

, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 8,320. It is the county seat of

. Bernalillo is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Wine Festival

In the 1620s, the wine grape was introduced to Bernalillo and the wine industry blew up. Families were making their own wine from scratch and vineyards were flourishing. Unfortunately, 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. 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.

Geography

Bernalillo is located at (35.309363, -106.552032). It lies in the Rio Grande Valley of the

Albuquerque Basin The Albuquerque Basin (or Middle Rio Grande Basin) is a structural basin and ecoregion within the Rio Grande rift in central New Mexico. It contains the city of Albuquerque. Geologically, the Albuquerque Basin is a half-graben that slopes down to ...

on the east bank of the

Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The length of the Rio G ...

. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (2.34%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 6,611 people, 2,309 households, and 1,724 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,436.9 people per square mile (554.9/km²). There were 2,473 housing units at an average density of 537.5 per square mile (207.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 60.17% White, 0.74% African American, 3.92% Native American, 0.20%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 31.34% from other races, and 3.63% from two or more races. Hispanic or

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

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 Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

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.

Education

Most of Bernalillo is in the

Bernalillo Public Schools Bernalillo Public Schools is a school district headquartered in Bernalillo, New Mexico. History As of 1970 Hispanic and Latino people are the majority ethnic group in the area. Prior to 1969 the school board had five members. To encourage electio ...

district. Some is in the

Jemez Valley Public Schools Jemez Valley Public Schools is a public school district based in Jemez Pueblo, New Mexico, United States. With a total area of , it has territory in central Sandoval County. The school district has a total of 4 schools: 1 high school, 1 middle sc ...

district. The former operates Bernalillo High School.

Cultural references

Anton Docher Anton Docher (1852–1928), born Antonin Jean Baptiste Docher (pronounced ɑ̃tɔnɛ̃ ʒɑ̃ batist dɔʃe), was a French Franciscan Roman Catholic priest, who served as a missionary to Native Americans in New Mexico, in the Southwest of t ...

, 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 Pueblo of Isleta ( tix, Shiewhibak , kjq, Dîiw'a'ane ; nv, Naatoohó ) is an unincorporated community and Tanoan pueblo in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States, originally established in the . The Southern Tiwa name of the pueblo ...

.Leo Crane. ''Desert Drums: the Pueblo Indians of New Mexico, 1540-1928.'' Rio Grande Press: 1972 Bernalillo Courthouse is the setting for the marriage between Jimmy "Saul Goodman" McGill and Kim Wexler in

Better Call Saul ''Better Call Saul'' is an American crime and legal drama television series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. Part of the ''Breaking Bad'' franchise, it is a spin-off of Gilligan's previous series, '' Breaking Bad'', and serves as a ...

. Bernalillo is mentioned several times in Willa Cather's 1927 novel ''

Death Comes for the Archbishop ''Death Comes for the Archbishop'' is a 1927 novel by American author Willa Cather. It concerns the attempts of a Catholic bishop and a priest to establish a diocese in New Mexico Territory. The novel's U.S. copyright expired on January 1, 20 ...

''. 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

Gallery

File:Bernalillo church.jpg, Historic Santuario de San Lorenzo, Bernalillo File:Santuario de San Lorenzo.jpg, Entrance, Santuario de San Lorenzo File:Kuaua ruins, Coronado State Monument, 1940.jpg, Kuaua ruins, Coronado State Monument, 1940 File:Downtown Bernalillo Rail Runner station, Bernalillo NM.jpg, Downtown Bernalillo Rail Runner station, Bernalillo File:Pueblo Style House - Coronado State Monument.JPG, Pueblo Style House - Coronado State Monument File:US Route 550 with Sandia Mountains (32133362550).jpg, US Route 550 with Sandia Mountains

References

External links

{{authority control Towns in Sandoval County, New Mexico Towns in New Mexico County seats in New Mexico Albuquerque metropolitan area New Mexico populated places on the Rio Grande