\n| Santa Clara Pueblo<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n Two places on this list have no separate census count because they are folded into a larger
\nreport. Chimayo’s 3,077 residents are counted as one CDP that straddles the Rio Arriba–Santa
\nFe county line, so not all of them live in Rio Arriba. Española’s 10,526 is the full
\ncity count across Rio Arriba, Santa Fe and Los Alamos counties — only its western wards sit in
\nRio Arriba. Cordova shares the 87578 ZIP routing area with neighboring Truchas even though it has
\nits own 87523 code on file, so mail carriers there use either.<\/p>\n ZIP Codes<\/h2>\n\n- 87532 — Española (also 87533, a post office box ZIP)<\/li>\n
- 87528 — Dulce<\/li>\n
- 87522 — Chimayo<\/li>\n
- 87537 — Hernandez<\/li>\n
- 87527 — Dixon<\/li>\n
- 87520 — Chama<\/li>\n
- 87530 — El Rito<\/li>\n
- 87548 — Medanales<\/li>\n
- 87510 — Abiquiu<\/li>\n
- 87575 — Tierra Amarilla<\/li>\n
- 87582 — Velarde<\/li>\n
- 87578 — Truchas (also serves Cordova)<\/li>\n
- 87523 — Cordova<\/li>\n
- 87511 — Alcalde<\/li>\n
- 87566 — Ohkay Owingeh<\/li>\n
- 87017 — Gallina<\/li>\n
- 87515 — Canjilon<\/li>\n
- 87012 — Coyote<\/li>\n
- 87539 — La Madera<\/li>\n
- 87029 — Lindrith<\/li>\n
- 87064 — Youngsville<\/li>\n
- 87551 — Los Ojos<\/li>\n
- 87531 — Embudo<\/li>\n
- 87516 — Cañones<\/li>\n
- 87518 — Cebolla<\/li>\n
- 87554 — Petaca<\/li>\n
- 87581 — Vallecitos<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Lumberton, Chamita, Lyden, San Jose, Canova, Brazos, Ensenada, La Villita, La Mesilla, El Duende,
\nPueblito, Ojo Sarco and Santa Clara Pueblo have no ZIP code of their own; residents there use the
\nnearest post office town’s code instead.<\/p>\n Geography<\/h2>\nRio Arriba County is New Mexico’s fifth-largest county by land area, running from the
\nsagebrush mesas of the Colorado Plateau in the west to the peaks of the Sangre de Cristo range in
\nthe east. Of its 5,896 square miles, 5,861 are land and 35 are water, about 0.6 percent — the
\nmain water bodies are Heron Lake and El Vado Lake, both reservoirs on the Rio Chama near Tierra
\nAmarilla. Truchas Peak, at 13,102 feet (3,993 metres), is the county’s highest point and one of
\nNew Mexico’s tallest summits. The Rio Chama and the Rio Grande, which meet near Española,
\ncut the county’s two major river valleys.<\/p>\n Colorado’s Archuleta and Conejos counties lie across the state line to the north. Taos
\nCounty borders to the east, Mora County touches the southeast corner, and Santa Fe County, Los
\nAlamos County and Sandoval County lie to the south. Taos County<\/a>, Mora County<\/a>, Santa Fe County<\/a>, Los Alamos County<\/a>, Sandoval County<\/a> and San Juan County<\/a>, to the west,
\nall border Rio Arriba directly.<\/p>\nDemographics<\/h2>\nRio Arriba County had a population of 40,363 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate puts the
\ncounty near 39,832 residents, a slight decline typical of rural northern New Mexico. Española
\nand Chimayo are the two largest communities, together holding roughly a third of the county’s
\npopulation. Median household income runs $57,155, below New Mexico’s statewide figure of
\n$62,268 reflecting the area’s dependence on seasonal and government work. Population density works out to about 6.9 people per square mile of land — thin even by
\nNew Mexico standards, and concentrated almost entirely along the Rio Grande and Rio Chama valleys.
\nHispanic or Latino residents make up about 67 percent of the county, and American Indian or Alaska
\nNative residents about 17 percent, reflecting the Jicarilla Apache Nation at Dulce and the pueblos
\nof Ohkay Owingeh and Santa Clara.<\/p>\n Economy & Local Life<\/h2>\nHealth care and social assistance employs the most workers in the county, about 2,302 people,
\nfollowed by professional and scientific services at 2,211 and public administration at 1,974. Los
\nAlamos National
\nLaboratory, just across the county line, draws thousands of daily commuters from Española and
\nthe surrounding villages and is the single biggest wage source for county residents. Northern New
\nMexico College, based in Española with a satellite campus in El Rito, is the county’s
\nmain higher-education employer. The Jicarilla Apache Nation runs the Apache Nugget Casino and manages
\noil, gas and timber leases from its Dulce headquarters, the largest tribal economy inside the county.
\nAgriculture along the river valleys centers on apple and chile production: Velarde’s orchards
\nand Chimayo’s heirloom Chimayó chile pepper are both regionally known crops, and Dixon
\nand Velarde each host a working winery. Ghost Ranch, near Abiquiu, operates as a retreat and
\nconference center on the former ranch where painter Georgia O’Keeffe lived and worked. The
\ncounty’s biggest annual event is the Good Friday pilgrimage to El Santuario de Chimayo each
\nMarch or April, which draws up to 30,000 walkers during Holy Week alone.<\/p>\n History<\/h2>\nThe New Mexico territorial legislature created Rio Arriba County in 1852 as one of the
\nterritory’s original nine counties. The name means “upriver” in Spanish, describing
\nits position along the upper Rio Grande relative to Santa Fe downstream. Spain granted the Tierra
\nAmarilla Land Grant in 1832, though permanent settlement did not take hold until the 1860s because of
\nraids. Ohkay Owingeh, then called San Juan Pueblo by Spanish colonists, served as the first capital
\nof Spanish New Mexico after Juan de Oñate established it in 1598, until the seat moved to
\nSanta Fe in 1610.<\/p>\n In January 1847, US forces fought Mexican and Pueblo insurgents at the Battle of Embudo Pass, near
\npresent-day Dixon, during the Taos Revolt that followed the American occupation of New Mexico. More
\nthan a century later, on 5 June 1967, activist Reies Tijerina led an armed raid on the Tierra
\nAmarilla courthouse, attempting a citizen’s arrest of the district attorney over disputed
\nHispanic land-grant claims; the confrontation left two officers wounded and became a defining moment
\nof the Chicano land-grant movement.<\/p>\n Getting There<\/h2>\nNo interstate highway crosses Rio Arriba County. US 84 and US 285 run north–south through
\nEspañola and Chama toward the Colorado border, US 64 crosses east–west through Tierra
\nAmarilla, and NM 68, NM 76 and NM 96 connect the smaller river-valley villages.<\/p>\n \n- Santa Fe — about 25 miles south of Española<\/li>\n
- Taos — about 25 miles east of Española<\/li>\n
- Farmington — about 95 miles west of Tierra Amarilla<\/li>\n
- Albuquerque — about 90 miles south of Española<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Santa Fe Regional Airport, roughly 25 miles south of Española, is the nearest commercial
\nairport; Albuquerque International Sunport, about 90 miles south, carries more flights. The county
\nhas no Amtrak service; the nearest station is on the Southwest Chief line at Raton, about 100 miles
\nnortheast via US 64.<\/p>\n Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\nWhere is Rio Arriba County located?<\/strong>
\nIt sits in north-central New Mexico along the Colorado border, bordered by Taos, Mora, Santa Fe, Los
\nAlamos, Sandoval and San Juan counties.<\/p>\nWhat is the population of Rio Arriba County?<\/strong>
\n40,363 at the 2020 census, with a recent estimate near 39,832.<\/p>\nHow big is Rio Arriba County?<\/strong>
\n5,896 square miles (15,270 km2), of which 5,861 square miles are land — New Mexico’s
\nfifth-largest county by land area.<\/p>\nWhat is the county seat of Rio Arriba County?<\/strong>
\nTierra Amarilla, a census-designated place with about 297 residents, has been the county seat since
\n1880.<\/p>\nHow many towns and villages are in Rio Arriba County?<\/strong>
\nOne incorporated village, Chama, plus the western wards of Española and roughly 38
\nunincorporated communities and census-designated places, including Dulce, Chimayo, Dixon, Velarde
\nand Abiquiu.<\/p>\nWhat ZIP codes does Rio Arriba County use?<\/strong>
\n27 ZIP codes are assigned inside the county, from 87532 for Española to 87575 for Tierra
\nAmarilla and 87510 for Abiquiu.<\/p>\nWhat is Rio Arriba County known for?<\/strong>
\nEl Santuario de Chimayo, the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad out of Chama, Ghost Ranch near
\nAbiquiu, and the Jicarilla Apache Nation headquartered at Dulce.<\/p>\nMore counties in this state: Towns and villages in New Mexico<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rio Arriba County is a county in New Mexico, United States, along the Colorado border in the state’s north-central highlands. It had a population of 40,363 at the 2020 census, an estimated 39,832 by 2024, and covers 5,896 square miles (15,270 km2) centred near 36°31′N 106°42′W. Tierra Amarilla is the county seat; its postal code […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"Towns & Villages in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico","_seopress_titles_desc":"40 towns and communities in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico - type, population and ZIP code for each, plus Chimayo, Dulce and Tierra Amarilla history.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[6],"class_list":["post-6321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-new-mexico","tag-towns-and-cities","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6321","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6321"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6321\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9278,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6321\/revisions\/9278"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6321"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6321"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6321"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}} |