Rio Communities

Set 30 miles south of downtown Albuquerque, rural Adelino offers an escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. “Out here in Adelino, it’s just quiet, and there’s no light pollution or city noise. You’re still close enough to town — without having to be in town,” says David Duerksen, Associate Broker with Simply Real Estate. “And other than the fire station and a Head Start Center, it’s mostly farmland and established homes that have been owned for generations; you can raise horses here and have acres between neighbors.” Area houses of worship represent Adelino’s diverse population, as just over 2,000 people here are of Navajo, Hispanic, Black, Asian, Vietnamese and Pakistani ancestry, and the neighborhood crime rate is low; the CAP Index crime score here is 2 out of 10, compared to the national average of 4. “There are no cliques here, and we all treat each other with respect.” Modern ranch-style homes here along State Route 47 were built between the 1970s and ‘90s and range from $350,000 to $450,000. Many sit on up to 3-acre lots enclosed by metal or wooden fences, and common features include earth-toned stucco exteriors and carports or detached two-car garages. Pockets of Craftsman-style homes built between the early-2000s and the present start at $300,000, while in the neighborhood’s northern end, Pueblo Revival-style homes with roping arenas and open spaces for horses start at $560,000. A few custom builds closer to the Rio Grande sell for over $1 million. Folks buying or building homes here must get a permit from the state to rely on a well for their main water source. Students can attend Belen Consolidated district schools like La Merced Elementary, which earns a B-minus from Niche, then continue to C-plus-rated Los Lunas Middle. In early 2023, C-minus-rated Belen High’s wrestling team won the 4A state championship, and students can head to New Mexico State University to compete in forensics analysis and lab events during the Chemistry Olympiad. Sitting 6 miles south, Adelino’s Tierra Del Sol Golf Club, Valencia County’s only golf course, doubles as an 18-hole course and event venue, with Manzano Mountain views as a backdrop, while at the 97-acre Whitfield Wildlife Conservation Area 4 miles south, local students can learn about the natural environment at the education center here, while birdwatchers stroll along the 1-mile, dirt-packed trail looking for red-tail hawks or a northern harrier. Roughly 2 miles north, shoppers can find traditional New Mexican pottery, enameled jewelry, handspun wool and more at the Tome Art Gallery, or attend a spring graphics show. Residents head 7 miles southwest to locally owned Rutilio’s, which serves breakfast burritos and beef enchiladas, or 6 miles to Oasis Cafe, where diners enjoy quesabirria tacos with beef and melted cheese inside a wood and brick rustic setting; chain fast-food joints line State Route 47. “Since Adelino is so sparsely developed,” says Duerksen, “the only nearby store is Family Dollar. You have to come into Belen or Los Lunas to shop, and there’s a Walmart in both. But if you don’t like dealing with too many people, you’d head to the Belen Walmart, because even Los Lunas is becoming somewhat of a mini-Albuquerque.” Shoppers can browse retailers like T.J. Maxx 32 miles north. About 2 miles north along State Route 47, the Tome Dominguez Community Center and Museum hosts an annual Farmers Market from August through September; here, locals buy fresh produce like peppers and tomatoes, as well as baked goods. Inside the museum, researchers can explore Edwin Berry’s collection of land grant documents before strolling through the Korean War Memorial, while baseball fans can catch a game at the center’s diamond. “In the spring, we have ‘march madness’ here, which isn’t basketball related,” says David Duerksen, Associate Broker for Simply Real Estate, who grew up in the area. “It’s when the winds ramp up – they can get as high as 60 to 80 miles an hour, and will blow buds right off your flowers.” La Entrada Road and the Manzano Expressway are the neighborhood’s main thoroughfares, and State Route 309 (East River Road) leads to nearby Rio Communities and Belen. Locals can travel the roughly 30 miles to downtown Albuquerque via Interstate 25; rush hour commute times average up to an hour. Bicyclists can ride along State Routes 47, 304 and 309 throughout Adelino, as well as to neighboring communities like Los Lunas. The nearest Rail Runner Express bus station is about 7 miles southwest, while the Presbyterian Hospital and the city’s airport, Albuquerque International Sunport, are within 27 miles north.