Communities: Belen Community Overview

shawna — Fri, 02 Jun 2006 10:02:48 -0600

Belen Community Overview

Belen is centrally located in the State of New Mexico along the Rio Grande Valley. Located only 30 miles south of Albuquerque but still within the Metro area, Belen is enjoying a remarkable growth spurt. This family-friendly, semi-rural community has an ideal climate (average temperature is 73 degrees) and is located within a few minutes drive of some of New Mexico's most spectacular public recreation areas. It has low-cost industrial sites, low average wages and very affordable housing. With three access points to Interstate 25, a growing municipal airport, home to Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad and the beginning of the line for the RailRunner commuter train, Belen has been tagged as the Hub City. 120 trains come into and through the city every day making Belen a perfect location for any expanding industry with rail needs to move their goods and services.

Housing

From a horse property to an historic home in downtown, to a new house on the mesa overlooking the valley, Belen has a housing option to suit everyone's needs

More than 62% of homes were built after 1970; fewer than 3.6% of homes were built before 1939. (Bureau of Business and Economic Research).
The median sales price for a single-family home in 2005 was $108,000.
Three new subdivisions are 80 percent built out.
Average rent is $609 for a one bedroom apartment.

The local real estate market is booming. The annoucement of Rancho Cielo, a 5,600 acre mater planned community, has brought in lots of interest and out of state investment. The City of Bele annexed the Rancho Cielo property in 2006. The plans are for 3,000 homes in the greater Belen area.

Quality of Life

With an elevation of 4800 feet above sea level, Belen has a mild, four-season climate. Winter daytime temperatures average in the low 50s during the day and low 20s at night. Summer temperatures average 95 degrees during the hottest months, with lows in the 60s at night. Average annual precipitation ranges from seven to ten inches.

Belen is within easy driving distance to the museums, concerts and cultural amenities of Albuquerque. Located along the Rio Grande Valley, the town is within close proximity of the Manzano and Magdalena mountains, which offer vast hiking and camping opportunities, and the Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge, the home of one of the largest winter bird migration populations in the country. Belen is revitalizing its historic downtown, and residents here enjoy a family-friendly, semi-rural lifestyle.

Some local events, like the "Miracle on Main Street" and the annual Hispano Chamber of Commerce Matanza — a day-long event with pig roasting, tortilla-rolling and a red chili cook-off — draw on Belen's historic Hispanic traditions.

Public School District - Belen Consolidated Schools

Schools	# of Students	# of Teachers
Elementary	2,545	198
Belen Middle School	765	57
Belen High School	1,331	88

School Budget $32,252,280.00

St. Mary's Catholic School

School	# of Students	# of Teachers
Grades PreK-8	176	14

Universities & Community Colleges

School	Location	Avg. # of students per semester
UNM-Valencia Campus	Valencia County	1,600
UNM	Albuquerque	26,239
NM Institute of Mining & Tech	Socorro	1,800
Central New Mexico Community College (CNM)	Albuquerque	22,250

County % High School Graduates, 2000 = 70.2%
County % Bachelor Degree or higher, 2005 = 15%

Belen Resources

City of Belen -City information, government
Valencia County -Community information, government
Greater Belen Chamber of Commerce - tourism, members, relocation
Alexander Municipal Airport - General aviation airport
Bosque del Apache - National wildlife refuge
Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway -Major freight hub
New Mexico Tech -Undergraduate and graduate university specializing in science and engineering education and research
Valley Improvement Association -Rio Communities, Belen, New Mexico
The Very Large Array (VLA) Telescope - Giant radio telescopes that move along 27 miles of Y-shaped tracks

Communities: Belen Business Overview

shawna — Fri, 02 Jun 2006 10:01:39 -0600

Belen Business Overview

Labor Snapshot

Labor force size: 31,515 (Valencia County, 2005.)
Unemployment rate: 5.4 % (Dec 2008)
Median age: 35.9
Weekly average wages: $471 (Valencia County, 2005)

Employer	# of Employees
Belen Public Schools	740
Wal-Mart Super Center	500
Ambercare Home Health Services	450
Sud Chemie Performance Packaging	200
BNSF Rail Road	352
Artistech Acrylics, Inc	135
City of Belen	110
UNM - Valencia Campus	101
Adelante Development	96
Wells Fargo Bank	85
Ranchers State Bank	80
PNM Electric & Gas Services	70
Best Western - Belen	55
Sisneros Bros Mfg.	50

Public Service Company of New Mexico provides Belen with electric services. (505) 241-2700. New Mexico Gas Company provides Belen with its natural gas services.

The City of Belen supplies well water with a capacity of 5.5 million gallons per day and sewage disposal capacity of 1.2 million gallons per day. The plant has an expansion capacity for a population of 24,000. (505) 864-8221

The nearby Rio Communities can draw on the 3.9 million gallons per day capacity of wells owned by New Mexico Water Company, which has a sewage treatment capacity of 200,000 gallons per day. (505) 865-0945.

Qwest and McCleod Telecommunications provide phone service to the Belen area. In addition, Bandwidth.com sells Voice over Internet Protocol, and several other providers offer high-speed broadband capabilities, including Comcast (digital cable).

With over 100 trains passing through Belen on a daily basis, the town has a robust infrastructure for rail-based shipping. It is located just a few hours north of the Santa Teresa Port of Entry with Mexico, and has three improved exits on Interstate 25, which runs from Mexico to the northern Rockies, crossing several major east-west interstates (including I-40 in Albuquerque) along the way. Belen Alexander Municipal Airport serves general aviation airplanes, small jets and private planes. The City of Belen is currently working on a multi-million dollar expansion of the airport, which will include the addition of a crosswind runway, expansion of the existing runway and development of industrial/commercial sites. In February 2007, Belen started its commuter rail service with the NM Rail Runner Express, which now services the corridor including Belen and points north to Santa Fe. The Rail Runner operates 6 days a week providing service for workforce and tourists along the Central New Mexico region.

NMSS - Communities: Belen Main