Bernalillo, New Mexico Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Bernalillo, New Mexico
Town
Bernalillo Town Hall, May 2009
Location of Bernalillo, New Mexico
Country	United States
State	New Mexico
County	Sandoval
Founded	1695
Area
• 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	5,053 ft (1,540 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	8,977
• Estimate (2023)	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(s)	505
FIPS code	35-06970
GNIS feature ID	2411678
Sales tax	6.94%

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

Bernalillo is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History
- Wine Festival
Geography
Demographics
- 2020 census
Education
In popular culture
Gallery
See also

History

Wine Festival

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.

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 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

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1880	1,223	—
1950	1,922	—
1960	2,574	33.9%
1970	2,016	−21.7%
1980	2,988	48.2%
1990	5,960	99.5%
2000	6,611	10.9%
2010	8,320	25.9%
2020	8,977	7.9%
2023 (est.)	9,114	9.5%
U.S. Decennial Census 2020 Census

2020 census

Bernalillo Racial Composition
Race	Number	Percent
White (NH)	2,476	27.6%
Black or African American (NH)	52	0.6%
Native American (NH)	468	5.2%
Asian (NH)	66	0.7%
Pacific Islander (NH)	6	0.1%
Some Other Race (NH)	29	0.3%
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH)	150	1.7%
Hispanic or Latino	5,730	63.8%
Total	8,977	100.0%

As of the 2020 census, there were 8,977 people, 3,563 households, and 2,367 families residing in the town. 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. 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.

Education

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

In popular culture

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.

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