What drives Los Ranchos de Albuquerque’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque is more historic than 62% of U.S. towns, #13 of 73 in New Mexico. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque’s overall grade.
New Mexico towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical New Mexico town has 2.2 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Los Ranchos de Albuquerque’s 41.0 sits above most of its state (83% of New Mexico towns have fewer) while its 24 historic buildings outnumber those of 80% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.2 points).
Founding year: the first census (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Los Ranchos de Albuquerque’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Signs of human activity in the middle Rio Grande valley date back to as early as 10,000 B.C. The introduction of cultivated maize from Mexico in 1,000 B.C. marked a major turning point in the settlement of the region, causing the traditionally nomadic tribes of the area to adopt a more agricultural way of life. The first pueblos in the area appeared between one and 600 A.D., established by the Tiwas (called Tigua by the Spaniards), and by 1,200 AD there were already 14 major sites along the Rio Grande from Algodones to Isleta, the Chamisal Site in present-day Los Ranchos being among the largest of these communities.
Los Ranchos de Albuquerque on the map, 1934 to 1990
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1934Griegos sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque.
People over time
Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, census by census
Between 400 and 6,024 people in every census since 1880.
7 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Los Ranchos de Albuquerque’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
Famous people close to Los Ranchos de Albuquerque
Nobody well known was born in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Questions about Los Ranchos de Albuquerque’s history
What year was Los Ranchos de Albuquerque founded?
The Los Ranchos de Albuquerque post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Los Ranchos de Albuquerque rank for history?
Los Ranchos de Albuquerque is more historic than 62% of U.S. towns, #13 of 73 in New Mexico. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque?
5 listings: 4 buildings and 1 historic district, the Los Poblanos Historic District, with 17 contributing buildings. 24 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque?
12% of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.2 points), against a typical 2.3% for a New Mexico town; the median home was built in 1969.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (1), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (5), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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