Mayor: Young families key to Rio Rancho’s future
At economic forum, Hull says injection of youth is making the city better
In the 1960s and 1970s, Rio Rancho was marketed as a retirement community for Midwesterners and East Coasters looking to escape harsh weather.
Today, Rio Rancho residents still enjoy mild winters, but the people who live there are mostly young: The average age is 36, compared with 39 in Albuquerque.
It’s been an asset to the city, said Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull at the Albuquerque Economic Forum on Wednesday.
“We have a lot of young families here who are attracted to our low housing prices and our school system,” Hull said. “It means we have lots of residents interested in making the city better for their kids.”
Hull also noted that a significant portion of Rio Rancho residents commute to jobs outside of the city. He said the Sandoval Economic Alliance is studying the issue and its economic impact on the community.
Attracting more jobs to Rio Rancho has been a cornerstone of the city’s economic development strategy. Since 2014, Rio Rancho employers have added 2500 jobs to the community, according to Hull.
Many of those jobs have involved significant local and state incentives, such as at Safelite AutoGlass, the employer behind 900 of the 2,500 jobs.
As of March, the company has received more than $800,000 from the Job Training Incentive Program and $3 million in Local Economic Development Act funding, according to the Governor’s Office.
Hull said the cost of such incentives are far outweighed by the economic impact an employer is likely to bring to a community over several years.
“It’s about the long-term view,” he said.