Home   Login


For Immediate Response,
Text us here!

Log In
 
 
New User? Sign Up
Forgot your password?
Find Other Communities 
Belen
RegionSouthwest
StateNew Mexico
Population14136
Settled200 to 300 years ago
Distance to Albuquerque, NMWithin 25 to 50 miles
Distance to AirportWithin 25 to 50 miles
Elevation4800

 
Community TypeLand TypeClimateAmenities Nearby
  • Small Town
  • Historic Location
  • Agricultural Area
  • Valley
  • Lake or River Front
  • Range or Grazing Land
  • Irrigated Land
  • Desert
  • Views
  • Meadow
  • Warm
  • Arid
  • Doctor
  • Public Grade School
  • Public High School
  • Private Schools
  • College or University
  • Churches
  • Grocery Store
  • Restaurant
  • Department Store
  • Public Library
  • Museum
  • Theatre
  • Golf course
  • Tennis courts
  • Sports facilities
  • Swimming Pool
 
Belén was founded in 1740 when the town was settled by two Spaniards who named the town Belén, Spanish for Bethlehem. The forty families who founded Belén were the beginning of a community based on agriculture. After New Mexico became a U.S. territory 1846, the Belén area began to develop as a mercantile center.During the Civil War, Belén residents watched Confederates gallop into their town but soon after, the Confederates were defeated at Apache Canyon near Santa Fe. By the following July, the Southern forceshad withdrawn from New Mexico. The arrival of the ralroad in Belén brought shops, a roundhouse, an ice plant, yards containing miles of tracks and a depot. Growth has been constant since then. The Village of Belén was incorporated in 1918. That was followed by many municipal improvements and the establishment of Belén as a city in 1966.
Today Belén is filled with stores, motels, restaurants, and friendly residents. Tierra del Sol Country Club offers 27 holes with a driving range and putting and pitching greens. The area also offers recreational swimming soccer, softball, volleyball, and tennis. Straddling the Rio Grande river, the Belen area offers great opportunities for fishing, as well as for hunting and skiing in the nearby mountains.
Belen celebrates its Hispanic heritage with such activities as annual Cinco De Mayo celebrations and the Belen fiesta. Other cultural events include an annual Oktoberfest, Christmas Light Parade, and the Valencia County Fair and Parade. Horses are a big part of life for many residents, and both the Sheriff's Posse Arena and the adjacent Valencia County Fairgrounds arena are constantly playing host to a wide variety of horse show, rodeos, and gymkhanas.
   
Skip Navigation LinksHome > Area and Relocation > Community Search