Bernalillo County, New Mexico

Bernalillo County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Albuquerque
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Named: named for the settlement of Bernalillo nearby

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History

While Coronado's exploration of "New Spain" occurred as early as 1540 in the Tiguex area near present day Bernalillo, the first colony was not settled until 1598.

Bernalillo County was established 8 January 1852. It was one of the seven Partidos, established during Mexican rule. It may have been named for the Gonzales-Bernal family that lived in the area before 1692. The county seat is Albuquerque. Bernalillo County has a high volume of commerce, farming, business, and real estate sales. Albuquerque has been thriving since 1706 and is the center of activity for fairs and conventions.

The division of counties in New Mexico can be traced back to the time of Mexican rule. The first subdivison of the New Mexico Territory was made in 1837 when two "partidos" -- districts -- were created. In 1844, New Mexico was re-divided into three districts. Eventually these districts were further subdivided into areas that include similar boundaries of today's counties. One interesting note -- the first Bernalillo County boundaries were much larger than today's.

The New Mexico Constitution, written when the state entered the Union in 1912, vested the law-making power of the state in the legislature. Bernalillo County derives its authority from the State Constitution. Counties are subject to the will of the legislature, modified only by the state constitution, the courts, and the legislative process.

Bernalillo County has a Commission/Manager form of government which delegates most of the day-to-day administrative matters to the County Manager. The County employs 1500 full and part time employees. Salaries of the Commissioners and the elected officials are set by the state legislature and vary according to county classification. Most employees are considered "classified" which means they are hired in accordance with personnel rules and regulations which govern eligibility, selection and termination.

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County Resource Guide

The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of our country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."

Penn Foster High School

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