Algodones, NM

Algodones is a census-designated place on the east bank of the Rio Grande, in the northeast part of the Albuquerque Basin and within the Albuquerque metropolitan area. The 2020 census counted 720 residents. Its geography puts a small settlement along one of the valley's oldest travel corridors: La Angostura, a narrow pass near town, was important to trade on the Camino Real, with fortifications controlling movement along the road as early as the 17th century. The National Park Service describes El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro as a long-running route for trade, travel, mail, and cultural exchange through the Rio Grande Valley.

That history remains part of the way Algodones is oriented. Algodones Elementary School is on North Camino del Pueblo, while Bernalillo Middle School and Bernalillo High School are in the neighboring town of Bernalillo, reflecting the area's school connection beyond the CDP line. Bernalillo Public Schools supplies the district framework, and Albuquerque is the nearby metropolitan center. The result is a place where the river, the old road corridor, and the school route all point outward to the larger valley while La Angostura keeps a distinctly local chapter of that history in view.