La Cueva CDP (Sandoval County), NM

La Cueva is a census-designated place in Sandoval County's Jemez Mountains, at the meeting point of New Mexico Highway 4 and State Road 126. It is a junction community more than a conventional town center: Highway 4 follows the Jemez Valley corridor, while 126 points north through mountain country toward Cuba. The setting brings volcanic terrain, forest roads, and the nearby Santa Fe National Forest into the local picture.

At La Cueva, the important distances are to Jemez Springs, Fenton Lake, the Valles Caldera, and other Jemez Valley recreation spots. Current local life is organized around the valley's public services and outdoor access. La Cueva is part of Jemez Valley Public Schools, and Sandoval County planning documents identify the area in wildfire and community-risk work; a local Baptist church also places itself in the La Cueva valley near the Valles Caldera. The local scoop is that La Cueva's identity comes from being a crossroads in the mountains—a place people pass through, live near, and use as a reference point for the wider Jemez country.