Estancia, NM

Estancia, NM
Estancia, New Mexico

By Bill Dolson

It’s hard to imagine that sleepy little Estancia, New Mexico, population 1700, was once a rival to the City of Albuquerque. At the turn of the 19th century, the Mayor of Estancia made a bet with the Mayor of Albuquerque that Estancia would grow to be the greater city. Estancia lost the bet but has managed a win of another kind. Today, it is a healthy example of an endangered species, a viable rural small town, featuring a lifestyle vanishing as fast as the cowboys who still live and work here. It is a time machine you can fly into via an airstrip only a quarter mile off main street. Six family-run restaurants and three gift shops are located within easy walking distance of the tie-downs. You can cool off in the new public pool or just relax under the trees at the historic spring-fed lake. Rub elbows with cowboys at the local saloon and experience a lifestyle that is almost gone.


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