Belen, New Mexico
Belen is a city of 7,450 people in Valencia County, New Mexico, founded in 1740.
Why visit Belen
Townapedia lists 5 museums and landmarks, 3 parks and trails, 1 place to eat and 1 attraction in and around town.
Highlights include Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad Depot, Dr. William Frederick Wittwer House and Valley View Park.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 93°F; January lows average 19°F.
Weather in Belen
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Belen
Belén (; Spanish: Belén) is the second most populated city in Valencia County, New Mexico, the United States, after its county seat, Los Lunas. The population was 7,360 as of the 2020 Census.
From the Wikipedia article Belen, New Mexico (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do1
Museums and landmarks5
Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad Depot
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 4.4 mi
Railway station in Los Lunas, the United States of America
Dr. William Frederick Wittwer House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 5.0 mi
House in Los Lunas, New Mexico
Otero's 66 Service
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 5.0 mi
Gas station in Los Lunas, New Mexico
Tome Jail
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 4.8 mi
Prison in Valencia County, United States of America
Tranquilino Luna House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 5.0 mi
House in New Mexico, United States of America
Parks, trails and playgrounds3
Restaurants and cafes1
History
Belén was founded in 1740 as Nuestra Señora de Belén (Our Lady of Bethlehem) by a group of colonists led by Diego Torres and Antonio Salazar, who had received permission to settle the tract of land known as the Belén Grant. The early settlers in the Belén grant included several genízaro families. The genízaros, Native Americans with origins as slaves and servants of colonists, were important in the frontier defense of New Mexico. For the genízaros, relocation to Belén and other frontier settlements was a means of acquiring land. Their settlement in Belén was established to protect the southern border of the colony from Apache raiders. Belén was the first of what would be many genízaro settlements, and by 1744, 40 families were in residence. Spanish and mestizo families also settled in Belén.
Recognizing the strategic significance of Belén, Spanish authorities established a fort in Belén to protect the settlements along the Rio Grande in 1760. By the 1790s, Belén had established a city center known as Plaza Vieja, or Old Town, and had grown from a paraje, or precinct, to a partido, or district, with a population of 1,695. By 1793, a Catholic church and parish were founded.
From the History section of Belen, New Mexico on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship3
Shopping1
Gas and EV charging2
Schools, colleges and libraries13
Sundance Elementary School
School · 3.6 mi
3701 Sundance Street Southwest, Los Lunas
Map of Belen
29 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 51°F | 19°F | 0.5 in | 1.5 in |
| Feb | 58°F | 23°F | 0.4 in | 0.7 in |
| Mar | 66°F | 30°F | 0.5 in | 0.3 in |
| Apr | 73°F | 37°F | 0.6 in | 0.0 in |
| May | 82°F | 46°F | 0.5 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 92°F | 56°F | 0.5 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 93°F | 62°F | 1.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 91°F | 60°F | 1.5 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 85°F | 52°F | 1.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 74°F | 38°F | 0.9 in | 0.4 in |
| Nov | 61°F | 27°F | 0.6 in | 0.6 in |
| Dec | 50°F | 20°F | 0.5 in | 1.6 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Los Lunas 3 Ssw Hcn (3 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Valencia County has had 14 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for fires.
- 2025-07-10: Severe Storms, Flooding, And Landslides (Flood)
- 2025-06-22: Cotton 2 Fire (Fire)
- 2025-06-21: Desert Willow Fire Complex (Fire)
- 2025-04-18: Rio Grande Fire (Fire)
- 2022-05-04: Wildfires, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Mudflows, And Debris Flows (Fire)
- 2022-04-11: Big Hole Fire (Fire)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 22 miles away.
- Los Lunas 3 mi north, about 4 min by car
- Los Chaves 4 mi southeast, about 6 min by car
- Tome 5 mi east, about 8 min by car
- El Cerro 6 mi east, about 10 min by car
- Adelino 6 mi southeast, about 10 min by car
- South Valley 18 mi northeast, about 29 min by car
- Albuquerque 25 mi north, about 40 min by car
- North Valley 30 mi north, about 48 min by car
- Rio Rancho 36 mi north, about 59 min by car
- Algodones 45 mi northeast, about 1 h 15 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Belen New Mexico Public Library, AllenS, Public domain
- ATSF Railroad Depot, Los Lunas NM, John Phelan, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Sams Tire Shop, Los Lunas NM, John Phelan, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Tome Jail from Plaza, AzaniahT, CC BY-SA 3.0
Page built October 30, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.