Looking for a great place to bring up a family in New Mexico? Look no further than your own backyard.

BusinessWeek magazine named Rio Rancho as the state’s best place to raise your kids.

Rio Rancho Mayor Tom Swisstack was elated to hear the news. “As a developing and growing community, I am pleased to see Rio Rancho earn this recognition,” Swisstack said. “This ranking will only further motivate city leaders and community stakeholders to continue building Rio Rancho upon quality–of-life principles that directly benefit every member of our community.”

The national recognition means a lot to Swisstack, who says parents want to raise their children in a safe community with a great educational system.

Rio Rancho Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Sue Cleveland says the district staff works hard to ensure students have a quality education.

“This is a community that values education and it is seen in terms of support for public schools,” Cleveland said. “We have a very fine staff that works very hard to ensure the students have a good education.”

In addition to strong core programs, Cleveland pointed out that the district has a vast array of elective and extra-curricular programs.

“Families want a good solid base but they also want an educational staff that offers kids art, music and PE,” Cleveland said. “At the high school level there is a really rich choice of elective programs.”

Cleveland and her husband have reared two children in the City of Vision and she says that in addition to the school system, her family enjoys the overall quality of life in the community.

"The kids are very involved in lots of different things in the city and this is a place where you can still let kids ride bikes and play outside," Cleveland said. "This community has a lot of parks and it offers a lot to young people."

She also credited the police department for keeping the community safe and the business community for their generous support in helping the schools and the city.

Rio Rancho was chosen, according to BusinessWeek, because it has 330 days of sunshine a year, mild temperatures and natural beauty. It also cited close proximity to Albuquerque, with its zoo, museums and monuments.

Rio Rancho Regional Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Debbi Moore said BusinessWeek’s selection means the city is doing things right.

"We have enhanced our quality of life and we have a good school system. I’m not surprised," Moore said. "This will add to the quality of life and it solidifies our message that Rio Rancho is a wonderful place to live and raise a family."

To determine the best places to raise kids, BusinessWeek teamed with New York-based real estate analysis provider OnBoard Informatics to select a community from every state. Communities with 50,000 residents and a median family income between $40,000 and $100,000 were used as a starting point to create this year’s list.

The list was then narrowed using weighted criteria such as school performance, number of schools, household expenditures, crime rates, air quality, job growth, family income, museums, parks, theaters, diversity and other amenities. School performance and public safety were the strongest considerations when assessing a community followed by amenities and affordability.

The magazine hits newsstands Monday.

Rio Rancho received national accolades earlier this year. In April, the city was recognized by Fortune Small Business magazine as one of the best places to live and launch a business in the country. In addition, in 2005 and 2006, the city was listed by Money magazine as one of the 100 best places to live in America.