It's pretty much a no-brainer that eating local and organic food is best for one's physical health.   It's also a no-brainer that being involved with congenial friends in a tight-knit community is healthiest for one's emotional health.   Enter the "Community Garden." Not all of us live out in the country with abundant land for a huge vegetable garden, nor are we all equipped with the knowledge of organic farming methods, or the time and inclination to spend loads of time alone with just nature for company. The community garden enables anyone to get together, swap info, chat and visit a bit while planting or weeding, maybe swap one person's overabundant zucchini for another's superfluity of tomatoes, all while getting completely local and just-picked produce for the table. The Valencia n... 06/29/2009

Folks in the San Clemente neighborhood of Los Lunas, New Mexico, have been fighting back against a decision by the Valencia County Commission to rezone 30 acres of land to I-3, "Hevay Industrial Use" to accomodate a bulk fuel terminal (see my blog post http://activerain.com/blogsview/1040106/residents-are-fighting-back-against-valencia-county-commission for mor details.) The neighborhood association has just lost a major battle in that fight, though; District Court Judge George P. Eichwad has just upheld the county commission's decision, much to the dismay of local residents. Plains Marketing, the business that requested the zone change, estimates that approximately 185 tanker trucks will be visiting the terminal each day to fill up with refined gasoline products for transport to region... 06/27/2009

Los Lunas, NM is really a perfect blend of old and new! Settled over 300 years ago, this little town half an hour south of Albuquerque boasts historic old adobe structures that house charming New Mexican restaurants, historic churches, and authentic New Mexico haciendas. Acres of lush, irrigated valley land are still being farmed to produce abundant crops of chilis, alfalfa, corn, and much more. But Los Lunas is not locked into the past, by any means. There are up-to-the minute new subdivisions to suit all tastes, and even a new gated subdivision especially designed for the 55 and over set: Jubilee Los Lunas! The new Rail Runner provides quick and easy commuting into Albuquerque, enabling residents to completely bypass morning and evening rush hours on the road, while the Starlight Mul... 09/20/2008

Valencia County will soon be home to a brand-new elementary school, and the Los Lunas School Board recently voted unanimously to name the school "Sundance Elementary School."According to this weekend's issue of the Valencia County News Bulletin, the name beat out other choices in a recent poll that was conducted both online and within the community.Groundbreaking for Sundance Elementary School is scheduled for Wednesday, January 9th. In other action at the same meeting, the Los Lunas School Board accepted a new district logo, featuring a picture of a hill similar to Los Lunas Hill, with the sun behind it. Below the graphic is the new distrcit slogan, "Every student, every year, at or above grade level." 01/05/2008

Since we moved to Los Lunas over two years ago many people have asked us how we choose Los Lunas. My wife and I were living in the beautiful seaside city of Newport, RI where I grew up (my wife is from Boston). We had visited the Southwest when we took a vacation in Las Vegas, NV. We spent more time outside the city investigating the local terrain, not being very impressed with the casinos. We took a day trip to the Grand Canyon but only had an hour to enjoy the immense landscape because it was such a long drive from Vegas.          We did some investigation of Albuquerque and saw that it had                                                                         plenty to offer in terms of the business climate. But we did not                                                            ... 11/03/2007

This week has seen celebrations of patriotism all around the country, but one of the most quintessential celebrations of the small town lifestyle must be the 4th of July parade! OK, huge local fireworks displays are surely more flashy, but it is the local parade that really involves everyone in town, from the high school marching band to antique car clubs, local politicians to County Fair Rodeo Queens, small businesses to the Sheriff's Posse! Local residents, especially youngsters, often have hard choices to make about parade morning..."Do I ride the float with the rest of my soccer team, ride my horse with the rest of the 4H royalty, or toss candy for Dad to help promote his business?" I spent Tuesday morning at just such a local 4th of July parade, in Los Lunas, New Mexico. Local resi... 07/06/2007

Come on and join the fun as Los Lunas, NM, commemorates the 4th of July with a town-wide celebration of patriotism and small-town life! Bright and early on the morning of the 4th of July, hundreds of residents of Los Lunas, New Mexico, were on horseback and in their buggies, perched on top of floats, fire engines, motorcycles or bicycles, lining up to participate in this year's 4th of July parade. Main Street was closed down for miles as spectators thronged the roadway, complete with camp chairs, umbrellas and awnings for parade-viewing comfort. And, shortly after 9:00, the parade began.You, too, can experience some of the parade fun via the virtual tour below. Just double-click on the arrow, and sit back and relax!   07/06/2007

Take a Virtual Tour of Los Lunas, New Mexico!Los Lunas, NM, has been growing by leaps and bounds, with new stores, restaurants, motels, businesses, and subdivisions popping up faster than residents can keep up! Most recently, Los Lunas is boasting of a brand new, "55+ Community" in progress, Jubilee Los Lunas. Yet, the community remains a friendly, small town, ture to its historic roots, with loads of rural areas for horses and other agricultural pursuits. So make your virtual visit to Los Lunas now! Just double click the button below:  05/08/2007

The lands of Los Lunas are home to a great historical mystery: the Ten Commandments stone, which seems to be thousands of years old!  The inscription, carved into the face of a large boulder on the side of Hidden Mountain, just west of Los Lunas and about 35 miles south of Albuquerque, is an abridged version of the Ten Commandments, or Decalogue. The language is Hebrew, and the script is the Old Hebrew alphabet, with a few Greek letters mixed in. The stone has been the subject of much scholarly debate since its initial scientific discovery in 1930 by Professor Frank Hibben, an archaeologist at University Of New Mexico known for his writings about Sandia Man. Hibben was led to the site by a guide who claimed to have been familiar with the stone since the 1880s. Local Indians told then-la... 05/07/2007

Los Lunas truly combines the advantages of small town and rural living with tremendous economic growth and all the conveniences of a big city.  Los Lunas, is located in Valencia County, which has the seccond fastest growth rate in New Mexico, averaging 2,000 new residents annually.The village of Los Lunas, with a population of about 12,000 residents, is located just 20 minutes south of Albuquerque, and offers its residents spectacular views and 300+ days a year of sunshine to enjoy the great outdoors.Bestriding the Rio Grande River, Los Lunas offers plenty of that commodity most precious in a desert area: water! Nestled among the cottonwoods of the river "bosque", or woods, Los Lunas boasts excellent, irrigated farmland for crops or livestock. Much of the farm land around Los Lunas is z... 05/04/2007

>Los Lunas, New Mexico boasts a brand-new, gated subdivision catering to those 55 and older. A 379-acre subdivision in the Huning Ranch master plan, Jubilee Los Lunas is slated to consist of four "villages," totaling approximately 900 homes.Developed by California builder-developer Jenamar Communities LLC, the community sits at the foot of El Cerro de Los Lunas, in Valencia County, and is adjacent to open space and foot trails. The Rio Grande section, with 379 lots available, is elling now, with homes priced from the high $180's to the mid $300's. Lot sizes range from 40x100 to 65x100, with model homes available for seven of the nine available floor plans. The smallest model is a two bedroom plan of 1143 square feet, while the largest is over 2800 square feet. This older-adult subdivisi... 05/02/2007

Plans are being made to make the Rail Runner service an even bigger plus for Los Lunas and surrounding areas, according to a report in the Valencia County News Bulletin this morning.During the Los Lunas Village Council meeting last Thursday, it was announced that an advisory board of Los Lunas residents was being appointed to consider ways the Rail Runner station in Los Lunas might help further the economic and transportation goals of t he village. It is reported that there is already great ridership in the Los Lunas area, and it is expected that this will only  get better as traffic in and out of Albuquerque gets worse!Some ideas that were brought up at the meeting include:a possible shuttle system from the station to local restaurants and businessesland use plannning encouraging a com... 05/02/2007

        Today, throughout the Christian world, people are celebrating Good Friday, in memory of the crucifixion of Jesus. It is for many, a day of prayer and reflection. It is also the most popular day of the year for pilgrimages. New Mexico is a land of shrines and sacred spaces. Three years ago when a client wanted to sell his big house with small garden in the city to retire to a smaller house with acreage in the country, I found him his new home with acreage in Los Lunas, Valencia County, http://www.loslunasnm.gov/home.htm , not far from Tomé Hill a destination for pilgrims. Three tall crosses reaching up to the sky were always visible whenever I drove by, and I made a promise to myself to do a pilgrimage to the top of the hill at the appropriate time. Last year, I chose to go to Ch... 04/06/2007