RIO RANCHO, N.M. — If you live in Rio Rancho or have your sights set on the City of Vision, we have some good news for you. A recent livability ranking has the city on the top 100 best places to live in the U.S.

“Livability.com ranking us in the top 100 communities in the United States really speaks to the fact that we are moving in the right direction, and we are making the right moves,” Mayor Gregg Hull said.

The ranking was comprised of several different areas, one of them was the various parks and trails in Rio Rancho.

“We are a young family so we are trying to be outside as much as we can,” said Rio Rancho resident Justin, who took his son to the park Friday.

“Every time we come out to parks or different events we get to meet some great people,” said fellow resident Antonio Ortega, who has lived in Rio Rancho for 15 years.

The ranking also considers the lower cost of living and accessibility to surrounding cities like Santa Fe and Albuquerque.

“What I love about Rio Rancho is just we have everything that we need here, it’s far enough from the big city but close enough if you ever need to go back and do something,” Ortega said.

This is the second year in a row the City of Vision has gotten this honor. Mayor Hull says while it may not seem like a big deal, investing money into quality-of-life facilities and infrastructure pays off in more than one way.

“Giving people things to do that are within the scope of what the city can do and also that makes us very attractive to investors, businesses that are looking to come in,” he said.

Parents we spoke to are also noticing.

“I think Rio Rancho’s government too is doing what it needs to be doing to keep it in those rankings,” Justin said.

“You see that they are doing improvements, and you see a lot of kids out there just having a great time with their families,” Ortega said.