Belen is in Valencia County , and in the Central New Mexico region. Also located in theRio Grande Valley, 32 miles south of Albuquerque on hwy 25. Its populations is 6,600. The Manzano Mountains lie to the east. On the west side of town, a mesa spans the length of the valley.
Belen was founded as a settlement in 1740 and given its name, which means Bethlehem in Spanish. Belen is part of the Albuquerque, New Mexico metro area.
