The residents of Valencia County spent nearly 30 years from 1846 to 1875 disputing where the county seat should be located. Valencia, north of Belen, was the county seat in 1846, followed by Peralta in 1847. Valencia reclaimed the county seat in 1849, only to lose it to Tome in 1852. Belen captured the county seat from Tome 20 years later, but lost it to Tome two short years later in 1874. Finally, in 1875, Los Lunas claimed the county seat and remains the county seat to this day.