Ruidoso is a small mountain resort [1] city/village in Lincoln County, New Mexico, USA and adjacent to the Lincoln National Forest. The population was 7,698 at the 2000 census and 11,210 in the 2005 census estimate. The cities of Ruidoso Downs, Hollywood, Mescalero, and Alto are suburbs of Ruidoso and merge into the Ruidoso Micropolitan Statistical Area with a combined population of 21,223. __TOC__ Ruidoso lies in the rugged Sierra Blanca mountain range of southcentral New Mexico, where it merges with the Sacramento Mountains to the south. Ruidoso is a rapidly growing resort community due to the region's alpine scenery, Ruidoso Downs racetrack, and slopes of Ski Apache, the Mescalero Apache Indian owned ski resort on the 12,000 foot mountain Sierra Blanca. The tribe also operates the Inn o