AGUA PRIETA- THE CITY

Population

Agua Prieta is a smaller community of about 110,000 people resting on a high mesa of the famed Sonoran desert.  Agua Prieta is 60 miles south of Douglas, Arizona on the US - Mexico international border.  Growth is stabile.  Agua Prietas' sister city in the US is Douglas, Arizona, which has 14,975 inhabitants.  Cochise Country holds 119,650 inhabitants.

State Description

Sonora is the second largest state in Mexico and is located in the northwestern region of the country.  It shares 365 miles of border with Arizona and New Mexico.  In addition, Sonora has a 746 mile coastline on the Gulf of California.  The state's population is 1.9 million and growing.  Hermosillo is its Capital with a population of 650,000, site of a very large Ford Motor Company plant.

Location

Sonora has three major ports of entry with the United States:

Deep water port facilities are available in Guaymas.

Regional Influence

Agua Prieta's terrain is that of high desert, altitude of 3,800 feet.  Most memorable icon of the region is the elegant saguaro cactus resembling a set of stovepipes.  The community is predominantly an agricultural one, with stable families that have lived there for many generations.  Agua Prieta experiences frequent heavy rains of short durations, in the mid-summer, which flash floods low-lying areas.

Maquiladoras in Agua Prieta grew from businesses in Phoenix and Tucson seeking low labor costs for assembly and sewing operations.  Currently the State of Sonora actively markets the region for new maquilas, in hopes of diversifying the economy beyond agriculture.  Agua Prieta's 33 maquilas employ a total of 14,000 workers.

Proximity to US Cities

Once crossed over the border, trucks must travel an additional 50 miles to the nearest US Interstate going east to I-10 or 71 miles going west to I-10, then: