Ciudad Juárez, or simply Juárez, is located on the northern tip of the Mexican state of Chihuahua formerly known as El Paso del Norte. Juárez has an estimated population of 1,301,452 as of 2005 (the municipality, 1,313,338). It stands on the Rio Grande River, across the border from El Paso, Texas. The two cities form a metropolitan area of 2,280,782. More than 60,000 people cross the Juarez-El Paso border every day. It is the major port of entry and transportation center of north central Mexico, its surrounding municipality is the fourth largest in Mexico. It is a growing industrial center with more than 300 maquiladoras (assembly plants) and is now the main logistic center in Mexico. It is the third largest industrial location in North America, after Los Angeles and Chicago. Factories in Juárez employ more than 396,100 people. The primary employers in the city are assembly plants.