San Luis, Arizona
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- For other similarly named towns and cities, see San Luis.
| City of San Luis, Arizona | |
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| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| State | Arizona |
| County | Yuma |
| Founded | 1930 |
| Incorporated | 1979 |
| Government | |
| - Type | Council-Manager |
| - Mayor | Juan Carlos Escamilla |
| - Vice-Mayor | Archibaldo Gurrola |
| - City Administrator | |
| - City Clerk | Sonia Sanchez |
| - City Magistrate | Rosendo Morales Jr. (Manuel "Manny" Figueroa, Acting) |
| Area | |
| - Total | 26.5 sq mi (68.5 km²) |
| - Land | 26.4 sq mi (68.4 km²) |
| - Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.1 km²) 0.11% |
| Elevation | 130 ft (40 m) |
| Population (2006) | |
| - Total | 22,634 |
| - Density | 186.8/sq mi (316.0/km²) |
| Time zone | MST (no DST) (UTC-7) |
| ZIP code | 85349 |
| Area code(s) | 928 |
| FIPS code | 04-63470 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0043142 |
| Website: http://www.cityofsanluis.org | |
San Luis (the Spanish language name of Saint Louis) is a city in Yuma County, Arizona, United States. The population was 15,322 at the 2000 census. San Luis was the second fastest-growing place among all cities and towns in Arizona of any size from 1990 and 2000. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 22,634.[1]
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[edit] History
The City of San Luis, located in the southwestern end of the state of Arizona, comprises part of an important industrial, agricultural and commercial area together along with San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora, a zone considered to offer great advantages for the commercial trade between the United States and Mexico[citation needed].
The city was established in 1930 with the opening of a border crossing station. In the last twenty years it has registered an accelerated population increase, going from 1,946 inhabitants in 1980, to approximately 20,000 in the year 2000. The growth is due to a constant migration from Mexico and California, productive activities in the border area and opportunities San Luis has to offer[citation needed]. The City has annexed over 16,000 acres (65 km²) of land within the past six years, thereby increasing the availability of land for residential, commercial and industrial growth in the eastern part of town where the new commercial port of entry will be constructed.
[edit] Geography
San Luis is located at (32.496116, -114.768327).[2] It stands on the U.S.-Mexico border, opposite San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 26.5 square miles (68.63 km²), of which, 26.4 square miles (68.38 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²) of it (0.11%) is water.
The City of San Luis, located in the southwestern end of the state of Arizona, comprises part of an important industrial, agricultural and commercial area together along with San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, a zone considered to offer treat advantages for the commercial trade between the United States and Mexico[citation needed].
[edit] Principal Economic Activities
Retail trade, agriculture and manufacturing form a large portion of the local economy. Another significant segment is the light industry located on both sides of the U.S./Mexico border. San Luis is an excellent site for labor intensive manufacturing and assembly plants. A new 40 acre privately owned industrial park and 40 acre commercial area are currently under construction in north San Luis along Highway 95. Parcels and pads are available for purchase and development.
[edit] Scenic Attractions
Visitor attractions within a 30 minute drive of San Luis include the old Territorial Prison, Fort Yuma and the 16th century Fort Thomas Mission. Laguna, Imperial and Morelos Dams and the California sand dunes are also nearby. Fishing, water skiing and swimming at lakes along the Colorado River attract residents of the area and tourists alike. Located across the border is San Luis, Sonora, Mexico, reputed to be Mexico’s fastest growing city with a population of approximately 200,000. This area has curio shops, night clubs and various other attractions for tourists.
[edit] Gulf of Santa Clara
The Gulf of Santa Clara is located 70 miles (110 km) south of San Luis, and sits on the northernmost point of the Sea of Cortez, at its confluence with the Colorado River. Large holiday crowds converge here to ride all-terrain vehicles on 30 miles (50 km) of undeveloped beach. In the small village of El Golfo de Santa Clara there are restaurants, an ice house, market and dry goods store and RV spaces with showers. Beach camping is recommended for the experienced camper.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 15,322 people, 3,018 households, and 2,876 families residing in the city. The population density was 579.5 people per square mile (223.7/km²). There were 3,325 housing units at an average density of 125.8/sq mi (48.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 58.78% White, 2.95% Black or African American, 1.46% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 34.36% from other races, and 2.26% from two or more races. 89.13% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 3,018 households out of which 71.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.1% were married couples living together, 18.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 4.7% were non-families. 3.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 1.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.31 and the average family size was 4.38.
In the city the population was spread out with 35.6% under the age of 18, 12.9% from 18 to 24, 34.1% from 25 to 44, 13.4% from 45 to 64, and 4.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females there were 126.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 144.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $22,966, and the median income for a family was $22,368. Males had a median income of $20,770 versus $14,149 for females. The per capita income for the city was $5,377. About 36.3% of families and 35.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.5% of those under age 18 and 44.3% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Prison
The Arizona State Prison Complex - Yuma is located on the corner of Avenue B and Juan Sanchez Boulevard, in San Luis. ASPC-Yuma provides housing to an average population of 2,279 convicted male felons. ASPC-Yuma is also a major employer in Yuma County, employing 755 full-time employees. ASPC-Yuma is a provider of inmate work crews utilized by members of our local, state and community organizations. Among other duties, ASPC-Yuma has a Wildland Fire Crew that consists of one sergeant, two correctional officers and twenty inmates that assists in fighting fires throughout Arizona
[edit] Comite de Bienestar
Comite de Bien Estar (Comite) is a membership organization, specifically a land development cooperative. It was started in the border town of San Luis, Arizona in 1981 when 400 families banded together to save enough money to purchase and develop 100 acres (0.4 km²) of land for lots on which they could build their own homes. By the time they accomplished their vision, the families had pooled $1.4 million for the land and infrastructure - with no outside financial assistance.
Comite works to empower Mexican-American residents and immigrants who encounter many barriers, including low wages, little access to conventional financing, and limited political representation. Its development strategy addresses the realities of the bi-national local community.
Marco "Tony" Reyes has been the executive director of the organization since its inception. He also serves as member of the Yuma County Board of Supervisors, having served as the Mayor of San Luis from 1984 to 1994. He is also the chairman of the Enterprise Community Advisory Board.[4]
[edit] Weather
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This section does not cite any references or sources. (May 2007) Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
| Month | Daily Min | Daily Max | Precipitation (inches) |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39.1 | 67.9 | 0.39 |
| February | 41.9 | 73.1 | 0.32 |
| March | 46.1 | 78.7 | 0.27 |
| April | 51.5 | 85.9 | 0.13 |
| May | 58.5 | 93.5 | 0.03 |
| June | 66.0 | 101.5 | 0.02 |
| July | 78.0 | 100.1 | 0.24 |
| August | 76.2 | 104.9 | 0.54 |
| September | 69.2 | 100.8 | 0.48 |
| October | 57.0 | 90.2 | 0.33 |
| November | 45.9 | 77.4 | 0.18 |
| December | 40.4 | 68.5 | 0.49 |
[edit] Education
The city of San Luis has 7 elementary schools and 2 middle schools run by the Gadsden Elementary School District #32, and 1 high school, San Luis High School run by the Yuma Union High School District #70. There is also a campus for Arizona Western College.
[edit] Government
The City of San Luis runs by a Council-Manager form, where the 7 member council appoints a city manager, city attorney, city engineer, city magistrate, chief of police, fire chief. Since 1996 the city has been plagued by a wave of recalls. It has had six different mayors in a 10 year period.
| Name | Period |
|---|---|
| Pedro Julian | (1996-1997) |
| A. Joe Harper | (1997-2003) |
| Guillermina Fuentes | (2003-2004) |
| Nieves G. Riedel | (2004-2006) |
| Guillermina Fuentes | (2006-2006) |
| Juan Carlos Escamilla | (2006-Present) |
The city also has gone through almost two dozen council members in that same 10 year period.
Current City Council (Jan 2007)
| Office | Name | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Mayor: | Juan Carlos Escamilla | (2006-2010) [Under Recall] |
| Vice-Mayor: | Archibaldo Gurrola | (2006-2010) [Under Recall] |
| Council Member: | Tony Reyes Jr | (2006-2010) [Under Recall] |
| Council Member: | Rafael Torres | (2006-2010) [Under Recall] |
| Council Member: | Nieves Riedel | (2004-2008) |
| Council Member: | Guillermina Fuentes | (2004-2008) |
| Council Member: | Dolores "Lolita" Concha | (2004-2008 |
| City Manager: | Ness Maness |
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| City Clerk: | Sonia Sanchez |
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| City Attorney: | Glenn Gimbut |
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| City Magistrate: | Rosendo Morales Jr. |
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| City Engineer: | ||
| Chief of Police: | ||
| Fire Chief: |
City Hall is located at:
City Administration
P.O. Box 1170
765 N. First Ave.
San Luis, AZ 85349
Phone: (928) 341-8520
Fax: (928) 627-3879
}}
| Preceded by Nieves Riedel |
Mayor of San Luis Arizona Juan Carlos Escamilla |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
[edit] Media
[edit] Newspapers
Bajo el Sol is a major weekly newspaper in the town, published every Friday. The parent company of the Bajo el Sol, Freddom Publishers, Inc., also publishes The Yuma Sun, The Super Shopper and New Homes. The Yuma Sun is also a daily publication available in San Luis, as well as La Prensa, from San Luis Rio Colorado.
[edit] Television
San Luis is served by these American TV Stations:
K19CX Channel 19 Indio
KSWT Channel 13 - Yuma
KYMA Channel 11 - Yuma
KECY Channel 9 - Yuma
KVYE Channel 7 - El Centro
KVFA-LP Channel 6 - Indio
KYUM-LP Channel 2 - Indio
K19CX Channel 19 Indio
K28FM Channel 28 (MTV3) - Yuma
KESE-LPChannel 35 (TEL) - Yuma
KAJB Cahnnel 54 (TFU) - El Centro
Additionally by these Mexican TV Stations:
XHBC Channel 3 (Televisa) - Mexicali
XHAQ Channel 5 (TV Azteca 13) - Mexicali
XHBM Channel 14 (Televisa XEW) - Mexicali
XHEXT Channel 20 (TV Azteca 7) - Mexicali
XHMEX Channel 32 (Televisa XHGC) - Mexicali
XHMEE Channel 38 (Televisa XEQ) - Mexicali
XHLRT Channel 44 (Televisa XEW) - San Luis Rio Colorado
XHRCS Channel 50 (Telemax) - San Luis Rio Colorado
XHILA Channel 66 (Ind/CNI) - Mexicali
[edit] Transportation
San Luis is served by Yuma County Area Transit's Yuma-San Luis line, which is operated by the Yuma Metropolitan Planning Organization (web site) (YMPO)
. The regular fare is $3.00.
Also several taxi companies operate within the city boundaries. Taxis are operated by individulas under company concession and under authority of the police department.
[edit] References
- ^ Annual Estimates of the Population for All Incorporated Places in Arizona (CSV). 2006 Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division.
- ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ Comite de Bien Estar - San Luis, AZ. Retrieved on 2007-05-12.
[edit] External links
- San Luis, Arizona is at coordinates Coordinates:
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