| City of Nogales, Arizona | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| Location in Santa Cruz County and the state of Arizona | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Arizona |
| County | Santa Cruz |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Arturo Garino |
| Area | |
| • Total | 20.8 sq mi (53.9 km2) |
| • Land | 20.8 sq mi (54.0 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 3,832 ft (1,168 m) |
| Population (2007)[1] [2] | |
| • Total | 21,017 |
| • Density | 1,001.6/sq mi (386.5/km2) |
| Time zone | MST (no DST) (UTC-7) |
| ZIP codes | 85600-85699 |
| Area code(s) | 520 |
| FIPS code | 04-49640 |
| Website | http://www.cityofnogales.net/ |
Nogales is a city in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States. The population was 21,017 at the 2010 census. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 20,833.[2] The city is the county seat of Santa Cruz County.[3]
Nogales, Arizona, borders the city of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, and is Arizona's largest international border town. The southern terminus of Interstate 19 is located in Nogales at the U.S.-Mexico border; the highway continues south into Mexico as Mexico Federal Highway 15.
Known in O'odham as Nowa:l, the name Nogales means "black walnuts" in Spanish, and the walnut trees which once grew abundantly in the mountain pass between the cities of Nogales, Arizona, and Nogales, Sonora, can still be found around the town.
Nogales is known for being one of the most heavily used entry points for illegal immigrants crossing into the U.S. from Mexico.[4]
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According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 20.8 square miles (54 km2), all of it land.
Elevation: 3,865 ft (1.178 mts)
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Nogales has a semi-arid steppe climate, which is less hot and more rainy than a typical arid climate classification. In the winter months, Nogales averages in the mid to upper 60s, with both January and February averaging daily highs of 64°F (18°C). Lows typically settle just below the freezing mark (32°F/0°C) on a majority of nights, but it is not uncommon to see temperatures tumble below 25°F (-4°C) on some winter nights.
On the other hand, in the summer months, highs average between 90°F (32°C) and 100°F (38°C), with the month of June being the hottest with an average daytime high of 96°F (36°C). Nighttime lows for the summer months remain in the upper 50s and lower 60s for the duration of the season. July and August typically see eight inches or more of combined rainfall, which brings the average annual precipitation for Nogales to about 19 in (483 mm).
Nogales' all-time highest recorded temperature is 112°F (44°C), which was reached on June 26, 1990. The lowest recorded temperature was -4°F (-20°C) on December 8, 1978.
The name "Nogales" is derived from the Spanish word for "walnut" or "walnut tree." It refers to the large stands of walnut trees that once stood in the mountain pass where Nogales is located.[5]
Nogales was at the beginning of the 1775-1776 Juan Bautista de Anza Expedition as it entered the present day U.S. from New Spain, and the town is now is on the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail. On the second floor of the 1904 Nogales Courthouse is a small room dedicated to the 1775-76 Anza Expedition.[6]
In 1841, a land grant from the Mexican government to the Elías family established Los Nogales de Elías. Following the Gadsden purchase in 1853, Nogales became a part of the United States of America. In 1880, Russian immigrant Jacob Isaacson built a trading post at present-day Nogales. The U.S. Postal Service opened the Isaacson post office but renamed it as Nogales in 1883.[7]
On August 27, 1918, a battle between United States Army forces and a Mexican Army Garrison aided by German military advisors occurred.
Most of Nogales' economy is based on agribusiness and produce distributors, which comes from large farms in the Mexican agri-belt. Despite its small population, Nogales actually receives much patronage from its bordering sister-city, Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. Most observers guess the population of Nogales, Sonora, at roughly 300,000. International commerce is a big part of Nogales’ economy.[8] More than 60 percent of Nogales’ sales tax comes from Mexican shoppers crossing the border daily.[9] Nogales, Arizona, and Nogales, Sonora, are home to one of the largest maquiladora clusters. This enables American manufacturing plants on both sides of the border to take advantage of favorable wage and operating costs and excellent transportation and distribution networks.
The Consulate-General of El Salvador in Nogales is located in Suite 3 at 840 North Grand Avenue.[10] The Consulate-General of Mexico in Nogales is located on 135 W. Cardwell St.,[11]
The city of Nogales has a wide range of community facilities. These include nine parks, a museum, an art gallery, a film theater, four recreation centers, four swimming pools, eight athletic fields, a library, six tennis courts and four golf courses. It has public elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools. Its financial institutions include six banks. Its governmental agencies include a staffed city and local fire department and a city police department. It is home to Nogales International Airport, which includes a 7,200 ft. runway and a terminal with a customs facility, passenger waiting areas, and a coffee shop. It has three regional health care facilities.
Nogales is one of the few (if not the only) communities in the United States to operate school buses in city bus service. These buses are privately owned and operated, and are not subject to any oversight. Because of this, in 2008, the city of Nogales will provide new vehicles that have air conditioning and are compliant with all regulations.
The county of Santa Cruz and the city of Nogales have 200 properties listed in the National Register of Historic Sites, including Tumacacori National Monument visited by Father Kino in 1691 and Tubac Presidio, established by the Spanish in 1752 on an Indian village site. Others include the Old Tubac Schoolhouse, Old Nogales City Hall, Santa Cruz County Courthouse, and Patagonia Railroad Depot. The Patgonia-Sonoita Creek Sanctuary, 19 miles east, attracts worldwide visitors to see its diverse bird life. It is also host to ghost towns and mining camps, curio shops, first-class restaurants and night clubs.
The Santa Cruz County Historical Courthouse on Morley Street/Court Street has the statue of Lady Justice on top of the building. The Nogales version of Lady Justice is not wearing a blindfold.
As of the census[12] of 2000, there were 20,878 people, 5,985 households, and 4,937 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,002.1 people per square mile (387.0/km²). There were 6,501 housing units at an average density of 312.0 per square mile (120.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.83% White, 0.37% Black or African American, 0.57% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 17.97% from other races, and 2.86% from two or more races. 93.59% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 5,985 households out of which 47.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.3% were married couples living together, 21.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.5% were non-families. 15.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.45 and the average family size was 3.86.
In the city, the population was spread out with 34.6% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 88.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $22,306, and the median income for a family was $24,637. Males had a median income of $24,636 versus $18,403 for females. The per capita income for the city was $10,178. About 30.8% of families and 33.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.2% of those under age 18 and 32.9% of those age 65 or over.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1900 | 1,200 |
| 1940 | 5,100 |
| 1950 | 6,200 |
| 1960 | 7,300 |
| 1970 | 8,900 |
| 1980 | 15,700 |
| 1990 | 19,500 |
| 2000 | 20,900 |
Nogales, Arizona, was the filming location for the motion picture version of the musical, Oklahoma! (1955). Nogales was chosen because it looked more like turn-of-the-century Oklahoma (when the musical is set) more than anywhere in Oklahoma did at that time. It was made an "honorary" part of the state of Oklahoma for the duration of the film shoot by order of the governor of Arizona. A small part of William Gibson's The Gernsback Continuum short story refers to the city of Nogales. Also, the 1951 biblical motion picture David and Bathsheba was filmed here. Nogales was mentioned as a border crossing point in Carlos Castaneda's "Don Juan" series, and a gateway into the Mexican Yaqui communities of Sonora. Nogales is also mentioned in Men in Black and recently in a PlayStation 3 video game advertisement: MAG. Massive Action Game. Nogales is a locale for filming some of the TV reality documentary, "Border Wars". Nogales is discussed in Season 1, Episode 2 in detail (as it relates to the subject matter of the show).
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