Nogales, Arizona

Back when the border was marked by a waist-high post and crossing was an unremarkable event, a saloon straddled the line with a door in Mexico and one in the U.S. Nogales is located on Interstate 19, right on the Mexican border.

Nogales is a wonderful place to experience the Mexican culture and traditions. Nogales is the county seat for Santa Cruz County and is a very popular port of entry for U.S. travelers. More than a billion dollars of produce pass through Nogales up into the United States and Canada. Nogales is an important retail and wholesale trading point with a population of 20,328.

Nogales, Arizona is the sister city of Nogales, Mexico . Many visitors include a day trip across the border to Mexico to see the town of Nogales. Visitors will enjoy shopping and Sonoran food.

Thousands of years ago, before European explorers ever dreamed of sailing across the Atlantic, Nogales was part of a migratory path and trade route called Spain's El Camino Real (The King's Highway). Much later, regiments of armor-clad Conquistadors forayed north along this very valley in quest of precious metals and gems. Today missions built by the Spanish colonials still dot the valley's landscape.

Back in those days, ranchers in the area were besieged by Apaches raiding their herds of well-fed cattle.

Life on the border would not be complete without the influence of Pancho Villa, whose army occupied Nogales, Mexico in 1914 during the Mexican Revolution. The U.S. military's garrison in Nogales swelled to over 10,000 mostly black soldiers of the highly decorated 25th Regiment mostly detached from Washington, D.C. The military buildup and related business growth attracted many businesses to Nogales, some of which remain today.