Santa Cruz County
County QuickFacts
This Port of Entry is one of the busiest land ports in the United States. It serves as the main port of entry for fresh produce entering the United States from Mexico and the primary produce distribution point on the southern border.
In 2009 through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Arizona was awarded $199.48 million were designated to pay for the construction of the Mariposa Port of Entry.
The cost of construction is estimated in the range of $100 million to $115 million. (Anticipated completion date: Spring 2014)
The major American markets near Nogales are: Tucson ( one hour via Interstate I-19), Phoenix (31/2 hours via Interstate I-10). El Paso ( five hours via Interstate I-19 and I-10). Southern California (10 hours) Overseas markets are accessible through the Pacific Ocean Ports at Long Beach, Ca. (about 10 hrs trucking time) and Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico (5-6 hrs. trucking time)
Nogales has access to two NAFTA corridors:
- The Pacific NAFTA corridor, which communicates with the entire geographic band formed by the Rocky Mountain range and the Pacific Coast, passing through Sand Diego, Los Angeles, San Jose, Seattle and Victoria, Canada.
- The central western corridor includes the largest concentration of maquiladoras and the 2nd largest trade volumes of all the North American corridors, connecting to Chihuahua, El Paso, Denver, Las Vegas and Edmonton.
Railroads
Rail services is available from Ferrocarriles Nacionales de Mexico offering connections and loading service to the rest of Mexico and the U.S.