Layout of Nogales
Nogales occupies a narrow north–south valley in the oak and grassland hills of northern Sonora, at about 1,180 m. It began in 1880 as a customs post at a pass named for the walnut trees that grew there, and the railway from Guaymas reached the line the same year; the settlement that grew on both sides was one place before it was two, and is still called Ambos Nogales. The fence now runs straight through the middle of the valley floor. On the Mexican side the street grid starts at the gate and runs south: Avenida Álvaro Obregón, one block in from the line, is the old commercial street of pharmacies, dentists and curio shops that serves day visitors from Arizona, with the Plaza Miguel Hidalgo and the 1930s customs buildings beside it. The colonias climb the steep slopes east and west, and the city has grown mostly southward down the valley along Highway 15.
Nogales is an industrial town rather than a resort. Maquiladora parks — one of the largest concentrations in Sonora — line the road out to the Mariposa crossing and the southern approaches, assembling wiring harnesses, electronics, optics and medical devices for export. Nogales International (NOG) is a small airfield with little scheduled traffic; visitors fly into Tucson, about 100 km north, or Hermosillo, 270 km south. The bus station is on the southern edge of town on Highway 15, with services down the Pacific corridor and east to Agua Prieta. With 264,782 people in the municipality at the 2020 census, Nogales is the third-largest city in Sonora after Hermosillo and Ciudad Obregón, and about ten times the size of its Arizona namesake.
Distances from Nogales
| Place | km | Time | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeConcini crossing (Nogales, Arizona) | 1 | 10 min | Walk from Avenida Obregón |
| Mariposa crossing | 6 | 15 min | Periférico west; trucks and cars |
| Imuris | 70 | 45 min | Highway 15D south |
| Magdalena de Kino | 80 | 1 h | Highway 15D south |
| Tucson, Arizona | 100 | 1 h 15 | Interstate 19 north of the line |
| Cananea | 130 | 1 h 45 | Highway 2 east from Imuris |
| Hermosillo (state capital) | 270 | 2 h 45 | Highway 15D toll road |
| Phoenix, Arizona | 290 | 3 h | Interstates 19 and 10 |
| Guaymas | 400 | 4 h 15 | Highway 15D south |
| Mexicali | 700 | 8 h | Highway 2 west along the border |
The crossings and the produce corridor
The Dennis DeConcini port of entry sits between the two downtowns, a short walk from Morley Avenue on the Arizona side, and handles pedestrians and passenger cars; the Mariposa port, rebuilt and enlarged in 2014, lies about 6 km west where the truck route meets Arizona State Route 189. A rail crossing alongside carries the Ferromex line north into the US network. Mariposa is the largest entry point for Mexican fresh produce anywhere on the border: tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, peppers, aubergines and table grapes trucked up from the irrigated valleys of Sonora and Sinaloa, peaking between November and April when the US domestic season is over, and unloaded into the warehouse district on the Arizona side. The crossings are shown with the rest of the chain on the US–Mexico border map.
South of the city Highway 15D, the toll road, runs through Imuris and Magdalena de Kino — where the grave of the missionary Eusebio Francisco Kino, found in 1966, lies open under a dome in the town plaza — and on to Hermosillo, Guaymas and the Sinaloa line. This is the trunk route of the Pacific side of Mexico and the reason Nogales matters out of proportion to its size; the road map shows where it goes. At Imuris, Highway 2 turns east for the copper town of Cananea and Agua Prieta, and west it follows the border through Altar and Sonoyta to the Baja California Peninsula. Nogales sits in Northern Mexico, and because Sonora keeps UTC−7 without daylight saving it is one of the few border cities whose clock never shifts against its US neighbour — see the time zone map.
Questions about Nogales
Where is Nogales on the map of Mexico?
On the Arizona border in the north of Sonora, at 31.31° N, where Federal Highway 15 begins its run down the Pacific side of Mexico. It faces Nogales, Arizona across the fence, and is about 270 km north of the state capital Hermosillo.
How far is Nogales from Tucson?
About 100 km north on Interstate 19, an hour and a quarter of driving after the crossing. Phoenix is roughly 290 km, about three hours. Most US visitors reach Sonora this way rather than by flying.
What time is it in Nogales?
UTC−7 all year. Sonora has never used daylight saving, and neither does Arizona, so the clocks on the two sides of the fence match every day of the year — unlike the Baja California and Chihuahua border towns, which move their clocks with the United States.
What are the Nogales border crossings?
Two. The Dennis DeConcini port of entry is in the middle of the two downtowns and takes pedestrians and cars; the Mariposa port, about 6 km west, takes the commercial trucks and most passenger vehicles. Mariposa is the largest entry point for fresh produce on the whole US–Mexico border.
Is Nogales safe to visit?
The US State Department places Sonora at Level 3, reconsider travel, citing crime and kidnapping, advises against travel to parts of the state, and restricts its own employees to the main Highway 15 and 15D corridor. Check the current US State Department advisory before travelling.