Nogales (Spanish pronunciation: [noˈɣales] ; English: or ) is a city in and the county seat of Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States. As of 2026, the population of Nogales is 20,072. Nogales forms part of the larger Tucson–Nogales combined statistical area, with a total population of 1,027,683 as of the 2010 Census. Nogales forms Arizona's largest transborder agglomeration with its adjacent, much larger twin Nogales, Sonora, across the Mexican border. 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. The highways meeting in Nogales are a major road intersection in the CANAMEX Corridor, connecting Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Nogales also is the beginning of the Arizona Sun Corridor, an economically important trade region stretching from Nogales to Prescott, including the Tucson and Phoenix metropolitan areas. Nogales is home to four international ports of entry, including the Morley Pedestrian Port of Entry, Dennis Deconcini Pedestrian and Passenger Vehicle Port of Entry, Union Pacific rail, Nogales International Airport, and the Mariposa Port of Entry. The Nogales-Mariposa Port of Entry has twelve passenger vehicle inspection lanes and eight commercial inspection lanes. Due to its location on the border and its major ports of entry, Nogales funnels an estimated $30 billion worth of international trade into Arizona and the United States, per year, in fresh produce and manufactured goods from Mexico and the world through the deep sea port in Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico. This trade helps to support tens of thousands of jobs and the overall economies in Ambos Nogales and throughout the American state of Arizona and the Mexican state of Sonora. The town is named for the black walnut trees which once grew abundantly in the mountain pass between the cities of Nogales, Arizona, and Nogales, Sonora, and can still be found around the town.
History
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. 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 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 1775–1776 Anza Expedition. 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-Jewish immigrants Isaac and Jacob Isaacson homesteaded the trading post of Isaacson, Arizona, at present-day Nogales. The U.S. Postal Service opened the Isaacson post office but renamed it as Nogales in 1883. In 1915, according to historian David Leighton, Sonora Gov. Jose M. Maytorena ordered the construction of an 11-wire fence, separating Nogales, Sonora from Nogales, Arizona, but it was taken down four months later. On August 27, 1918, a battle between United States Army forces and Mexican militia – mostly civilian in composition – took place. Culminating as the result of a decade's worth of tensions originating from the Mexican Revolution and earlier battles in Nogales along the border in 1913 and 1915, the main consequence of the 1918 violence saw the building of the first permanent border wall between Nogales, Arizona, and Nogales, Sonora, along the previously unobstructed boundary line on International Street.
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition
2020 census As of the 2020 census, Nogales had a population of 19,770. The median age was 37.4 years. 27.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 85.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 79.1 males age 18 and over. 93.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 6.4% lived in rural areas. There were 6,896 households in Nogales, of which 39.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 41.8% were married-couple households, 16.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 38.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 25.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 7,562 housing units, of which 8.8% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.2%.
2000 census As of the 2000 census, there were 20,878 people, 5,985 households, and 4,937 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,002.1 inhabitants per square mile (386.9/km2). There were 6,501 housing units at an average density of 312.0/sq mi (120.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 71.7% White, 0.4% Black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 24.3% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. 95.0% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 6,362 households, out of which 38.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.9% were married couples living together, 24.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.5% were non-families. 15.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.12 and the average family size was 3.62. 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 $28,044, 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 $14,440. About 30.8% of families and 32.7% 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.
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 20.8 sq mi (54 km2), all land. The city is at an elevation of 3,829 ft (1,167 m).
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