Business View Magazine | August 2020

169 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE AUGUST 2020 Doug las, Arizona Putting the pieces together D ouglas is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, on the U.S.-Mexico border, some 120 miles southeast of Tucson. It is surrounded by the Mule Mountains to the west and the Chiricahua National Monument to the east. The town was originally incorporated in 1905 to smelt the ore from the copper mine in nearby Bisbee, and named after mining pioneer, James Douglas. The smelter closed in 1987 and its 160 employees were furloughed. Today, Douglas has a population of approximately 16,000 and serves as a Port of Entry for international trade and commerce. Sharing the border with Agua Prieta, Sonora, whose population approaches 180,000, the two cities share an interdependent economy and culture. In fact, in 2019, 27,000 trucks, 1.53 million cars, and 898,000 pedestrians crossed northbound from Mexico, totaling 3.63 million people. During the same year, there was a total value of imports and exports of $1.9 billion. Silver, insulated cable and wire, copper wire, live cattle, and vehicle parts comprised the top five commodity imports. The top exports were petroleum and other hydrocarbon products, cotton and yarn, parts for electrical supplies, rubber tires, and scrap metals. Douglas takes pride in its deep family roots and people, its affordable cost of living, and its year-round great weather with star-filled nights and clear atmospheric conditions that draw