Gordon Hanson Quoted in NPR News
Nogales Diary: Border Town Sees Business Decline
11/04/2009
Peter O'Dowd,
NPR
Just after the morning rush at a McDonald's in the border town of Nogales, Ariz., a few people linger in the dining room. Two years ago, when Gael Sylvia Pullen first bought the franchise, she says it was full of Spanish-speaking customers. This business, like so many others within sight of the international line, depends on Mexico.
"And the fact of the matter is there is between 24,000 and 30,000 people on this side of the border," Pullen says. "There are 200-plus thousand on the Mexico side. That's our customer base."
It's a customer base that's increasingly difficult to reach. Shops and restaurants in Nogales that rely on Mexican shoppers crossing the international line are closing. Lifelong residents say the downtown area has become a ghost town.
Read the full story and Professor Hanson's comments here. Listen to the audio version of the story, which aired on All Things Considered.
Related Links
Gordon Hanson's faculty webpage
