Agua Prieta is a town in the northern part of the state of Sonora, Mexico. It borders the town of Douglas, Arizona, USA and covers an area of 3,631.65 km². In 1995 Agua Prieta had an estimated population of 56,228 people, and a literacy rate of 96.3%. 89% of the homes in the city have electricity, 94% have running water, and 86% are connected to the sewer system. The city's most important economic activities, in descending order, are industry, commerce, and farming.
Agua Prieta was officially placed in the category of city relatively recently, on November 11, 1942. It began growing at the end of the 18th century as railroads were built between Douglas, Arizona and Nacozari , Sonora to transport minerals. As a result, the first settlers of the town were those employed by the U.S. mining company Phelps Dodge Corporation, which was based in Douglas, Arizona. It was founded in 1899 as the Comisaría de Fronteras, but did not become an independent municipality with its current name until August 28, 1916. Rodolfo L. Márquez was the new municipality's first president. It rose to the status of Villa on May 8, 1933.
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