Ciudad Obregón is a city in southern Sonora. It is the state's second largest city after Hermosillo and serves as the municipal seat of Cajeme. As of 2020, the city has a population of 436,484. Ciudad Obregón is south of the country's northern border.
History The city, previously named Cajeme, takes its name from the revolutionary Álvaro Obregón, a native of nearby Huatabampo, Sonora. Álvaro Obregón became president of Mexico after the Revolution and initiated an "agricultural revolution" in the Yaqui Valley, introducing modern agricultural techniques and making this valley one of the most prosperous agricultural regions in the country. Renowned US agronomist Norman Borlaug, the architect of the "Green Revolution" worked here after successful developments in increasing the resistance of wheat. For his efforts, he was later awarded the Nobel Prize. The origins of this city date back to the year 1906 when the company's rail track South Pacific Railway reached this area of the Yaqui Valley. This route made it possible to incorporate with the Mayo Valley to the domestic and external market, attracting a wave of investors and settlers who brought out populations.
In 1907, a flag station, called Cajeme, was established for the locomotive crossing the state to supply water. Cajemé was a Yaqui leader (whose population lives in this area) who fought against them as part of the Porfyrian army and then led the Yaqui rebellion against it Porfirio Díaz.
"The Cajeme station was run by the American Bert Cameron, superintendent, and Emilio Estrella, station manager. They and their families were the first settlers. Soon after, the cowboys arrived to guard the corrals of cattle that from here was sent to other regions. Soon came neighbors of Hope, near the fields cultivated in the Valley." The Yaquis offered resistance to the arrival of the first settlers on their lands.
The first neighborhood was called Plano Oriente. In 1923, 'Cajeme Motors' was installed, owned by American James Huffaker, it was the first auto agency; fact that contributed significantly to the development of Cajeme. At the end of his term as president of the country (1920–1924), the General Alvaro Obregón returned to Sonora and carried out business projects in Navojoa and Cajeme, creating in 1925, the company 'Obregón y Cía.', which provided more work and economic development in the Region. Cajeme was declared the head of the municipality on 29 November 1927 (until then it had been part of Cocorit) by the governor Fausto Topete, and in 1928 the first town hall was installed. On 28 July 1928, 11 days after the assassination of Alvaro Obregón, it was decreed for the name to change to Ciudad Obregón in his recognition, while the name of the municipality was preserved. That same year the first printing press was installed and it was where the first news weekly called 'The Pacific Gazette', owned by Lithuanian immigrant Leo Rosenfeld and his wife, Virginia Gámez, was printed.
The first neighborhoods were Plano Oriente, Ladrillera, Cumuripa, Hidalgo, Constitución, El Castillo, Quinta Díaz, Bella Vista and Colonia del Valle.
Rice was the most important crop in the Yaqui Valley in the early 20th century; other crops also include wheat, beans, chickpeas, various vegetables and alfalfa. Over the course of the century, wheat became the most important crop. Due to Cajeme's agricultural vocation, the first industry of great importance was rice mills.
In the 1950s, the agronomist Norman E. Borlaug, called the Father of the Green Revolution, collaborated with the creation of the Northwest Agricultural Research Center (CIANO) and in 1970 received the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in research developing better varieties of wheat and maize. Then "El Valle Del Yaqui" was called,"The Barn Of Mexico."
At the end of the twentieth century the railway disappeared as a means of transport for passengers and the station was abandoned.
For the realization of economic activities and service to the general public, Ciudad Obregón has offices of the main financial institutions of the country.City Obregón visitaobregon.gob.mx
Geography The city is located on the parallel 27–29' north latitude and the meridian 109-59' west longitude. With an altitude above sea level of in the city center.
It is located in the south of the State of Sonora, from the coast of the Sea of Cortez and from the Sierra Madre Occidental, is also from Hermosillo, the capital of the State; and from the border with the United States.
Climate Ciudad Obregón has a steppe climate (Köppen BSh) featuring long, extremely hot summers and short, mild winters with cold mornings. Summer temperatures frequently reach or more, with overnight lows greater than and sometimes reaching . Sunny skies and clear nights can be expected throughout the year. Many severe thunderstorms with strong winds and sandstorms reach the region in summer. Rainfall is scarce but it is more prominent in the summer. In the winter, daytime temperatures can be hotter than but at night the temperature can fall to . Snow in Ciudad Obregón is nonexistent, but hailstorms can occur during cold fronts.
The extreme temperatures recorded in the box below between 1939 and 2016 were recorded at the Downtown Station of Ciudad Obregón, Sonora.
City origins Cajeme Municipality has as its head Ciudad Obregón. Its first settlers established themselves in the neighborhood called Plano Oriente, as irrigation canals made by the Richardson company around 1910 and two years later, the South Pacific railroad established a station called Cajeme. The town of Cajeme was initially a part of Cocorit Municipality until its elevation to Municipal Seat on 28 September 1927. The first city government was established on 1 January 1928. The 28 July 1928 decree stated that "the city is known now with the name of Ciudad Obregón, the town formerly known as Cajeme." In 1937 another legislation stated that Cajeme be the name of the Municipality and Ciudad Obregón its seat.
In 1950, Ciudad Obregón had a population of 120,000.Columbia-Lippincott Gazetteer. (New York: Columbia University Press, 1952) p. 406
Roots and traditions The native Yaqui people are settled in eight towns: Potam, , Torim, Cocorit, Bacum, Vicam, Rahum and Belem. from the city is the first of the eight Yaqui towns that make the autonomous territory of these people known for their independent character, because it is one of the few American ethnic groups not dominated militarily by Spanish colonialists.
Yaqui history informs the defense of their territory and culture, an ancestral culture enriched by rites and traditions of which the Deer Dance stands out, a symbolic representation of the hunt for this animal.
Demographics Ciudad Obregón is the second largest city in Sonora (after state capital Hermosillo) with a 2010 census population of 298,625 people. Its municipality of Cajeme had a population of 409,310.
, the per capita income for the municipality of Cajeme was $10,940 and the Human Development Index was 0.8635.
Government and economy In Ciudad Obregón lies the seat of the municipal government of Cajeme. The government's exercise rests with the Municipal President and his cabinet, elected every three years.
Of the 21 state electoral districts in the Congress of Sonora, three correspond to the city. The municipality of Cajeme has its own federal electoral district, the VI Federal Electoral District of Sonora of the Chamber of Deputies of the Congress of the Union of Mexico.
The main economic activities in the entity are maquiladora, agriculture, livestock, [aquaculture], and trade. However, the fertile lands of the municipality favour agriculture and the services derived from it, such as its suppliers and their transport. Real estate and construction development has also had a major boom in the city that, because of its relatively recent foundation, has been able to be planned with wide avenues and modern urban development compared to other Sonorense cities.
According to the national census prepared by the INEGI, the economically active population (PEA) in 2010 corresponds to 54.1% of the inhabitants of the municipality of whom 95% have an occupation.Economy visitaobregon.gob.mx
Transportation The city is served by Ciudad Obregón International Airport.
Education and health The following institutions of higher education are based in Ciudad Obregón: Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora (ITSON) – Campus Obregón and Campus Náinari Instituto Tecnológico Superior de Cajeme (ITESCA) Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM) – Campus Obregón Universidad La Salle – Campus Obregón Universidad TecMilenio – Campus Obregón Universidad Tecnológica del Sur de Sonora (UTS) Universidad del Valle de México Campus Ciudad Obregón (UVM) Universidad del Desarrollo Professional Ciudad Obregón (UNIDEP) Universidad Vizcaya de las Américas Instituto Tecnológico del Valle del Yaqui Universidad Durango Santander Universidad Interamericana de Desarrollo (UNID) Instituto de Capacitación para el trabajo Icatson-Cajeme According to the 2010 population and housing census of INEGI in Cajeme the literacy rate for people aged 15 to 24 years is 98.5% and that of people aged 25 and over is 96.1%.
School attendance for people ages 3 to 5 is 44.4%; 6 to 11 years is 97%; 12 to 14 years is 95.1% and 15 to 24 years is 50.5%.Education and health visitaobregon.gob.mx Higher Education Institutions Ciudad Obregón has multiple institutions of higher education, and has the most important concentration of these in the south of Sonora. The most important institution is the Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora (ITSON) which has an enrollment of approximately seventeen thousand students. It offers twenty-three bachelor's degrees, and its main campus is located in the city. Ciudad Obregón has the necessary elements to offer the population all academic levels.
In the city there is also an important campus of the University of Sonora, the [Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey] (ITESM), La Salle University (ULSA), the University of the Valley of Mexico (UVM), the State Normal School of (ENEE), the Instituto Tecnológico Superior de Cajeme (ITESCA), the Universidad Tecnológico del Sur de Sonora (UTS), among others.Higher Education Institutions visitaobregon.gob.mx
Of these above, they stand out: La Salle University located in Obregón City has been operating for 25 years. It is private, Christian-inspired. It has 21 bachelor's degrees and 15 postgraduate degrees on this campus. The Cajeme Higher Institute was founded in 1997. It is a public, decentralized university. It has nine bachelor's degrees and 17 specialties.Historia The Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey has 20 bachelor's degrees and 20 master's degrees. The Universidad TecMilenio has 15 bachelor's degrees and seven master's degrees.Career professional
Tourism Nainari Lagoon
The "Nainari Lagoon" with a perimeter is located at the western city limits between Guerrero and Padre Eusebio Kino avenues. Its grounds are used for outdoor sports including an outdoor public gym. The lagoon's two piers are a focal point for aquatic activities like skiing, sailing and canoeing being the site for triathlons, marathons, and bicycle races. There are many coconut and snack stands on the lagoon boardwalk where you can find fresh coconuts and other fruits such as "mango con chile" and restaurants.
The Nainari Lagoon is manmade, it was built in 1956 as one of the achievements of City Mayor Rene Gandara, who opened the hydraulic gates to fill the reservoir. Before, it was a lagoon region where there was duck hunting and rice was grown.
The Nainari Lagoon is a tourist attraction that has a small boardwalk and a boat dock. Water is constantly circulating as it is connected to one of the main canals in the irrigation district, the Lower Canal (el Canal Bajo).