Serious but humble question, why doesn’t Arizona annex the Rocky Point coast? (Scottsdale: to buy, construction)

[Scottsdale Entrepreneurr]

I came back from the Sea of Cortez down in Sonora for the first time and wow it is such a beautiful peace of coastal land. I strongly believe that Arizona as a state would feel more complete if it had an ocean coast and not landlocked the way it is now. It would also make it easier to drive back without having to cross the border hassle.

It’s a no brainer that Rocky Point would explode in a development boom with everyone rushing to invest. Arizona’s population would be larger by at least 20%. We can always pay off Mexico 500,000 dollars which they badly need in their developing country. It’s a win win for everyone. They already have the Mayan Riveria (Cancun) and the entire Baja Peninsula, not fair to be too greedy.

[Burning Madolf]

Originally Posted by Scottsdale Entrepreneurr

I came back from the Sea of Cortez down in Sonora for the first time and wow it is such a beautiful peace of coastal land. I strongly believe that Arizona as a state would feel more complete if it had an ocean coast and not landlocked the way it is now. It would also make it easier to drive back without having to cross the border hassle.

It’s a no brainer that Rocky Point would explode in a development boom with everyone rushing to invest. Arizona’s population would be larger by at least 20%. We can always pay off Mexico 500,000 dollars which they badly need in their developing country. It’s a win win for everyone. They already have the Mayan Riveria (Cancun) and the entire Baja Peninsula, not fair to be too greedy.

[DetroitN8V]

$500k, LOL!

[RichCapeCod]

We would have had that part of Mexico when we were negotiating the end of the Mexican-American War (1846~1848) but the abolitionists in power didn't want larger slave territories. Our Secretary of War at the time was Jefferson Davis and the southerners were looking for more land to link up a southern tier railroad East to West coast.

Wrote a book where I discussed the interesting details of the situation but I can't mention it here as that's considered advertising!

From my book:

With the end of hostilities an agreement was signed with Mexico –The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo– where the United States would pay that country fifteen million dollars and receive California, Arizona, New Mexico, parts of Colorado, Nevada and Utah as well as that portion of Texas running along the border of the Rio Grande.
*
Gadsden Purchase

Shortly after the Mexican American War ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) the desire to create a viable southern railway link by factions within the United States government remained. Even with the sizeable new territories under our control suitable land was still needed as the difficult terrain along our then southern border made such an endeavor, the construction of a railway link, too difficult to accomplish.

There also remained some ongoing and unresolved conflicts between the two nations. The Mexican government believed the United States had agreed to compensate the other nation for damages done by Indian raids, which the United States had earlier agreed to protect Mexico from. There was also the matter of large numbers of illegal aliens, as United States citizens insisted on entering Mexico in violation of Mexican law in an effort to take control over territory (does any of this sound familiar?). Indeed, in 1853 the Mexican government ejected Americans from their properties in the Mesilla Valley, an area under contention between the two nations.

President Franklin Pierce headed a strong pro-southern, pro-expansionist administration. His secretary of war was Jefferson Davis, future leader of the Confederate States of America. James Gadsden was the American diplomat (in 1853 he was serving, under President Pierce, as the U.S. Minister to Mexico) who negotiated with Mexico for the purchase of a parcel of land which now forms much of the southern border between the two nations. His goal was for the acquisition of the aforementioned southern railroad link as well as the protection of the slave trade and the expansion of the slave culture. While I’m sure it had no impact on his objective negotiations for the United States in regard this matter, Gadsden, as early as 1839, had been president of the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company.

The complex negotiations were eventually settled in 1855 for a payment of ten million dollars to Mexico (down from the initial negotiated price of fifteen million dollars) for the area of land which now makes up much of southern California, Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. Had it not been for the fear that abolitionists had at the time in regard the expansion of slavery, even more land would have fallen into the hands of those favoring slave holding territory. Save for the resistance of the abolitionists the United States today could have owned substantially more of what is now Mexico, including the beautiful Baja Peninsula.

***

Life seems to always be more complicated than we are led to believe!!!

Rich

[Hschlick84]

Would Rocky Point be equivalent to the size of Miami if that section of Sonora was part of AZ? Could Mexico ever sell that section of Sonora to the US?

[A Landlocked California]

Originally Posted by Hschlick84

Would Rocky Point be equivalent to the size of Miami if that section of Sonora was part of AZ?

Maybe not the size of Miami but a medium sized city like Oxnard or Salt Lake City equivalent.

Honestly we should just take the land. Mexico has been more harm than good as our neighbors and they owe us at least that Baja and Sonora to make it even. We would make better use of that land than they ever will.

[DetroitN8V]

It would be convenient, but it would be a shame to lose the food and culture. It would be boring and would turn into another beach-side trailer park like Panama City (FL) or Virginia Beach. No thanks.

[observer53]

You may think it's a serious one, but if you think that's even possible to do for 500,000, it's a silly question.

[Hal Roach]

It was overbuilt and popped like a pinata...many Americans took helocs to buy down there. Tremendous sunsets, fish tacos alone would be worth going to war over. Still plenty oif beaches in AZ; just not much water.

[Hschlick84]

Maybe for $500 million dollars we could annex that strip of land from Mexico, not $500k. The question is, would it be worth it? What about the Mexico citizens that live there, do they gain automatic citizenship?