Formed in 1928, Rocky Point is often named as one of the youngest cities in the state of Sonora, Mexico. Even though, it was given the official status of the city in 1928, the small towns of miners were already established at the Rocky Point as the place was rigged with the precious metals. The name “Rocky Point’ was given by the American official who visited the place during 40s in order to look for the precious metals in the area. The city soon evolved into a thriving fishy town as it was surrounded by the fishing region. The sea around the city had abundance of marine life which is present at the coasts of the Gulf of California.

The city hosted a large population of fishermen during 40s and 50s, even though, it started as a group of 100 fishermen in 1937. Especially after the train track was built through the city which connects Sonora and Baja California, the population reached 5000. After the completion of the train track, the town was recognized as municipality.

According to some historians, Rocky Point also served as the place of refuge during 1920s for the American gangster, Al Capone when he was on the run.

The Port of Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point)

The first residents of the Rocky Point were merchants from the Arizona who came to the place to distribute the fish they caught in early 20s. First housing units started to appear in and around the Whale Hill area, which is now called Old Port or Puerto Viejo. As the place was surrounded by the beautiful beaches and eye catching terrain, the city attracts the tourists since its inception in early 20s. The first tourists to Rocky Point used to arrive from California, Nevada and Arizona, but with better roads and greater accessibility, tourists from Baja California, Chihuahua and other neighboring cities and states also visit Rocky Point now.

Today, Rocky Point is a home of thousands of families who lives permanently there or come to visit the city at least once a year. As the number of tourists increased in last few decades, the city evolved from a small fishing town to a thriving tourist destination with high end services and luxuries for travelers. During 80s, the first hotels started to built like RV parks that play a major role in luring more and more tourists especially from America.

After 80s, the city of Rocky Point concentrated only towards making it as one of the top tourist attraction for American tourists in Mexico. The short 60 miles distance from American border also helped the cause as thousands of tourists started to visit Rocky Point after 80s. The city is surrounded by white sand as well as rocky beaches that are also full of visible marine life. The popular city beaches are La Cholla, Playa Encanto, Playa Hermosa, El Mirador, Las Conchas and Sandy Beach. The real estate sector boomed after 90s and many Americans started to invest in real estate and hotels. Some of the tourists acquired land and real estate to find a permanent accommodation for their yearly visits which initiated a real estate boom in the city.

The area around Sandy Beach is surrounded by many development projects which offer condos, resorts and other properties for visiting tourists. Some of the popular development projects at the Rocky Point are Marina Pinacate Resort, Sonoran Resort, Las Palomas Beach and Gold Resort, Playa Bonita Resort and many more.

Today, the city is witnessing a commercial boom with super markets from American and international chains opening their stores along with top restaurants from around the world. The city is known as Puerto Peñasco within Mexico as it is its Spanish name, while American visitors call it with its English name, Rocky Point. The name was given by the Roberto William Hale Hardy, a British man during 20s but it was later changed officially by General Lazaro Cardenas.