In the latest episode of The Building Texas Show, Socorro Mayor Rudy Cruz discusses the dramatic transformation of his border city, where generations of irrigated farmland are being sold to developers as families abandon agriculture due to salty water and extreme heat. The episode, titled "This Texas Border City Is Trading Farmland for Factories," highlights how Socorro is establishing a foreign trade zone to attract manufacturing and logistics tenants that benefit from cross-border trade with Mexico.
Mayor Cruz explains the pressures forcing farmers off the land: "It's sad to see the farmland going away... the water isn't what it used to be. There's a lot of salt here and the salt kills off a lot of those plants." With reduced water allocations and triple-digit summers, the next generation is opting for commercial and industrial deals over inherited farmland. The city's new foreign trade zone aims to capitalize on its proximity to the border, drawing tenants that support binational supply chains.
A key partnership involves Ysleta del Sur Pueblo, one of only three federally recognized tribes in Texas. Cruz, who previously worked as a small business development specialist for the tribe, describes building business incubators on the former Braceros Farm site to help local entrepreneurs overcome startup costs. The tribe also secured federal highway dollars to rehabilitate an irrigation bridge that the city could not have funded alone, showcasing how civic and tribal economies reinforce each other.
Socorro ISD's 6A programs offer students pathways to associate's degrees and barber licenses, while Fort Bliss explores busing students into the district. The Mission Trail, a nine-mile corridor linking three missions, has seen homes converted into restaurants, bistros, and breweries serving pecan and pomegranate beer, preserving centuries-old foodways. Cruz invites visitors to see a 400-year-old adobe mission, emphasizing that the community is rebuilding its economy without erasing its history: "You want to see a building that was built by people with their own hands 400 years ago? Come down here and visit it."
The episode, hosted by Justin McKenzie, profiles the decisions and cultural stakes behind Texas's growth, from border trade zones to small-town Main Streets. It is available now wherever podcasts are heard.
