Eloy is located in south central Arizona at the intersection of Interstates 10 and 8, parallel to the proposed CanaMex Corridor and midway between Phoenix and Tucson (approximately 55 miles each way). Eloy was initially established as a railroad stop in the late 1800's, was incorporated in 1949 and rapidly developed into one of the most important agricultural areas in the western U.S. Gradually Eloy's economy grew to include distribution and manufacturing. In the mid 1990's Eloy was selected as the location of a private sector detention facility that now has a workforce exceeding 1,600 employees. Eloy's current population is just under 18,000 which includes Eloy's detention population of approximately 6,800 inmates in a four facility campus. Other local employers include OTTO Industries, Schuff Steel, Republic Plastics, HASA Chemicals, San Juan Pools, Bayer and Bridgestone America. Eloy owns and operates its own water and sewer services and municipal airport. The Eloy Municipal Airport is located approximately three miles northwest of downtown and encompasses approximately 91 acres. With two active runways, the airport is available to general aviation from dawn to dusk. Hangars and T-shades are located on airport properties and aviation fuel is available for sale. The Eloy Municipal Airport is home to Skydive Arizona™, a world-class facility attracting skydivers from around the world. The City also owns approximately 280 acres adjacent to the airport for a future business/industrial park