The Dallas area is strategically located at a crossroads of international trade. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994, trade with our northern and southern neighbors has greatly increased. Canada and Mexico are the number one and number three international trading partners with the U.S., respectively, and the trade route that connects Canada, the U.S., and Mexico runs directly through the southern and eastern sectors of Dallas County. This international trade route in the U.S., called the River of Trade Corridor, runs in a southwest to northeast direction, and in reverse, along existing interstates from the Mexican border and Laredo, Texas to Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario via Dallas, Texas; Little Rock, Arkansas; Memphis and Nashville, Tennessee; Louisville, Kentucky; and Cincinnati, Dayton, and Toldeo, Ohio.
In addition, the Dallas area receives a significant amount of west-to-east trade that originates in Asia, and specifically China, which is the second largest trading partner of the U.S. The Asian trade primarily arrives to Dallas via rail shipments from the West Coast ports in Los Angeles and Long Beach, California through Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas to inland destinations. These goods arrive at the Union Pacific Dallas Intermodal Terminal located in Wilmer/Hutchins, Texas, 20 miniutes from Downtown Dallas. Dallas is also an inland distribution center for Asian trade that travels through the Panama Canal and the Port of Houston. This movement of international trade is facilitated by five Interstates – I-20, I-30, I-35E, I-45, and I-635 – and numerous U.S. and State highways that run through the southern and eastern sectors of Dallas County. The area is also served by Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF), Kansas City Southern (KCS), and Union Pacific (UP) rail lines.
In the fall of 2004, the City of Dallas embraced a strategic plan to further develop and enhance international trade flows through the southern and eastern sectors of Dallas County. With more than 6 million people, the Dallas area is part of the largest inland population center in North America. Recognizing the advantages of its inland location and number of key trade partners beyond Canada and Mexico, this stategic plan was appropriately renamed as the International Inland Port of Dallas. The project consists of several public policy initiatives specifically designed to foster economic growth and create jobs in the southern and eastern Dallas area. The City of Dallas is working collaboratively with Dallas County, Dallas County Community College District, and the cities in the southern and eastern sectors of Dallas County, which currently include the Balch Springs, Cedar Hill, DeSoto, Duncanville, Hutchins, Lancaster, Mesquite, and Seagoville. Dallas City Councilman Ron Natinsky is chair of the International Inland Port of Dallas.
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