Others will argue this, but my parents’ home on Plum Street and Arroyo Boulevard was the best place to be raised in Nogales, nay, on the planet.

Our self-contained little world was full of adventure. The outermost boundaries extended to Elm Street on the south, MacNab Drive on the west, Pajarito Street on the north and Morley Avenue on the east. Mostly, though, we hovered around the area between Plum and Walnut streets.

We lacked for nothing. There was Sacred Heart Church for the spirit; Sacred Heart, Elm Street and Nogales High schools, for the mind; and of course, a very cool Western Auto Store for our bikes.

And for our bodies, many of the homes in our neighborhood offered a variety of fruit trees, including pears, peaches, plums, pomegranates, red and the super sweet white mulberries. Not quite paradise, but man, we were close.

For our entertainment, the NHS football games were held across the street from our house. On homecoming, we looked forward to the huge bonfires and effigies of the opposing team out on the field. We could go mingle in the crowd or watch from the comfort of the wall around our back yard.

Something you rarely see anymore, kids were always running errands for their parents or neighbors. Thankfully, Puchi’s and Veterans Market were just a hop, skip and a jump away. There were two lumber stores in the neighborhood, Foxworth and O’Malley’s, where we were always welcomed to wood scraps for our clubhouses and sawdust for our punching bags. Pacific Auto Glass was handy, too. We got to be pretty good with the glass and putty after putting a few baseballs through house windows.

Our Cub Scout den mother lived conveniently at the base of Walnut Hill. Further down, the Navas sold candy out of their home and a couple blocks east was Kitty’s Corner, where you could get the juiciest hamburger and greasiest fries.

On school days, Simon Ochoa from El Charrito candy and miscellaneous store on Elm Street, hopped on his vending trike full of paletas, bubble gum and an assortment of Mexican sweets and took his show on the road. School kids buzzed around him like honey bees. I’m sure at times he wanted to swat us like bees, too, but the man had the patience of Job.

Ochoa was just one of the many pillars of our little community. His favorite stop was the corner of Plum and Arroyo. As I cruise down memory lane, it continues to be one of my favorite stops, too.

(Share some of your memories. Write us at 268 W. View Point Dr. Nogales, Ariz., 85621, or manuel.coppola@nogalesinternational.com)