A resort city in Mexico located on the Pacific´s Bahia de banderas, Puerto Vallarta´s 2005 census has reported its population to be 177,830 making it the 5th largest city in the state of Jalisco. Puerto Vallarta is named after a former governor named Ignacio Vallarta. Puerto Vallarta is often nicknamed ‘Vallarta.’ English speakers nickname it "P V"for short. Once nicknamed "The Friendliest City in the World", tourism makes up fifty percent of all the economic activity. The peak season for international tourism starts in late November all the way to March.

Puerto Vallarta is especially popular with many US residents due to its many convenient flights between this city and Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. These air routes are by far the most traveled of all air routes to the city. This tourism growth has resulted in a lot of rental apartment and hotel construction, spilling into Nuevo Vallarta in the neighboring Nayarit state.