Alvorada is primarily a bedroom community with most workers commuting to adjacent cities such as Porto Alegre to work.

Although improvements have been made, the city suffers from heavy crime and squatting.

Drug and arms trafficking are punctuated by periodic violence.

Alvorada is bordered by the municipalities of Porto Alegre by west, Viamão by south, Gravataí by east and Cachoeirinha by north.

The municipality's growth has occurred from Avenida Presidente Getúlio Vargas (President Getúlio Vargas Avenue), the main central thoroughfare of the city.