El Centro, California

Spanish explorer Melchor Díaz was one of the first Europeans to visit the area around El Centro and Imperial Valley in 1540. The explorer Juan Bautista de Anza also explored the area in 1776 (an elementary school in El Centro now bears his name). Years later, after the Mexican–American War, the northern half of the valley was annexed by the U.S., while the southern half remained under Mexican rule. Small scale settlement in natural aquifer areas occurred in the early 19th century (the present-day site of Mexicali), but most permanent settlement (Anglo Americans on the U.S. side, Mexicans on the other side) was after 1900. In 1906, the land on which El Centro was later built was purchased by W. F. Holt and C.A. Barker. In 1907 Imperial County was split off from San Diego County; by then much of the valley was successfully irrigated. The City of El Centro was incorporated on April 16, 1908. Early growth was rapid with the city's population reaching 1,610 by 1910 and more than tripling by 1920 to 5,646 people. One reason for this rapid early growth was El Centro's successful battle with the City of Imperial to become the county seat. Liquefaction-related failures were reported in several areas, including the Calexico Wastewater Treatment Plant, Sunbeam Lake Dam, and levee systems near El Centro. The quake also led to the demolition of several iconic structures, including the El Centro Public Library and the old water tower on Eighth Street and Vine Avenue, which had become unsafe. Emergency shelters were activated, and city officials worked to secure federal assistance, though FEMA support was limited. The disaster prompted long-term recovery efforts and the eventual construction of a new library funded by local sales tax measures. Other notable seismic events include the 1940 El Centro earthquake (magnitude 6.9), which was the first major quake recorded by a strong-motion seismograph near a fault rupture, and the 1979 Imperial Valley earthquake, which caused widespread damage and fires. The region continues to be monitored closely by geologists due to its complex fault systems and history of seismic activity. ==Sites of interest==

Stark Field is home of a minor league baseball team El Centro Imperials of the Arizona Summer League. ==Geography==

, as seen from the Space Shuttle. North is to the upper right. The Salton Sea is at the center. The US-Mexican border is a diagonal in the lower left. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which over 99% is land. El Centro is located in the Imperial Valley (considered locally as synonymous with Imperial County). The city is below sea level and the largest city in the United States below sea level. The Imperial Valley is in the Colorado Desert, an extension of the larger Sonoran Desert. The agriculture industry's demand for water is supplied by canals diverting water from the nearby Colorado River. The Salton Sea was created after a 1905 flood from the Colorado River. The El Centro earthquake of 1940 had a moment magnitude of 6.9 and a maximum perceived intensity of X (Extreme) on the Mercalli intensity scale. It was the first major earthquake to be recorded by a strong-motion seismograph located next to a fault rupture. It was intensely studied by structural engineers and assumed to be typical until the Northridge earthquake of 1994. In this region, the geology is dominated by the transition of the tectonic plate boundary from rift to transverse fault. The southernmost strands of the San Andreas Fault connect the northernmost extensions of the East Pacific Rise. Consequently, the region is subject to earthquakes, and the crust is being stretched, resulting in a sinking of the terrain over time. Climate El Centro has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification: BWh) and is the southernmost desert city below sea level in the continental United States. It features long, extremely hot summers, and mild winters. El Centro has over 350 days of sunshine and under of rain annually. Winter temperatures are in the mid to high 60s °F (mid to high teens °C) with over-night lows in the low 40s °F (mid +0s °C) . During summer days of June; typically the driest month of the year with no precipitation, the dry, desert heat can push temperatures well above , while the nights stay in the high 70s °F (high 20s °C). The North American Monsoon typically increases moisture. At times, the climate can resemble that of tropical areas in the Caribbean due to Gulf of California moisture surges. Humid air from the gulf surges northward into the Imperial Valley and El Centro area, making the summer heat oppressive at times. This leads to daily thunderstorms that can bring hail, downpours, lightning, and dust storms, more commonly known as Haboob. During the Eastern Pacific Hurricane season, remnants of hurricanes or tropical storms may track through the desert and can result in heavy thunderstorms. This can lead to significantly higher than normal precipitation, at times bringing heavy rain. A few examples of this are Hurricane Hilary (2023) and Hurricane Nora (1997) The precipitation in the winter months is predominantly rain showers from the occasional winter storms. At times these storms bring cold temperatures to El Centro and surrounding cities, and mountain snowfall to the nearby Mountains. El Niño and La Niña play a large role in how much rain falls in the winter, La Nina typically brings drier and cooler conditions to El Centro and surrounding areas. El Niño tends to being wetter and average temperatures. Snow is almost totally unknown in the area. However, on December 12, 1934, a very powerful winter storm brought record cold and snowfall to El Centro and surrounding areas of the Imperial Valley. Snow began falling at 8:45 p.m. December 11 and by 5 a.m. the next day (December 12) of snow had blanketed the desert floor. Another instance of freezing precipitation was observed in December 1967 as a mix of sleet hail. On average there are about 15 days that dip below . Being below sea level, El Centro has warm afternoons and cold mornings in winter. The coldest daily maximum on record is on December 14, 1967, and the mean for the coldest day is at for the reference period between 1991 and 2020. }} }} ==Economy==

As of 2009 the employment of El Centro residents is dominated by the local government, California state government, and federal government. Two nearby prisons (Centinela and Calipatria) and a U.S. Border Patrol station provide employment; The Economist states that the prisons and border patrol were "relatively untouched" by the late-2000s recession. The El Centro area has many farming plots, where carrots, lettuce, and other crops are produced, and therefore the El Centro economy is subject to seasonal variations like other farming areas. Between November and March in winter periods, El Centro-area farmers harvest lettuce for $8–10 per hour. During March the harvest moves to the north and is no longer in El Centro; in previous eras farmers migrated, while in the first decade of the 21st century many collect unemployment benefits during the summer. El Centro is surrounded by thousands of acres of farmland that has transformed the desert into one of the most productive farming regions in California with an annual crop production of over $1 billion. Agriculture is still the largest industry in Imperial County and accounts for 48% of all employment. By August of that year, El Centro's unemployment rate was 27.5%, three times the overall United States unemployment rate of 9.7%. The Economist stated that the city is not the "centre of the Great Recession" like the figure would appear to indicate. While El Centro has a seasonal farming economy, there is still a fixed "baseline" unemployment at 12%. Timothy Kelly, the head of the Imperial Valley Economic Development Corporation, estimated that between 40,000 and 60,000 residents of Mexicali work in El Centro. The Economist added that there are likely many El Centro residents who work in Mexicali and collect unemployment benefits in El Centro; Ruben Duran, the city manager of El Centro, said that if the Mexicali jobs were factored into the employment rate, El Centro would have a normal employment rate. The manager of a job search agency called One Stop, said that about 3,000 people per month come into her agency; she says that some make a genuine effort to find jobs, while many do not have motivation to actually find a job, but to instead show proof that they tried to find a job. Kelly stated that unemployment fraud does not account for all of the issues with the El Centro area; he said that many residents have a lack of education and a lack of English language proficiency, so some of them cannot find jobs. The Economist added that the collapse of the housing market eliminated some construction jobs; the magazine countered that the scenario is true in many places in the United States. A national report on the effects of the "Great recession" of 2008/09 has found El Centro and the Imperial Valley in the top 5 poorest medium-sized cities in the U.S. in poverty and unemployment rates. ==Parks and recreation==

, lies just north of Calexico and Mexicali and the Mexico-US border. While the majority of the residents in this community are Hispanic, there is a diverse population with a wide array of interests. In the winter, residents race on nearby sand dunes using four-wheel-drive buggies. During the summer, residents spend time indoors instead of outside. Spanish is a dominant language among residents and over the radio. Many area residents live in both the United States and Mexico and go across the border frequently. ==Demographics==

2020 census As of the 2020 census, El Centro had a population of 44,322 and a population density of . The median age was 35.0 years. The age distribution was 26.7% under the age of 18, 9.8% aged 18 to 24, 25.3% aged 25 to 44, 23.5% aged 45 to 64, and 14.7% aged 65 or older. For every 100 females, there were 90.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 86.6 males age 18 and over. There were 14,137 households, of which 42.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 47.3% were married-couple households, 5.7% were cohabiting couple households, 15.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 31.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 20.0% of households were made up of individuals, and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.1. There were 10,786 families (76.3% of all households). There were 15,041 housing units at an average density of , of which 14,137 (94.0%) were occupied. Of these, 47.2% were owner-occupied, and 52.8% were occupied by renters. The remaining 6.0% of housing units were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0%, and the rental vacancy rate was 4.6%. 2010 census The 2010 United States census reported that El Centro had a population of 42,598. The population density was . The racial makeup of El Centro was 25,376 White, 1,081 African American, 554 Native American, 965 Asian, 34 Pacific Islander, 12,356 from other races, and 2,232 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 34,751 persons. The Census reported that 41,782 people (98.1% of the population) lived in households, 296 (0.7%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 520 (1.2%) were institutionalized. There were 13,108 households, out of which 6,257 (47.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 6,550 (50.0%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 2,845 (21.7%) had a female householder with no husband present, and 815 (6.2%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 804 (6.1%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 58 (0.4%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. Of the households, 2,458 (18.8%) were made up of individuals, and 1,004 (7.7%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.19. There were 10,210 families (77.9% of all households); the average family size was 3.64. The population was spread out, with 12,671 people (29.7%) under the age of 18, 4,803 people (11.3%) aged 18 to 24, 10,661 people (25.0%) aged 25 to 44, 9,907 people (23.3%) aged 45 to 64, and 4,556 people (10.7%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males. There were 14,476 housing units at an average density of , of which 13,108 were occupied, of which 6,488 (49.5%) were owner-occupied, and 6,620 (50.5%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.8%; the rental vacancy rate was 7.2%. 21,429 people (50.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 20,353 people (47.8%) lived in rental housing units. 2009 immigration In 2009 the Latinos in El Centro mainly consisted of dual citizens and permanent resident card (green card) holders. Illegal immigrants tended to go through Imperial County instead of staying in Imperial County. ==Education==

Within its boundary, there are three school districts – McCabe Union Elementary School District, El Centro School District and Central Union High School District. El Centro has 11 elementary schools, four middle/junior high schools and three high schools: Elementary schools • De Anza Magnet School • Desert Gardens Elementary School • King Elementary School • McKinley Elementary School (Central Union was established near the time when the city was established and celebrated its centennial in 2008.) • Desert Oasis High School • Southwest High School, whose performing arts theater is named after local musician Jimmie Cannon, director of CUHS's Great Spartan Band from 1966 to 1996 Colleges and universities Opportunities to attend college are available through Imperial Valley College, a local 2-year college, and an extension of San Diego State University located in the nearby city of Calexico. San Diego State University's Calexico Campus offers a variety of bachelor's and master's degrees. ==Transportation==

Freeways and highways There are three major highways that serve El Centro. Interstate 8 connects San Diego to the west and Yuma, Arizona to the east. State Route 86 and State Route 111 parallel each other as they go north to Brawley before running along the west and east shores of the Salton Sea, respectively, on their way to the Coachella Valley. Going south from El Centro, State Route 86 terminates at State Route 111, which runs to Calexico and Mexicali, Mexico. Public transportation Imperial Valley Transit is the primary provider of mass transportation in the Imperial Valley. Formed in 1989 with just 3 buses and serving just 3,000 people per month, the agency now currently serves more than 73,000 riders within the area per month. Through a partnership between the Imperial County Transportation Commission (ICTC), the Yuma County Intergovernmental Public Transportation Authority (YCIPTA), and the Quechan Indian Tribe, Yuma County Area Transit Turquoise Route 10 buses stop at El Centro locations and connects the city to Winterhaven, California and Yuma, Arizona. Greyhound Lines provides intercity bus service to El Centro. Airports • Imperial County Airport is located in nearby Imperial. Service is subsidized by the Essential Air Service program. The nearest large international airports are San Diego International Airport and Mexicali International Airport. • Naval Air Facility El Centro is a U.S. Navy airfield • Douthitt Strip Airport is a former military airfield, now a private use airport. ==Politics==

El Centro operates under a council–manager form of government. The members of the City Council also sit as the Community Development Commission (Commission) and Redevelopment Agency (Agency) governing boards. The City Manager is empowered as the executive director of the Commission and Agency. In the state legislature, El Centro is in , and . Federally, El Centro is in . ==Government==

The City of El Centro Public Works operates water, sewer, and trash services for the city. ==Notable people==

Notable people from El Centro or who lived in El Centro for an extended period of time. • Walter Beasley (born 1961), jazz musician and professor • Justin Burquist, filmmaker and music video director • Glenn Cadrez (born 1970), former American football linebacker for the Denver Broncos • Julian Segura Camacho (born 1969), Mexican American literature author • Dino Cazares (born 1966) heavy metal musician, songwriter, and producer • Cher (born 1946), pop musician, actress • Roscoe Cook (1939–2011), holder of three world records in track • Uttam Dhillon, former acting Administrator of the DEA • Doug Harvey (1930–2018), Major League Baseball Hall of Fame umpire • Ken Howard (1944–2016), actor • Donal Logue (born 1966), actor • Emmy Lou Packard (1914–1998), fine artist, printmaker • David Varela (born 1982), artist and philanthropist ==References==