Brawley

History

The Imperial Land Company laid out the town in 1902 and named it Braly in honor of J.H. Braly, who owned the land. After Braly refused to permit the use of his name, the name was changed to Brawley. The first post office at Brawley opened in 1903. Incorporated in 1908, it was a "tent city" of only 100 persons involved in railroads and the earliest introduction of agriculture. It had a population of 11,922 in 1950, but population growth was slow from the 1960s to the early 1990s.

Geography

Brawley is located in the Colorado Desert and Lower Colorado River Valley regions. The city's elevation, like other Imperial Valley towns, is below sea level. It is north of El Centro, about 25 miles north of the US-Mexico border, about 70 miles west of Yuma, Arizona, 95 miles southeast of Palm Springs and 130 miles east of San Diego. According to the United States Census Bureau, Brawley has a total area of . All is land within the city limits, except for the Alamo River and New River that seasonally flow through the city. Average January temperatures in Brawley are a high of and a low of . Average July temperatures are a high of and a low of . On average, 177.0 afternoons during the year have highs of or higher. The record high temperature was on July 1, 1950, and the record low temperature was on January 1, 1919. Average annual precipitation is with an average of 15 days with measurable precipitation. December is the wettest month of the year, while June is the driest. The wettest year was 1939 with , while the driest year was 1953, in which no measurable precipitation fell in Brawley. The most rainfall in one month was in September 1939. The most rainfall in 24 hours was on October 10, 1932. A rare snowfall in December 1932 brought a total of .

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Kestrel

  Falco sparverius Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  3,837
• Black Phoebe

  Sayornis nigricans (Swainson, 1827) · Aves
  3,695
• White-faced Ibis

  Plegadis chihi (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  3,217
• Great Egret

  Ardea alba Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  3,193
• Western Meadowlark

  Sturnella neglecta Audubon, 1844 · Aves
  3,101
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,931
• Eurasian Collared-Dove

  Streptopelia decaocto (Frivaldszky, 1838) · Aves
  2,899
• American Coot

  Fulica americana Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  2,773

Most recent

• M 2.91 — 2026-08-31
  22 km SSW of La Quinta, CA
• M 2.65 — 2026-08-31
  2 km NW of Delta, B.C., MX
• M 2.56 — 2026-08-27
  52 km SSW of Progreso, B.C., MX
• M 3.06 — 2026-08-25
  12 km WSW of Salton City, CA
• M 2.69 — 2026-08-20
  8 km WSW of Alberto Oviedo Mota, B.C., MX
• M 2.63 — 2026-08-13
  28 km SSW of Ocotillo Wells, CA