Calexico

Sister cities

• Mexicali
• Tijuana

History

The expedition of Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza traveled through the area some time between 1775 and 1776, during Spanish rule. The trail through Calexico was designated as a historical route by the State of California. Calexico began as a tent city of the Imperial Land Company; it was founded in 1899, and incorporated in 1908. The Imperial Land Company converted desert land into a fertile setting for year-round agriculture. The first post office in Calexico opened in 1902. On April 4, 2010, the El Mayor earthquake caused moderate to heavy damage throughout Calexico and across the border in Mexicali. Measuring 7.2 , the quake was centered about south of the U.S.–Mexico border near Mexicali. A state of emergency was declared and officials cordoned off First and Second streets between Paulin and Heber Avenues. Glass and debris littered the streets of downtown Calexico and two buildings partially collapsed. The Calexico water treatment plant sustained severe damage.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, at the 2020 census, the city had a total area of , all land. Calexico is located southeast of Los Angeles, east of San Diego, west of Phoenix, and adjacent to Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico. Calexico's location provides easy overnight trucking access to all those transportation hubs plus the ports of Long Beach, California, and Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. Calexico is served by State Routes 98, 7 and 111, with direct connection to Interstate 8 (5 miles north) and State Route 86. There are eighteen regular and irregular common carriers for intrastate and interstate truck service to Calexico. Rail service is provided by Union Pacific Railroad, and connects with the main line to Portland, Oregon; Rock Island, Illinois; Tucumcari, New Mexico; St. Louis, Missouri; and New Orleans, Louisiana. Within city limits is Calexico International Airport, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection checkpoint for private passenger and air-cargo flights entering the U.S. from Mexico. Private charter services are also available there. General aviation facilities and scheduled passenger and air-cargo service to San Diego International Airport, Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, and other points are available at Imperial County Airport (Boley Field), located north. Calexico has a subtropical hot-desert climate (BWh), according to the Köppen climate classification system. In December 1932, the city experienced a rare snowfall. Rainfall usually occurs in the winter months of December, January and February. Although summer is extremely dry in Calexico, there are occasional thunderstorms. In 2008, during the months of July and August there were several heavy thunderstorms that let down large amounts of rain and hail. Summer rainfall in the…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Collared-Dove

  Streptopelia decaocto (Frivaldszky, 1838) · Aves
  2,163
• Double-crested Cormorant

  Phalacrocorax auritus (Lesson, 1831) · Aves
  1,937
• Great Egret

  Ardea alba Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,850
• Great-tailed Grackle

  Quiscalus mexicanus (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  1,843
• American Coot

  Fulica americana Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  1,713
• Great Blue/Cocoi Heron

  Ardea herodias Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,704
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,668
• Burrowing Owl

  Athene cunicularia (Molina, 1782) · Aves
  1,568

Largest nearby schools

• Calexico High
  High · Calexico · 2,836 students · 23.1:1 ratio
• Central Union High
  High · El Centro · 1,957 students · 20.4:1 ratio
• Southwest High
  High · El Centro · 1,889 students · 20.5:1 ratio
• McCabe Elementary
  Elementary · El Centro · 1,209 students · 25.2:1 ratio
• Cesar Chavez Elementary
  Elementary · Calexico · 790 students · 24.7:1 ratio
• Enrique Camarena Jr. High
  Middle · Calexico · 669 students · 23.1:1 ratio
• Dogwood Elementary
  Elementary · Heber · 646 students · 20.8:1 ratio
• Dool Elementary
  Elementary · Calexico · 645 students · 24.8:1 ratio