Ocotillo

History

Ocotillo is located on a site that originally sat on the edge of ancient Lake Cahuilla and is the traditional territory of the Kumeyaay. The town originated as a retirement community.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , all of it land. Ocotillo has a hot-desert climate with long, extremely hot summers, and mild to warm winters. The average yearly temperature is one of the highest out of any inhabited place in California. Days of 100 °F and over are quite common from late spring into early fall. Since winters, although milder, in Octillo average highs of over 70 °F, the town becomes the only inhabited place in California to not have a month averaging a high of less than 70 °F throughout the year Precipitation is very little as Ocotillo sees about less than 3 inches of rain on average per year, making it among the driest places in California and in the United States. The winter months, which tend to be the wettest in California, see roughly a couple inches in Ocotillo. However, late summers may see some occasional monsoonal showers, but they still also come in minimal amounts.

Race & ethnicity