Calexico, California

Calexico is a city in Imperial County, California, United States. The population was 27,109 at the 2000 census. Calexico is about 122 miles (196 km) east of San Diego and about 70 miles (110 km) west of Yuma, Arizona. Calexico is a portmanteau of California “Cal” and Mexico “exico”, like that of the adjacent city of Mexicali emphasizes its importance as a border city

More than 60,000 people pass through Calexico per day. The Police Department of Calexico consists of about 8 patrol cars on duty at any one time. However their traffic department has about 25 employees that patrol and control traffic and intersections clogged by border commuters daily.

Major events every year are the Mariachi festival on March 25 followed by the SDSU "Perspective of the Latino Race" art exhibition on April 3.

Curtis Hanson's Losin' It was filmed in Calexico.

The band Calexico is named after the town.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Government
4 Demographics
5 Politics
6 Education
7 See Also
8 References
9 External links

[edit] Geography

Calexico is located at 32°40′42″N, 115°29′53″W (32.678246, -115.497997)^[1].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.2 square miles (16.1 km²), all of it land. Calexico is located 230 miles (370 km) southeast of Los Angeles, 125 miles (201 km) east of San Diego, 260 miles (420 km) west of Phoenix, Arizona, 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's strategic location is seen by many as the prime link between the interior of Mexico and the major markets along the west coast of the U.S. and Canada.

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 check-point 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 Los Angeles International Airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, and other points are available at Imperial County Airport (Boley Field), located 17 miles (27 km) north.

[edit] History

Calexico began as a tent city of the Imperial Land Company and has grown into a larger thriving city on the U.S.-Mexico border. Calexico was founded in 1899 and incorporated in 1908. The Imperial Land Company converted bone-dry desert land into year-round fertile agriculture, thus Calexico had an economic base.

The first settlers happened to be Mexicans as it geographically faces the Mexican border, especially after the Mexican Civil War and the Mexican Revolutions of the 1910's, when thousands of Mexican refugees settled in the Imperial Valley on the American side. Today, it's said to hold the highest percentage of Mexican residents of any city in the U.S. (about 90%).

Although it gained a reputation for a while as a typical U.S.-Mexico bordertown with all the tawdry aspects usually associated with such places, the modern city of Calexico is a far cry from what it was back in those early days. Hundreds of acres are now being devoted to industrial parks use and commercial and retail incentives are being offered to encourage industrial development.

Since Calexico represents the mixing of two cultures and areas and because of its proximity to the Mexican border, the name Calexico was coined for a combination of the words California and Mexico. (See also Mexicali, a similarly-named city directly across the International Border from Calexico.)

[edit] Government

The City of Calexico operates under a City Council/City Manager form of government. The City Council consists of five Council Members, elected to overlapping four-year term. The Mayor and Mayor Pro-Tem are chosen from among the five council members and rotate on an annual basis.

The Mayor presides at council meetings, where all official policies and laws of the City are enacted. The members of the Calexico City Council set policy and appoint commissions and committees that study the present and future needs of Calexico.

The other two elected officials in the City of Calexico are the City Clerk and City Treasurer. Each of them is elected directly by the voters and serves a four year term.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 27,109 people, 6,814 households, and 5,982 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,353.4 people per square mile (1,680.1/km²). There were 6,983 housing units at an average density of 1,121.4/sq mi (432.8/km²).

The racial makeup of the city was 46.56% White, 0.49% Black or African American, 0.67% Native American, 1.81% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 46.99% from other races, and 3.45% from two or more races. 95.29% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Calexico has one of the highest Hispanic/Latino percentages of any California city.

There were 6,814 households out of which 53.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.2% were married couples living together, 22.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 12.2% were non-families. 10.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.96 and the average family size was 4.21.

In the city the population was spread out with 34.9% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 17.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 87.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.6 males. The amount of teen pregnancy in the city is ranked 3rd in the nation with 17.3% of females between the ages of 14 and 18 being pregnant.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,929, and the median income for a family was $30,277. Males had a median income of $27,712 versus $18,857 for females. The per capita income for the city was $9,981. About 22.6% of families and 25.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.8% of those under age 18 and 16.2% of those age 65 or over. The poverty rate in Calexico as a border city is above-average in the US, while in contrast Mexicali is considered prosperous to Mexican standards.

[edit] Politics

In the state legislature Calexico is located in the 40th Senate District, represented by Democrat Denise Moreno Ducheny, and in the 80th Assembly District, represented by Republican Bonnie Garcia. Federally, Calexico is located in California's 51st congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of D +7^[3] and is represented by Democrat Bob Filner.

[edit] Education

[edit] Colleges and universities

Post-secondary education is available at the San Diego State University Imperial Valley Campus of San Diego State University, and at Imperial Valley College. In addition, there are more than 20 local agencies and programs providing vocational training which can be tailored to the specific needs of potential employers.

[edit] Public schools

The Calexico Unified School District serves city residents.

[edit] Elementary

[K-6]

Kennedy Gardens Elementary-Home of the Eagles

Allen and Helen Mains Elementary-Home of the Trojans

Rockwood Elementary-Home of the Rockets

Blanche Charles Elementary-Home of the Dolphins

Jefferson Elementary-Home Of the Tigers

Dool Elementary-Home of the Cougars

Cesar Chavez Elementary-Home of the Lobos

[edit] Junior High Schools

[7-9]

Willam Moreno Jr. High-Home of the Aztecs

De Anza Jr. High-Home of the Bullpups

Enrique Camarena Junior High School-Home of the Firebirds

[edit] Secondary Schools

[10-12]

Calexico High School-Home of the Bulldogs

Aurora High School-Home of the Eagles

[edit] Adult Education Schools

Robert F. Morales Adult Education Center

Independent Studies Office

[edit] Private schools

Calexico Mission School, a Seventh-day Adventist Academy operated by the Southeastern California Conference in Riverside, CA provides private religious education in Calexico from K-12.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Academy and Vincent Memorial Catholic High School, Roman Catholic schools operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego, are also in Calexico.

[edit] See Also

List of People From Calexico

[edit] References

^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
^ Will Gerrymandered Districts Stem the Wave of Voter Unrest?. Campaign Legal Center Blog. Retrieved on 2007-10-20.

[edit] External links

Calexico, California is at coordinates 32°40′42″N 115°29′53″W / 32.678246, -115.497997 (Calexico, California)Coordinates: 32°40′42″N 115°29′53″W / 32.678246, -115.497997 (Calexico, California)

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Imperial County, California

County seat: El Centro

Cities	Brawley \| Calexico \| Calipatria \| El Centro \| Holtville \| Imperial \| Westmorland

CDPs	Bombay Beach \| Desert Shores \| Heber \| Niland \| Ocotillo \| Palo Verde \| Salton City \| Salton Sea Beach \| Seeley \| Winterhaven

Unincorporated communities	Andrade \| Mount Signal \| Ogilby \| Plaster City