| Imperial County, California | |
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| Map | |
 Location in the state of California |
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 California's location in the USA |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | 1907 |
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| Seat | El Centro |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
4,482 sq mi (11,608 km²) 4,175 sq mi (10,813 km²) 307 sq mi (795 km²), 6.85% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
142,361 34/sq mi (13/km²) |
| Website: www.co.imperial.ca.us | |
Imperial County is a county located in the Imperial Valley, in the far southeast of the U.S. state of California, bordering both Arizona and Mexico. It is part of the El Centro, California Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Imperial County. The population as of 2000 was 142,361. The county seat is the city of El Centro. The county is the newest and one of the poorest of all of California's counties.
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History
Imperial County was formed in 1907 from the eastern half of San Diego County. The county took its name from Imperial Valley, itself named for the Imperial Land Company, a subsidiary of the California Development Company, which at the turn of the 20th century had reclaimed the southern portion of the Colorado desert for agriculture.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 4,482 square miles (11,608 km²), of which, 4,175 square miles (10,812 km²) of it is land and 307 square miles (795 km²) of it (6.85%) is water. The Colorado River forms the county's eastern boundary. Two notable geographic features are found in the county, the Salton Sea, at 235 feet below sea level, and the Algodones Dunes, one of the largest dune fields in America. The Chocolate Mountains are located east of the Salton Sea, and extend in a northwest-southeast direction for approximately 60 miles.
Cities over 10,000 population
Cities under 10,000 population
- Imperial (Airport: Imperial County Airport IATA: IPL)
- Calipatria
- Holtville
- Westmorland
Towns over 1,000 population
Towns under 1,000 population
See Southern California Zip Codes for individual Zip Code data.
Adjacent counties
- Riverside County, California, north
- Yuma County, Arizona, southeast
- La Paz County, Arizona, northeast
- San Diego County, California, west
The county is also bordered to the south by the Mexican state of Baja California.
Transportation Infrastructure
Major Highways
Interstate 8
State Route 7
State Route 78
State Route 86
State Route 98
State Route 111
State Route 115
Public Transportation
Imperial County is served by Greyhound Lines and Imperial Valley Transit buses. Amtrak trains also travel through the county, but with no scheduled stops.
Airports
- Imperial County Airport, located just north of El Centro, is primarily a general aviation airport with limited commercial flight service.
- Holtville Airport is a general aviation airport located roughly five miles east of Holtville.
- Calexico Airport is located 15 miles south of Interstate 8 on California State Route 111. It is a general aviation field, used in part to service maquiladora factories in nearby Mexicali.
Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 142,361 people, 39,384 households, and 31,467 families residing in the county. The population density was 34 people per square mile (13/km²). There were 43,891 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 49.37% White, 3.95% Black or African American, 1.87% Native American, 1.99% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 39.08% from other races, and 3.65% from two or more races. 72.22% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 65.7% spoke Spanish and 32.3% English as their first language. By 2005 the estimated percentage of non-Hispanic whites in the county was 18%. The percentage of Hispanics had risen to 75.3. The African-American percentage now stood at 4.2%, showing that this population was growing significantly in the county. There were 39,384 households out of which 46.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.7% were married couples living together, 17.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.1% were non-families. 17.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.33 and the average family size was 3.77. In the county the population was spread out with 31.4% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 18.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 109.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.4 males. The median income for a household in the county was $31,870, and the median income for a family was $35,226. Males had a median income of $32,775 versus $23,974 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,239. About 19.4% of families and 22.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.7% of those under age 18 and 13.6% of those age 65 or over. By 2006 the population had risen to 160,201.
Politics
| Year | DEM | GOP | Others |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 52.4% 17,964 | 46.4% 15,890 | 1.2% 420 |
| 2000 | 53.5% 15,489 | 43.3% 12,524 | 3.2% 924 |
| 1996 | 55.3% 14,591 | 36.8% 9,705 | 8.0% 2,104 |
| 1992 | 43.9% 11,109 | 38.5% 9,759 | 17.6% 4,450 |
| 1988 | 43.8% 10,243 | 55.2% 12,889 | 1.0% 233 |
| 1984 | 36.9% 8,237 | 62.0% 13,829 | 1.1% 235 |
| 1980 | 36.9% 7,961 | 55.9% 12,068 | 7.2% 1,550 |
| 1976 | 48.2% 10,244 | 49.9% 10,618 | 1.9% 400 |
| 1972 | 34.9% 7,982 | 62.1% 14,178 | 3.0% 689 |
| 1968 | 36.6% 7,481 | 52.9% 10,818 | 10.5% 2,147 |
| 1964 | 51.8% 11,143 | 48.1% 10,330 | 0.1% 19 |
| 1960 | 46.0% 9,119 | 53.6% 10,606 | 0.4% 81 |
Imperial is a Democratic-leaning county in Presidential and congressional elections. The last Republican to win a majority in the county was George H. W. Bush in 1988. Imperial is part of California's 51st congressional district, which is held by Democrat Bob Filner. In the state legislature, Imperial is part of the 80th Assembly district, which is held by Republican Bonnie Garcia, and the 40th Senate district, which is held by Democrat Denise Ducheny.
In popular culture
- Dimmsdale is a fictional city located in Imperial County that is shown on the Nickelodeon animated series The Fairly OddParents.
- Scenes for the 2006 film Borat! were filmed in Imperial County, but were not used in the finished film.
- The majority of Jarhead was filmed in the Imperial Valley.
- Scenes from Star Wars were filmed in the Imperial Valley sand dunes.
- Scenes from Top Gun were also filmed in the Imperial Valley.
External links
- Official Imperial County website
- Website for the City of Imperial, California
- Imperial Irrigation District
- Imperial Valley Economic Development Corporation
- Imperial Valley Living
- ImperialAds.com - Imperial Valley's online shopper!
|
Imperial County, California |
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|---|---|---|
| County seat: El Centro | ||
| Cities |
Brawley | Calexico | Calipatria | El Centro | Holtville | Imperial | Westmorland |
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| CDPs |
Bombay Beach | Desert Shores | Heber | Niland | Ocotillo | Palo Verde | Salton City | Salton Sea Beach | Seeley | Winterhaven |
|
| Unincorporated communities | ||
