Calexico, California
Calexico, California, is located at the southern end of the Imperial Valley, separated from the Mexican city of Mexicali by a solid steel barricade. Calexico, founded in 1900, was once a tent town for the Imperial Land Company. It emerged as a commerce and shipping hub, as well as a port of entry, with some modest manufacturing, but worldwide tourism is the foundation of the city's economy. Calexico is a small town with little variety, yet it is a comfortable place where everyone in the city knows each other. Its name is a combination of both California and Mexico.
Climate Of Calexico
Calexico's climate is classified as a desert climate with hardly any rain throughout the year. Calexico's average annual temperature is 24.4°C, and the yearly rainfall is 72 mm. May is the driest month, with 0 mm of precipitation. February receives the most rainfall with an average of 12 mm. The warmest month is July, with an average temperature of 35.5°C, while December has an average low temperature of 13.8°C and is considered the coldest month. The month with the highest relative humidity (36.42%) is December, while the month with the lowest relative humidity is June (18.42%). The month with the rainiest days is August (2.53 days), whereas summer lasts from June to September.
History Of Calexico
Calexico was one of five townsites founded by the Imperial Land Company as part of the Imperial Valley colonization in October 1900. Even though Imperial was still being developed, Calexico became the headquarters for the California Development Company, which was in favor of handling desert irrigation. Calexico's expansion was slow at first, owing to a lack of water, but it took off once the water came in June 1901. Plantings of sorghum, wheat, and barley, as well as test crops of cantaloupe and cotton, were all successful; by the end of the year, over 8000 acres had been started, with another 70,000 submitted. Due to an unusually wet winter and silt building in the Imperial Canal, the Colorado River exceeded its banks and inundated the Imperial Valley. By 1905, practically the whole city had been washed away. Calexico grew as the floodwaters stopped. It was incorporated as a city on April 16, 1908, and underwent many renovations during the rest of the decade. By 1910, Calexico had 800 residents, as well as shops, churches, the brick Calexico Hotel, a school, and a high school. Unfortunately, a disaster struck again on June 22, 1915. Back-to-back earthquakes destroyed much of the town, causing $300,000 in property damage, but there were no fatalities. Calexico was reconstructed with new schools, a new library, and City Hall once more. The population had topped 6000 by 1920.
Population And Economy Of Calexico
According to the 2010 census, Calexico has a population of 38,572 people. The city's population grew 2.47% to reach 39,547 in 2020, with a median age of 31.8. The largest ethnic groups are the Hispanic White representing 81% of the population, followed by other races at 15.7%, non-Hispanic White at 1.01%, Asians at 0.889%, and multi races at 0.766%. The median household income is $43,592. Males in California earn 1.26 times more than females, with an average salary of $62,156. Income inequality in California (as measured by the Gini index) is 0.499, which is higher than the national average. The city's economy employs 14,000 people in various industries. The most populous industries in Calexico are Health Care & Social Assistance, Retail Trade, and Educational Services.
Tourist Attractions In Calexico
Calexico Carnegie Library
The Carnegie Foundation gave Calexico a $10,000 grant to build the library in 1918. Calexico had initially been granted a $25,000 grant, but the Foundation thought that the town's population did not justify the bigger sum. Until 1986, the building was used as a city library, after which a new structure replaced it. The building was then utilized as a storage unit until it was renovated in 2007 when it became a branch of the Calexico City Library and a public technology center.
