Imperial Beach is a residential beach city in

San Diego County San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634, making it California's second-most populous county and the f ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, with a population of 26,324 at the 2010 census. The city is the southernmost city in California and the

West Coast of the United States The West Coast of the United States, also known as the Pacific Coast, Pacific states, and the western seaboard, is the coastline along which the Western United States meets the North Pacific Ocean. The term typically refers to the contiguous U.S ...

. It is in the South Bay area of San Diego County, south of

downtown San Diego Downtown San Diego is the city center of San Diego, California, the eighth largest city in the United States. In 2010, the Centre City area had a population of more than 28,000. Downtown San Diego serves as the cultural and financial center and ...

and northwest of downtown

Tijuana Tijuana ( ,"Tijuana"
(US) and < ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

Geography

Imperial Beach is located at (32.578255, -117.117111) making it the most southwesterly city in the continental United States. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the city has a total area of . of it is land and of it (7.22%) is water. The city occupies the extreme southwest corner of the continental United States: bordered by

Playas de Tijuana Playas de Tijuana ( Spanish for "beaches of Tijuana") is the westernmost borough of the municipality of Tijuana, Baja California, stretching from the United States border in the north to Rosarito Beach Municipality in the south. The Bullring by t ...

Tijuana Tijuana ( ,"Tijuana"
(US) and < ...

to the south, Coronado, California and the

San Diego Bay San Diego Bay is a natural harbor and deepwater port located in San Diego County, California near the U.S.–Mexico border. The bay, which is long and wide, is the third largest of the three large, protected natural bays on California's of ...

to the north,

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

to the east, and the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the conti ...

to the west. Imperial Beach is located in

, the fifth most-populous county in the United States and part of the

San Diego Metropolitan Area San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634, making it California's second-most populous county and the f ...

, the 17th largest metropolitan area in the United States with over 3 million people. It is also part of the San Diego – Tijuana metropolitan area, the largest bi-national metropolitan area shared between the United States and Mexico with over 5 million people.

History

Imperial Beach sits on the traditional territory of the

Kumeyaay The Kumeyaay, also known as Tipai-Ipai or by their historical Spanish name Diegueño, is a tribe of Indigenous peoples of the Americas who live at the northern border of Baja California in Mexico and the southern border of California in the Unit ...

people, who had established the village of Alyshuwii. Founded in June 1887, the city takes its name from

Imperial County, California Imperial County is a county on the southeast border of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 179,702, making it the least populous county in Southern California. The county seat is El Centro. Imperial is th ...

, a desert climate east. Farmers and land owners from the Imperial Valley came to the area in the late 1880s seeking cooler weather during summer months. In March 1887, over 2,000 laborers descended upon nearby Coronado, California to construct the Hotel del Coronado, the largest resort in the world at the time. A large number of the workers stayed in Imperial Beach and some would later make it their permanent homestead. The city would incorporate in 1956, operating its own Mayor-council government providing city fire department service and policing by the formation of its own police department but eventually, years later, through the contracting of services through the San Diego County Sheriff's Office. Imperial Beach has undergone a significant makeover in the last ten years to become more visitor-friendly and commercially viable. In 2004, the City of Imperial Beach began implementing a community redevelopment plan to improve the commercial corridor along Palm Avenue and Seacoast Drive. However, aside from a few smaller hotels, Imperial Beach remains a highly residential city with little hotel or motel accommodation for visitors. Future plans for the city allow for construction of additional hotels along the beach areas of Seacoast Drive. O
September, 13, 2010
after many years of planning, demolition officially began on the old Seacoast Inn located off Seacoast Drive. Construction of the new 22 million dollar hotel, now rename
Pier South Resort
a 78-room, four-story, upscale Mediterranean-style resort with restaurant, spa and conference facilities, was completed in December, 2013.

Climate

The city has a warm

semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi ...

(''BSh''), with summer temperatures often in the upper 70s °F (mid-20s °C) and winter temperatures in the 60s °F (15 to 20 °C). Because of the comfortable year-round temperatures, many homes in Imperial Beach are built without air conditioning. Imperial Beach often remains 10 degrees °F (5 degrees °C) cooler than inland areas of

in the summer, and 10 degrees warmer in the winter. The city is mostly or partly sunny 323 days of the year, with the wettest months in winter. The '' Farmers' Almanac'' consistently ranks the area within th
Top 10 Best Weather Cities in America
The

Scripps Institution of Oceanography The Scripps Institution of Oceanography (sometimes referred to as SIO, Scripps Oceanography, or Scripps) in San Diego, California, US founded in 1903, is one of the oldest and largest centers for ocean and Earth science research, public servi ...

operates a weather reporting station at the middle of the Imperial Beach Pier for sky condition, temperature, humidity, pressure, wind and water temperature data. The record high temperature of 108 °F (42 °C) was observed on September 4, 1988, and September 27, 2010, while the record low of 26 °F (−3 °C) was observed on January 4, 1949.

Culture

Coastal and beach areas

Imperial Beach encompasses nearly of beach and employs a year-round lifeguard staff.

Beach volleyball Beach volleyball is a team sport played by two teams of two or more players on a sand court divided by a net. Similar to indoor volleyball, the objective of the game is to send the ball over the net and to ground it on the opponent's side of th ...

surfing Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitable ...

and body boarding are popular in Imperial Beach with activities concentrated north and south of the Imperial Beach Pier and the Boca Rio beach break, one of San Diego County's best surf spots. '' San Diego Magazine'' identifies the Boca Rio beach break as the second best surfing location in the county, second only to

Black's Beach Black's Beach is a secluded section of beach beneath the bluffs of Torrey Pines on the Pacific Ocean in La Jolla, San Diego, California, United States. It is officially part of Torrey Pines State Beach. The northern portion of Black's Beach is o ...

and the Scripps Canyon area near

La Jolla La Jolla ( , ) is a hilly, seaside neighborhood within the city of San Diego, California, United States, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The population reported in the 2010 census was 46,781. La Jolla is surrounded on ...

. The area around Imperial Beach Pier known as Pier Plaza showcases plaques placed on surfboard benches that tell the story of how the city's big waves influenced surfing from 1937 to the 1950s. Nearby Border Field State Park signifies the southernmost beach on the west coast of the United States and allows beachgoers in America to speak through the fence with beachgoers in Mexico, where the beach is called Playas de Tijuana (Tijuana Beach). The city connects to nearby Coronado, California by way of the Silver Strand, a narrow, 7-mile-long (11 km) isthmus. Silver Strand State Beach, a popular beach for camping, bird watching, and bicycling, is located in the middle of the isthmus and includes both bay and ocean beaches. The

summer tourist season brings many visitors to the city's beaches each year. For 31 years, Imperial Beach played home to the U.S. Open Sandcastle competition, the largest sand castle competition in the United States, drawing in approximately 325,000 people. The city held the final sand castle competition in August 2011, bringing an end to the annual event and tradition. The city also holds the beach front classic car show every summer and an annual dog-surfing contest. Th
Imperial Beach Farmer's Market
the only beachfront farmer's market in San Diego County, operates from Pier Plaza every Friday afternoon (from 2 PM - 6 PM November to March) and (from 2 PM - 7 PM April to October) offering local fruits, vegetables and community art. Th
South Bay Drive-in
the county's only ocean view drive-in theatre, is located just outside Imperial Beach off Coronado Avenue. Imperial Beach is home to

Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve is a natural reserve in Imperial Beach, California and San Ysidro, San Diego. It encompasses the Tijuana River Estuary, located on the Mexico–United States border. It is divided into two part ...

, a

National Estuarine Research Reserve The National Estuarine Research Reserve System is a network of 29 protected areas established by partnerships between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and coastal states. The reserves represent different biogeographic r ...

, and Border Field State Park. The estuary, located off Seacoast Drive and Imperial Beach Boulevard, is home to many endangered birds and wildlife. This estuary marks the place where the fresh water

Tijuana River , name_etymology = , image = Presa Tij 1.jpg , image_size = , image_caption = Dam on the Tijuana River in Mexico. , map = Tijuana River Basin.svg , map_size = 250 , map_caption ...

enters the salt water Pacific Ocean. It is the largest salt water marsh in Southern California.

Military presence

Imperial Beach has a large military population and is home to the US Navy's

Naval Outlying Landing Field Imperial Beach Naval Outlying Landing Field (NOLF) Imperial Beach is a United States Navy facility for helicopters, situated on approximately south of San Diego and within the city limits of Imperial Beach, California. It is known as "The Helicopter Capital ...

also known as NOLF Imperial Beach. It is bordered on its northern extreme by Silver Strand Training Complex.

Crime

The

San Diego County Sheriff's Department The San Diego County Sheriff's Department (SDSD), is the primary and largest law enforcement agency in San Diego County, California, and one of the largest sheriff's departments in the United States: with over 4,000 employees, an annual budget ...

2008 crime statistics rank Imperial Beach below the national average in all areas reported.

Transportation

San Diego Metropolitan Transit System The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (''SDMTS'' or often simply ''MTS'') is a public transit service provider for Central, South, Northeast and Southeast San Diego County. The agency directly operates a large transit system that includes ...

(MTS) provides bus and paratransit services to the city from throughout

. The city is one of five Port member cities making up the Port of San Diego, one of America's top 30 U.S. container ship ports.

In popular culture

Kem Nunn's novel, ''Tijuana Straits'', provides insight into the culture of the border and surfing in Imperial Beach and the Tijuana River Valley, and the environmental problems that affect residents of Tijuana, Imperial Beach and Coronado. The HBO television series '' John from Cincinnati'' was about a dysfunctional surfing family in Imperial Beach set against the backdrop of the U.S.-Mexico border. The series (from Executive Producer David Milch, writer Kem Nunn, and director Mark Tinker) was filmed at a variety of locations in Imperial Beach and in the Tijuana River Valley. On February 21, 2019, ''

Vice News Tonight ''Vice News Tonight'' is an American news program currently broadcast on Vice on TV and originally broadcast on HBO as the channel's first-ever daily series, premiering October 2016. HBO cancelled the series after three seasons, ending September ...

'' on HBO broadcast a segment from Imperial Beach about how an extreme

tidal surge A storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the ...

, known as king tide, affects the local population living along the Pacific coast.

Demographics

2010 census

The

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators serving ...

reported that Imperial Beach had a population of 26,324. The population density was . The racial makeup of the city was 62.6%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

(36.0% non-Hispanic White), 4.4%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 1.1% Native American, 6.6% Asian, 0.6%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 18.1% Other and 6.6% Two or More Races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race made up 49.0% of the population. The Census reported that 25,705 people (97.6% of the population) lived in households, 619 (2.4%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized. The population was spread out, with 6,696 people (25.4%) under the age of 18, 3,640 people (13.8%) aged 18 to 24, 7,603 people (28.9%) aged 25 to 44, 6,012 people (22.8%) aged 45 to 64, and 2,373 people (9.0%) who were 65 years of age or older. Imperial Beach has one of the youngest median ages of any Southern California city with a median age of 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.5 males. There were 9,882 housing units at an average density of , of which 2,756 (30.2%) were owner-occupied, and 6,356 (69.8%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.4%. 7,476 people (28.4% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 18,229 people (69.2%) lived in rental housing units. According to estimates by the

San Diego Association of Governments The San Diego Association of Governments (abbreviated SANDAG) is an association of local San Diego County governments. It is the metropolitan planning organization for the County, with policy makers consisting of mayors, councilmembers, and Count ...

, the

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways ...

of Imperial Beach in 2010 was $49,104 (not adjusted for

inflation In economics, inflation is an increase in the general price level of goods and services in an economy. When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services; consequently, inflation corresponds to a reduct ...

Government

In the

California State Legislature The California State Legislature is a bicameral state legislature consisting of a lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members; and an upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members. Both houses of the Legislatu ...

, Imperial Beach is in , and in . In the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

, Imperial Beach is in .

Notable people

* California Congressman

Brian Bilbray Brian Phillip Bilbray (born January 28, 1951) is an American Republican politician who represented parts of San Diego County in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2001 and again from 2006 to 2013. Bilbray was Chairman of the House ...

grew up in Imperial Beach. Bilbray graduated from Mar Vista High School in 1970. * Serge Dedina is the mayor of Imperial Beach as well as the director of environmental organization Wildcoast. * Software entrepreneur Charlie Jackson grew up in Imperial Beach and graduated Mar Vista High in 1967. * Film actor Matthew Modine attended high school in Imperial Beach. *

Eleanor Mariano Eleanor Concepcion "Connie" Mariano (born 1958), is a Filipina American physician and retired flag officer in the United States Navy. She is the first Filipino American and graduate of the Uniformed Services University of Medicine to reach the ...

, retired USN Rear Admiral and physician to the President of the United States at the White House for 9 years. * Marco Minnemann drummer *Travis Ryan, vocalist of Deathgrind band Cattle Decapitation and Grindcore band

Murder Construct Murder Construct is an American extreme metal band from Los Angeles, California, United States. The band members are Travis Ryan (Cattle Decapitation), Leon del Muerte (Nausea LA, ex- Exhumed, ex-D.I.S., ex-Intronaut, ex- Impaled, ex-Phobia), C ...

. *

Aaron Chang Aaron Chang (born August 9, 1956)Matt Warshaw"Aaron Chang". ''Encyclopedia of Surfing''. Retrieved 17 July 2016. is an American photographer specialized in surfing and ocean photography. He spent 25 years as a senior photographer at '' Surfing Maga ...

, award-winning American photographer specializing in surfing and ocean photography. He moved to Imperial Beach at age 11 and stayed there until after high school graduation. He went on to become Senior Photographer for

Surfing Magazine ''Surfing Magazine'', originally titled ''International Surfing Magazine'', was a magazine that was founded in 1964 by Orange County local Dick Graham and surf photographer Leroy Grannis. Later the magazine was acquired by Adrian B. Lopez, a New Yo ...

for over 25 years. He currently resides in San Diego County, operating two galleries featuring his work. * Allen "Dempsey" Holder, was a pioneering surfer in the

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...

South County area. He is noted for riding the large surf of the Tijuana Sloughs and he headed up the Imperial Beach lifeguard services for many years. The local public safety/lifeguard facility is named in his honor.

References

External links

Imperial Beach Chamber of CommerceThe City of Imperial BeachImperial Beach Eagle and Times
* {{Authority control Cities in San Diego County, California Incorporated cities and towns in California Mexico–United States border crossings San Diego metropolitan area South Bay (San Diego County) Populated coastal places in California Beaches of San Diego County, California Beaches of Southern California Surfing locations in California History of Imperial County, California