El Centro, California
El Centro is a city of 44,240 people in Imperial County, California, founded in 1905.
Why visit El Centro
Townapedia lists 6 museums and landmarks, 20 parks and trails, 114 places to eat, 13 places to stay and 3 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Cinemark Imperial Valley Mall 14, Movies 10 and El Centro Main Post Office.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 107°F; December lows average 43°F.
Weather in El Centro
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About El Centro
El Centro (Spanish for "The Center") is a city in and the county seat of Imperial County, California, United States. El Centro is the most populous city in the Imperial Valley, the east anchor of the Southern California Border Region, and the core urban area and principal city of the El Centro metropolitan area which encompasses all of Imperial County. El Centro is also the most populous U.S. city to lie entirely below sea level (−42 feet or −13 meters). The city, located in southeastern California, is 113 miles (182 km) from San Diego and less than 20 miles (32 km) from the Mexican city of Mexicali.
From the Wikipedia article El Centro, California (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do3
Museums and landmarks6
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El Centro Main Post Office
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.4 mi
Post office in El Centro, California
Parks, trails and playgrounds20
Candeeland
Sports field and stadium · 2.4 mi
3451 South Dogwood Avenue, El Centro
8 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes114
The Broken Yolk Cafe
Restaurant · American, Breakfast · 2.1 mi
3049 North Imperial Avenue, El Centro
Mo-Su,PH 07:00-14:00
Fortune Garden
Restaurant · Chinese · 2.2 mi
3309 South Dogwood Road, El Centro
102 more on the map.
History
Spanish explorer Melchor Díaz was one of the first Europeans to visit the area around El Centro and Imperial Valley in 1540. The explorer Juan Bautista de Anza also explored the area in 1776 (an elementary school in El Centro now bears his name). Years later, after the Mexican–American War, the northern half of the valley was annexed by the U.S., while the southern half remained under Mexican rule. Small scale settlement in natural aquifer areas occurred in the early 19th century (the present-day site of Mexicali), but most permanent settlement (Anglo Americans on the U.S. side, Mexicans on the other side) was after 1900.
Originally part of San Diego County, the Imperial Valley was settled by farmers once water from the Colorado River was diverted via canals to irrigate the desert valley floor.
In 1906, the land on which El Centro was later built was purchased by W. F. Holt and C.A. Barker.
In 1907 Imperial County was split off from San Diego County; by then much of the valley was successfully irrigated.
Before the town began, the railroad had established a station and named the place Cabarker. The name honored C.A. Barker, a friend of the landowner. The first post office in El Centro opened in 1905.
From the History section of El Centro, California on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay13
Churches and places of worship51
Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church
Church · Roman Catholic · 1.0 mi
153 East Brighton Avenue, El Centro
Saint Mary Catholic Church
Church · Roman Catholic · 1.0 mi
795 South La Brucherie Road, El Centro
First Baptist Church of El Centro
Church · Baptist
724 West Orange Avenue, El Centro
La Luz Del Mundo
Church · La Luz Del Mundo · 1.8 mi
1901 North Imperial Avenue, El Centro
Asamblea Apostólica de la Fe en Cristo Jesús
Church · Apostolic Assembly Of The Faith In Christ Jesus · 1.2 mi
Shopping30
Gas and EV charging19
Schools, colleges and libraries59
Healthcare13
Map of El Centro
250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 71°F | 43°F | 0.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Feb | 74°F | 47°F | 0.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Mar | 80°F | 52°F | 0.3 in | 0.0 in |
| Apr | 86°F | 57°F | 0.1 in | 0.0 in |
| May | 94°F | 63°F | 0.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 103°F | 71°F | 0.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 107°F | 78°F | 0.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 107°F | 79°F | 0.2 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 102°F | 73°F | 0.2 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 92°F | 62°F | 0.2 in | 0.0 in |
| Nov | 79°F | 51°F | 0.2 in | 0.0 in |
| Dec | 70°F | 43°F | 0.4 in | 0.0 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for El Centro 2 Ssw (1 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Imperial County has had 9 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for hurricanes.
- 2023-11-21: Tropical Storm Hilary (Hurricane)
- 2023-04-03: Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Severe Storm)
- 2023-03-10: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Flood)
- 2020-03-22: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2010-05-07: Earthquake (Earthquake)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Imperial County Airport (IPL) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 4 miles away.
- Imperial 4 mi north, about 6 min by car
- Heber 4 mi southeast, about 7 min by car
- Seeley 7 mi west, about 12 min by car
- El Centro Naval Air Facility 7 mi northwest, about 11 min by car
- Calexico 8 mi southeast, about 13 min by car
- Holtville 11 mi east, about 17 min by car
- Brawley 13 mi north, about 22 min by car
- Westmorland 18 mi north, about 29 min by car
- Somerton 52 mi east, about 1 h 30 min by car
- San Luis 53 mi southeast, about 1 h 30 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Flickr - DVIDSHUB - US Navy Blue Angels in El Centro (Image 2 of 3), DVIDSHUB, CC BY 2.0
- El Centro city limits, JacobSA2019, CC BY-SA 4.0
- U.S. Post Office Building, El Centro, California, Cbl62, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Hugh llewelyn 1231, 1208 & 2453 (5963969788), Hugh Llewelyn, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Flickr - Official U.S. Navy Imagery - Blue Angel pilot checks his aircraft., Official Navy Page from United States of America MC3 Andrew Johnson/U.S. Navy, Public domain
- Knowltonia calida, Bob Miller, CC BY 4.0
- ISS045-E-48297 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS045-E-48296 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS045-E-48293 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS045-E-48295 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS016-E-22060 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS045-E-48294 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- On Final (12971410683), BriYYZ, CC BY-SA 2.0
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