El Centro Travel Information
El Centro (pop. 37,835) is the county seat of Imperial County,
California. It is one of the largest cities in the Imperial Valley and
one of the lowest cities in the United States. If you come in from
I-8, watch for a water tower – it’ll have a line painted on it
announcing sea level and you will be well below that line. Beyond low,
El Centro is hot. The temperatures often reach 120 degrees in the
summer, but the year-round sun and the milder climate any time but
summer means that this desert is a prime agricultural spot for winter
vegetables like carrots and lettuce. However green the fields
may be, the dunes are just outside. The Imperial Sand Dunes occupy
Imperial Valley’s eastern perimeter and they’re hard to miss. Some are
over 300 feet tall. Several impressive landmarks, such as Painted
Canyon, are best accessed by off-road vehicles, and others, such as
Mount Signal, are actually in Mexico. On the other hand, El Centro’s
most famous natural landmark, the Salton Sea, is very accessible
indeed. This is California’s largest inland body of water and its
version of the Dead Sea. You can boat and fish here, as well as hike
and off-road around its shores. El Centro’s population is
largely Hispanic and its culture reflects this. You may want to stop
by a show at one of the live theaters or attend one of the cultural
events, which range from fiestas to city dinners to small, quirky
parades. Plus, Mexicali, Mexico is only sixteen miles away.
El Centro
is located 616 miles southwest of San Francisco, 117 miles east of San
Diego, 245 miles west of Phoenix Arizona and just 15 minutes from the
international US/Mexico border and Baja California. El Centro is
accessible via Interstate 8, State Highway 86 and State Highway 111.
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