Calipatria (

portmanteau In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together.

of ''California'' and ''Patria'',

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

for "homeland") is a city in

Imperial County, California Imperial County is a county located on the southeast border of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 179,702, ranking as the least populous county in Southern California. The county seat and largest city is ...

. Calipatria is located north of El Centro. It is part of the

El Centro Metropolitan Area Imperial County is a county located on the southeast border of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 179,702, ranking as the least populous county in Southern California. The county seat and largest city is ...

. The population was 6,515 at the 2020 census, down from 7,710 at the 2010 census, up from 7,289 at the 2000 census, including 4000 inmates at Calipatria State Prison. The community is located along State Route 111.

Geography

Calipatria is located at . At an elevation of below sea level, Calipatria is the lowest incorporated city in the

Western Hemisphere The Western Hemisphere is the half of the planet Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian (which crosses Greenwich, London, United Kingdom) and east of the 180th meridian.- The other half is called the Eastern Hemisphere. Geopolitically, ...

. The city currently claims to have the "tallest flagpole (184 feet) where the flag flies at sea level" at , so their

American flag The national flag of the United States, often referred to as the American flag or the U.S. flag, consists of thirteen horizontal Bar (heraldry), stripes, Variation of the field, alternating red and white, with a blue rectangle in the Canton ( ...

will always fly above sea level. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , all land.

Climate

This area has a large amount of sunshine year round due to its stable descending air and high pressure. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Calipatria has a

hot desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk'') is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

, abbreviated "Bwh" on climate maps.

History

The Imperial Valley Farm Lands Association founded the town as Date City in 1914. The first post office at Calipatria opened in 1914. Calipatria incorporated in 1919.

Demographics

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Calipatria had a population of 6,515. The population density was . The racial makeup of Calipatria was 18.4%

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

, 15.1%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 1.5% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.3%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 47.5% from other races, and 16.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 76.1% of the population. The census reported that 55.4% of the population lived in households and 44.6% were institutionalized. There were 1,034 households, out of which 50.9% included children under the age of 18, 46.0% were married-couple households, 8.2% were

cohabiting Cohabitation is an arrangement where people who are not legally married live together as a couple. They are often involved in a romantic or sexually intimate relationship on a long-term or permanent basis. Such arrangements have become incr ...

couple households, 30.8% had a female householder with no partner present, and 15.0% had a male householder with no partner present. 13.7% of households were one person, and 5.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.49. There were 839

families Family (from ) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictability, structure, and safety as ...

(81.1% of all households). The age distribution was 18.7% under the age of 18, 10.2% aged 18 to 24, 46.8% aged 25 to 44, 18.0% aged 45 to 64, and 6.2% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 32.0years. For every 100 females, there were 250.1 males. There were 1,116 housing units at an average density of , of which 1,034 (92.7%) were occupied. Of these, 51.5% were owner-occupied, and 48.5% were occupied by renters. In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $52,672, and the

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

was $10,640. About 17.3% of families and 25.2% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010

At the 2010 census Calipatria had a population of 7,800. The population density was . The racial makeup of Calipatria was 3,212 (41.7%) White, 1,612 (22.4%) African American, 80 (1.0%) Native American, Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4,940 persons (64.1%), 95 (1.2%) Asian, 25 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 2,455 (31.9%) from other races, and 227 (2.9%) from two or more races. The census reported that 3,541 people (46.0% of the population) lived in households, no one lived in non-institutionalized group quarters and 4,164 (54.0%) were institutionalized. There were 1,008 households, 541 (53.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 515 (51.0%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 213 (21.1%) had a female householder with no husband present, 92 (9.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 53 (5.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 15 (1.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 162 households (16.1%) were one person and 70 (6.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.51. There were 819 families (81.3% of households); the average family size was 3.92. The age distribution was 1,246 people (16.2%) under the age of 18, 932 people (12.1%) aged 18 to 24, 3,738 people (48.5%) aged 25 to 44, 1,431 people (18.6%) aged 45 to 64, and 358 people (4.6%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 32.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 330.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 427.3 males. There were 1,121 housing units at an average density of , of which 1,008 were occupied, 536 (53.2%) by the owners and 472 (46.8%) by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 5.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 10.6%. 1,867 people (24.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,674 people (21.7%) lived in rental housing units.

Politics

In the

state legislature A state legislature is a Legislature, legislative branch or body of a State (country subdivision), political subdivision in a Federalism, federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of ...

, Calipatria is in , and . Federally, Calipatria is in .

Infrastructure

Transportation

Freight rail service is provided by Union Pacific Railroad's Calexico Subdivision.

Utilities

Calipatria is served by Golden State Water Company,

Imperial Irrigation District The Imperial Irrigation District (IID) is an irrigation district that serves the Imperial Valley and a large portion of the eastern and southern Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert region of Southern California. Established under the Stat ...

, Southern California Gas, and

Pacific Bell The Pacific Bell Telephone Company (Pac Bell) is a telephone company that provides telephone service in California. The company is owned by AT&T through AT&T Teleholdings, and, though separate, is now marketed as “AT&T”. The company has ...

Landmarks

Salvation Mountain is a notable tourist attraction in the north of Calipatria, near Slab City. Salvation Mountain is a small hill which is entirely covered in thousands of gallons of

acrylic paint Acrylic paint is a fast-drying paint made of pigment suspended in acrylic polymer emulsion and plasticizers, silicone oils, defoamers, stabilizers, or metal soaps. Most acrylic paints are water-based, but become water-resistant when dry. Dep ...

, straw, concrete,

adobe Adobe (from arabic: الطوب Attub ; ) is a building material made from earth and organic materials. is Spanish for mudbrick. In some English-speaking regions of Spanish heritage, such as the Southwestern United States, the term is use ...

. It was created by Leonard Knight to convey the message that "God Loves Everyone". Salvation Mountain was featured in the book '' Into the Wild'' and also in the 2007 movie of the same name. The video for ''Fourth of July'', by Shooter Jennings, is partially set at Salvation Mountain.

Sister cities

* Brawley, California

References

External links

* {{authority control Cities in Imperial County, California * Communities in the Lower Colorado River Valley Imperial Valley Incorporated cities and towns in California Populated places in the Colorado Desert Populated places established in 1919 1919 establishments in California