Calipatria (

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsSpanish 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 Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

for "homeland") is a city in

Imperial County Imperial Count (german: Reichsgraf) was a title in the Holy Roman Empire. In the medieval era, it was used exclusively to designate the holder of an imperial county, that is, a fief held directly ( immediately) from the emperor, rather than from ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. Calipatria is located north of

El Centro El Centro (Spanish for "The Center") is a city and county seat of Imperial County, California, United States. El Centro is the largest city in the Imperial Valley, the east anchor of the Southern California Border Region, and the core urban are ...

. It is part of the

El Centro Metropolitan Area Imperial County is a County (United States), county on the southeast border of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 179,702, making it the least populous county in Southern Californi ...

. 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 Calipatria State Prison (CAL) is a male-only state prison located in the city of Calipatria, in Imperial County, California. Facilities Although located about from the center of Calipatria, the prison is within the city limits. Called the lowe ...

. The community is located along State Route 111.

Geography

Calipatria is located at . At an elevation of below sea level, Calipatria is the lowest elevation 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 antimeridian. The other half is called the Eastern Hemisphere. Politically, the term We ...

. 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 of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the c ...

will always fly above sea level. According to the

Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

, the

Jeddah Flagpole The Jeddah Flagpole is a flagpole in King Abdullah Square in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Standing high, it was the tallest flagpole in the world from 23 September 2014 until 26 December 2021, when the Cairo Flagpole in Cairo, Egypt was erected at a h ...

holds the title of world's tallest, but it is entirely above sea level. 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 the ...

, 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 is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

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

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 (20.9%) 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.

2000

At the 2000 census there were 7,289 people in 899 households, including 756 families, in the city. The population density was . There were 961 housing units at an average density of . The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the city was 32.4% White, 21.3% Black or African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.6% Asian, <0.1% Pacific Islander, 42.7% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. 57.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 899 households 50.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.2% were married couples living together, 17.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.8% were non-families. 14.1% of households were one person and 5.6% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.6 and the average family size was 3.9. The age distribution was 16.3% under the age of 18, 12.3% from 18 to 24, 52.6% from 25 to 44, 15.0% from 45 to 64, and 3.8% 65 or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 363.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 497.5 males. The median

income Income is the consumption and saving opportunity gained by an entity within a specified timeframe, which is generally expressed in monetary terms. Income is difficult to define conceptually and the definition may be different across fields. For ...

for a household in the city was $60,962, and the median family income was $61,302. Males had a median income of $61,350 versus $50,063 for females. The per capita income for the city was $43,970. About 2.4% of families and 2.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 28.9% of those under age 18 and 17.8% of those age 65 or over. Calipatria is one of the state's poorest cities in income per capita due to agricultural paychecks and a declined economy in the 1990s.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, 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 Vic ...

s, mostly of Mexican descent, comprise three-fourths of residents (excluding the multiracial body of state prison convicts). The city was first called ''Sante Patria'' (as in "Saint of the Motherland") and was founded by

Irish American , image = Irish ancestry in the USA 2018; Where Irish eyes are Smiling.png , image_caption = Irish Americans, % of population by state , caption = Notable Irish Americans , population = 36,115,472 (10.9%) alone ...

and Irish Mexican soldiers, who deserted both in the Mexican–American War (1850s) and from the Union and/or Confederate armies after the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

(1860s). Calipatria also has a large

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

population with origins from

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

, and

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

, descendants of agriculture laborers in the 1920s.

Politics

In the state legislature, 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 American States Water Co. () is an American water and electricity utility company. It was founded in 1929 and is headquartered in San Dimas, California. The company has 50-year privatization contracts with U.S. government as a government contract ...

Imperial Irrigation District The Imperial Irrigation District (IID) is an irrigation district that serves the Imperial Valley in Southern California. Established under the State Water Code, the IID supplies roughly of Imperial Valley farmland with raw Colorado River water ...

Southern California Gas The Southern California Gas Company (trading as SoCalGas) is a utility company based in Los Angeles, California, and a subsidiary of Sempra Energy. It is the primary provider of natural gas to Los Angeles and Southern California. Overview Its ...

, and

Pacific Bell The Pacific Bell Telephone Company (Pacific Bell or 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 ...

Landmarks

Salvation Mountain is a notable tourist attraction in the north of Calipatria, near

Slab City Slab City, also called The Slabs, is an unincorporated, off-the-grid alternative lifestyle community consisting largely of snowbirds in the Salton Trough area of the Sonoran Desert, in Imperial County, California. It took its name from concrete s ...

. 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. Depe ...

, straw, concrete,

adobe Adobe ( ; ) 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 used to refer to any kind of e ...

. It was created by

Leonard Knight Salvation Mountain is a hillside visionary environment created by local resident Leonard Knight (1931–2014) in the California Desert area of Imperial County, north of Calipatria, northeast of Niland, near the Slab City squatter/art commun ...

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 Waylon Albright "Shooter" Jennings (born May 19, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He is the only son of country singers Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter. In a career spanning over two decades, Shooter Jenni ...

, 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