Los Algodones ( English: ''The cottons'') is a town and

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

in the municipality of Mexicali,

Baja California Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...

, Mexico. Located on the

United States-Mexico border United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

to the north and east, Los Algodones is south of

Andrade, California Andrade is a small locale (geographic), locale in the southeasternmost corner of the state of California, in Imperial County, California, Imperial County. The community is located entirely within the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation. It is directly ...

, and close to five miles west of downtown

Yuma, Arizona Yuma is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. The city's population was 95,548 at the 2020 census, up from the 2010 census population of 93,064. Yuma is the principal city of the Yuma, Arizona, Metropolitan ...

. It reported a population of 5,474 in the 2010 Mexican census. Los Algodones is popularly referred to as "Molar City" due to hundreds of dentists that cater to

Americans Americans are the Citizenship of the United States, citizens and United States nationality law, nationals of the United States, United States of America.; ; Law of the United States, U.S. federal law does not equate nationality with Race (hu ...

seeking affordable dental care outside of the United States.

Etymology

The

Spanish-language Spanish () or Castilian () is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin spoken on the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. Today, it is a world language, gl ...

name ''Los Algodones'' translates into English as "the cotton plants". The origin of the name is unknown.

Geography

Los Algodones is the northernmost town in Mexico, and at its northeastern tip is the northernmost point in the state of Baja California, and in

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

. Because of its unique location, it is possible to travel due north, south, east or west from Los Algodones and intersect with the US border. From the U.S., Los Algodones is most easily reached via

Interstate 8 Interstate 8 (I-8) is an Interstate Highway in the southwestern United States. It runs from the southern edge of Mission Bay at Sunset Cliffs Boulevard in San Diego, California, almost at the Pacific Ocean, to the junction with I-10, ...

and south a short distance (3.33 Km / 2.07 mi) along State Route 186/Andrade Road to the international border at

. From Andrade, visitors park their vehicles and walk across the border, or drive across. The town is at an elevation of 110 feet/33.5 m above mean sea level.

Climate

Economy

Situated near the borders of both southeastern

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and southwestern

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

, Los Algodones has become a popular tourist attraction in recent years due in part to inexpensive shopping and restaurants as well as inexpensive medical care and prescription medicines. The warm, dry climate of the area attracts a number of older

tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as being limited to holiday activity on ...

s from across the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

who settle during the winter in the nearby towns of

, and

Winterhaven, California Winterhaven (formerly, Karmack) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Imperial County, California, Imperial County, California. Winterhaven is east of Pilot Knob (Imperial County, California), Pilot Knob, The population was 390 at the 2020 censu ...

. Organized day trips from the

Coachella Valley The Coachella Valley ( ) is an arid rift valley in the Colorado Desert of Southern California in Riverside County. The valley has been referred to as Greater Palm Springs and occasionally the Palm Springs Area due to the historic promine ...

are popular among seniors as well.

Healthcare

The popularity of both inexpensive prescriptions and medical care catering to Canadian and U.S. senior citizens has prompted a veritable explosion of

pharmacies Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medication, medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it ...

optician An optician is an individual who fits glasses or contact lenses by filling a refractive prescription from an optometrist or ophthalmologist. They are able to translate and adapt ophthalmic prescriptions, dispense products, and work with acces ...

s and dental offices since the 1980s. They have largely displaced many of the open-air shops and restaurants immediately across the border, and have effectively shifted the town's focus from tourism to

medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

. Los Algodones has approximately 600 dentists who service uninsured Canadian and American health tourists who save 40 to 60 percent on dental services. Nevertheless, a number of shops and restaurants remain, and Los Algodones capitalizes on the tourist trade with frequent ''fiestas'' throughout the year, most notably around the

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

season.

Transportation

Transportes Miguel Siga, a private bus company, provides service between Mexicali and Los Algodones.Autobuses nuevos cubren la ruta desde el poblado Algodones a la zona
/ref> Yuma County Area Transit provides service from Andrade to Yuma.

References

External links

{{commonscat Mexicali Municipality Boroughs of Mexicali Populated places in Baja California Populated places in the Sonoran Desert Communities in the Lower Colorado River Valley