Ocotillo (; Spanish for " Vine cactus") is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) in Imperial County,

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 ...

. Ocotillo is located west of El Centro. The population was 215 at the 2020 census, down from 266 at the 2010 census and 296 at the 2000 census. It is part of the El Centro, California Metropolitan Statistical Area. Ocotillo was devastated by

flood A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant con ...

s from Hurricane Kathleen in 1976; 3 people died. There is a cafe, a church, a small park, a community center, a small market, two bars, OHV rentals and a gas station. There is a Desert Museum with displays about the desert terrain, flora, etc. and artifacts from the Kumeyaay culture that inhabited the area which is located on the north side of Interstate 8.

Geography

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 CDP has a total area of , all of it land.

Climate

Ocotillo has a hot-desert climate with long, extremely hot summers, and mild to warm winters. The average yearly temperature is one of the highest out of any inhabited place in California. Days of 100 °F and over are quite common from late spring into early fall. Since winters, although milder, in Octillo average highs of over 70 °F, the town becomes the only inhabited place in California to not have a month averaging a high of less than 70 °F throughout the year Precipitation is very little as Ocotillo sees about less than 3 inches of rain on average per year on average, making it among the driest places in California and in the United States. The winter months, which tend to be the wettest in California, see roughly a couple inches in Ocotillo. However, late summers may see some occasional monsoonal showers, but they still also come in minimal amounts.

History

Ocotillo is located on a site that originally sat on the edge of ancient Lake Cahuilla and is the traditional territory of the Kumeyaay. The town originated as a retirement community. The post office was opened in 1957. In March 2012, a museum, th
Imperial Valley Desert Museum
opened in Ocotillo after many years of fundraising and construction.

Demographics

Ocotillo first appeared as a

census designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

in the 2000 U.S. Census.

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Ocotillo had a population of 215. The population density was . The racial makeup of Ocotillo was 161 (74.9%)

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 ...

, 3 (1.4%)

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 ...

, 4 (1.9%) Native American, 3 (1.4%) Asian, 2 (0.9%)

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 ...

, 17 (7.9%) from other races, and 25 (11.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 37 persons (17.2%). The whole population lived in households. There were 106 households, out of which 17 (16.0%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 47 (44.3%) were married-couple households, 11 (10.4%) were cohabiting couple households, 18 (17.0%) had a female householder with no partner present, and 30 (28.3%) had a male householder with no partner present. 27 households (25.5%) were one person, and 12 (11.3%) were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.03. There were 67 families (63.2% of all households). The age distribution was 31 people (14.4%) under the age of 18, 9 people (4.2%) aged 18 to 24, 32 people (14.9%) aged 25 to 44, 61 people (28.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 82 people (38.1%) who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 61.7years. There were 132 males and 83 females. There were 219 housing units at an average density of , of which 106 (48.4%) were occupied. Of these, 74 (69.8%) were owner-occupied, and 32 (30.2%) were occupied by renters.

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that Ocotillo had a population of 266. The population density was . The racial makeup of Ocotillo was 242 (91.0%)

, 1 (0.4%)

, 1 (0.4%) Native American, 2 (0.8%) Asian, 0 (0.0%)

, 17 (6.4%) from other races, and 3 (1.1%) from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 61 persons (22.9%). The Census reported that 266 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized. There were 138 households, out of which 24 (17.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 50 (36.2%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 13 (9.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, 5 (3.6%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 3 (2.2%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 2 (1.4%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 60 households (43.5%) were made up of individuals, and 25 (18.1%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.93. There were 68 families (49.3% of all households); the average family size was 2.60. The population was spread out, with 44 people (16.5%) under the age of 18, 9 people (3.4%) aged 18 to 24, 33 people (12.4%) aged 25 to 44, 109 people (41.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 71 people (26.7%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 56.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 111.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 113.5 males. There were 323 housing units at an average density of , of which 138 were occupied, of which 98 (71.0%) were owner-occupied, and 40 (29.0%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.8%; the rental vacancy rate was 14.9%. 189 people (71.1% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 77 people (28.9%) lived in rental housing units.

2000

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, the median income for a household in the CDP was $23,438, and the median income for a family was $43,125. Males had a median income of $24,196 versus $55,556 for females. 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 ...

for the CDP was $14,849. None of the families and 16.6% of the population were living 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 ...

, including no under eighteens and 26.2% of those over 64.

Government

In the

California State Legislature The California State Legislature is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of California, consisting of the California State Assembly (lower house with 80 members) and the California State Senate (upper house with 40 members). ...

, Ocotillo is in , and . In the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

, Ocotillo is in .

Utilities

Two nonprofit utilities provide water service to Ocotillo. Ocotillo Mutual Water Company provides service to the main part of the community and Coyote Valley Mutual Water Company provides service to outlying areas.

References

{{authority control Populated places in the Colorado Desert Census-designated places in Imperial County, California Census-designated places in California