Seeley is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a 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 counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) 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 ...

. Seeley is located west 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 ...

. The population was 1,823 at the 2010 census, up from 1,624 in 2000. 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 ...

History

The first post office at Seeley was opened in 1909. The name honors Henry Seeley, an early developer of Imperial County. Seeley is one of the oldest established communities in Imperial County, tracing its history back to the early years of the 20th century. It was originally established as a stage stop on the shores of the now dead Blue Lake. NAF El Centro, the winter home of the

Blue Angels The Blue Angels is a flight demonstration squadron of the United States Navy.

, was built adjacent to Seeley in 1946. In 1964,

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, ...

was run a mile south of Seeley, marking the lowest elevation on the

Interstate Highway System The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...

at -52 feet.

Geography

Bordered on the west by the New River, Seeley sits astride the

Imperial Fault The Imperial Fault Zone is a system of geological faults located in Imperial County in the Southern California region, and adjacent Baja California state in Mexico. It cuts across the border between the United States and Mexico. Geology The I ...

and above what was once the basin of the "Blue Lake". Like much of the

Imperial Valley , photo = Salton Sea from Space.jpg , photo_caption = The Imperial Valley below the Salton Sea. The US-Mexican border runs diagonally across the lower left of the image. , map_image = Newriverwatershed-1-.jpg , map_caption = Map of Imperial ...

, Seeley lies entirely below 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 CDP has a total area of , of which is land and (1.9%) is water.

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, Seeley has a

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.

Demographics

2010

The

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

reported that Seeley had a population of 1,823. The population density was . The racial makeup of Seeley was 746 (42.9%)

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 19 (1.1%)

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 7 (0.4%) Native American, 21 (1.2%)

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 2 (0.1%)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, 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 the original p ...

, 793 (45.6%) from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 151 (8.7%) from two or more races.

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 ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1,489 persons (85.6%). The Census reported that 1,823 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized. There were 493 households, out of which 276 (56.0%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 268 (54.4%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 114 (23.1%) had a female householder with no husband present, 28 (5.7%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 40 (8.1%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 2 (0.4%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 66 households (13.4%) were made up of individuals, and 27 (5.5%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.53. There were 410

families Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideal ...

(83.2% of all households); the average family size was 3.83. The population was spread out, with 577 people (33.2%) under the age of 18, 195 people (11.2%) aged 18 to 24, 421 people (24.2%) aged 25 to 44, 373 people (21.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 173 people (9.9%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.3 males. There were 556 housing units at an average density of , of which 49e were occupied, of which 246 (49.9%) were owner-occupied, and 247 (50.1%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 5.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 10.5%. 892 people (51.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 847 people (48.7%) lived in rental housing units.

2000

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 1,624 people, 438 households, and 382 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 460 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 54.7%

, 0.7%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

, 1.0% Native American, 2.3%

, 0.1%

, 35.9% from

, and 5.2% from two or more races. 81.5% of the population were

of any race. There were 438 households, out of which 54.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 16.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 12.6% were non-families. 9.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.7 and the average family size was 4.0. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 38.2% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 17.1% from 45 to 64, and 7.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.2 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $31,058, and the median income for a family was $31,667. Males had a median income of $28,654 versus $20,625 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the CDP was $9,539. About 22.2% of families and 26.3% 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 36.0% of those under age 18 and 18.0% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

In the state legislature, Seeley is in , and . Federally, Seeley is in .

Infrastructure

Seeley County Water District, a special district, provides water and sewer service to Seeley.

California Historical Landmark

Near Seeley is

California Historical Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meeting at least one of ...

number 1008, Yuha Well.

Juan Bautista de Anza Juan Bautista de Anza Bezerra Nieto (July 6 or 7, 1736 – December 19, 1788) was an expeditionary leader, military officer, and politician primarily in California and New Mexico under the Spanish Empire. He is credited as one of the founding fa ...

visited the well on March 8, 1774. National Park Service Yuha Well The California Historical Landmark marker reads:

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Imperial County, California El Centro metropolitan area Imperial Valley Populated places in the Colorado Desert Census-designated places in California