Boulevard, California

Boulevard is a census-designated place (CDP) in the Mountain Empire area of southeastern San Diego County, California. It had a population of 359 at the 2020 United States census, up from 315 in the 2010 United States census. The area is rural high desert along the Mexican border.

The Boulevard area encompasses the communities of Manzanita, Live Oak Springs and Tierra Del Sol. In addition to these, nearby communities in the same wire center ( central office) for wired telephones include: Calexico Lodge, Jacumba, and Pueblo Siding. Default wired telephone numbers for this area follow the format ( 619) 766-xxxx. The ZIP Code is 91905.

History

The Kumeyaay and Cocopah Indians were Boulevard's earliest inhabitants, and the area is rich in Native American history, culture and archeological resources. Today Boulevard is the headquarters of the Manzanita Band of Diegueno Mission Indians.

An area near Calexico Lodge is occasionally referred to as Eckener Pass. Reportedly, this is a reference to German Zeppelin pioneer Hugo Eckener. In August 1929, Eckener's Zeppelin '' Graf Zeppelin'', a sister ship of the '' Hindenburg'', landed here on the Los Angeles-Chicago leg of her round-the-world tour.

The town and post office were named Boulevard after US Highway 80 which ran through town. Eventually Interstate 8 was constructed, bypassing the town. Local residents report an alternate version of the origin of the name. Boulevard used to be a stage coach stop, reportedly near today's McCain Valley road, east of today's core of Boulevard. Coming from Arizona, this stop was on the first long, flat straight stretch of road, "a boulevard", after climbing the winding In-Ko-Pah mountains and passing through windier roads in Jacumba.

In January 2007, the La Posta Casino, owned and operated by the La Posta Band of Mission Indians, opened. It was the smallest casino in the county until it closed in 2012 due to its financial situation.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of 3.9 square miles (10.1 km), all land. However, this only includes the village area of Boulevard. More commonly, Boulevard includes rural outlying areas. The Boulevard Community Planning Group includes approximately 55,350 acres, or about 86 square miles.

Located in the East County section of San Diego County, Boulevard with its unique transitional location straddles the Tecate Divide, between the Laguna Mountains above and the desert below, providing views of the surrounding Laguna, In-Ko-Pah and Sierra de Juarez mountains.

The community is south of Interstate 8 about west of El Centro. The US Post Office is plotted at although the actual post office has since moved approximately two miles west near the separation of Old Highway 80 and State Route 94. The post office, and the community it serves, has the ZIP Code 91905.

Regulatory filings show a California Department of Transportation facility described as a highway maintenance station in Boulevard. It is located in the 40000-block of Old Highway 80 on the south side at as of 1993, and still exists as of 2018.

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Boulevard has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csa" on climate maps.

Demographics

Boulevard first appeared as a census designated place in the 2010 U.S. Census.

2020 census

The 2020 United States census reported that the Boulevard CDP had a population of 359. The population density was . The racial makeup of Boulevard was 213 (59.3%) White, 9 (2.5%) African American, 14 (3.9%) Native American, 4 (1.1%) Asian, 1 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 65 (18.1%) from other races, and 53 (14.8%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 113 persons (31.5%).

The whole population lived in households. There were 153 households, out of which 23 (15.0%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 73 (47.7%) were married-couple households, 5 (3.3%) were cohabiting couple households, 25 (16.3%) had a female householder with no partner present, and 50 (32.7%) had a male householder with no partner present. 51 households (33.3%) were one person, and 22 (14.4%) were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.35. There were 93 families (60.8% of all households).

The age distribution was 62 people (17.3%) under the age of 18, 22 people (6.1%) aged 18 to 24, 47 people (13.1%) aged 25 to 44, 126 people (35.1%) aged 45 to 64, and 102 people (28.4%) who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 53.3years. For every 100 females, there were 118.9 males.

There were 197 housing units at an average density of , of which 153 (77.7%) were occupied. Of these, 111 (72.5%) were owner-occupied, and 42 (27.5%) were occupied by renters.

Government

At the federal level, Boulevard is in . In the California State Legislature, it is in , and .

Education

Local students attend Cover Flat Elementary School, Mountain Empire Junior High School, and Mountain Empire High School.

Transportation

San Diego MTS route 888 provides service on Mondays and Fridays between El Cajon, Boulevard, and Jacumba Hot Springs.https://www.sdmts.com/sites/default/files/routes/pdf/888.pdf

Cultural references

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour episode "Goodbye, George" involves a road trip along Highway 80 through Boulevard.

References

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Census-designated places in San Diego County, California
Census-designated places in California