Imperial Beach, California
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Imperial Beach is a beach city in
San Diego County, California San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county (United States), county in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of California, north to its Mexico-United States border, border with Mexico. As of the 2020 United States Cen ...
, United States, with a population of 26,137 as of the 2020 census. It is in the South Bay area of San Diego County, south of downtown San Diego and northwest of downtown
Tijuana Tijuana is the most populous city of the Mexican state of Baja California, located on the northwestern Pacific Coast of Mexico. Tijuana is the municipal seat of the Tijuana Municipality, the hub of the Tijuana metropolitan area and the most popu ...
, Mexico. Imperial Beach is the southernmost city in California and the
West Coast of the United States The West Coast of the United States, also known as the Pacific Coast and the Western Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Western United States meets the North Pacific Ocean. The term typically refers to the Contiguous United States, contig ...
.


History

Imperial Beach sits on the traditional territory of the Kumeyaay people, who had established the village of Alyshuwii. Founded in June 1887, the city takes its name from Imperial County, California, a desert climate east. Farmers and land owners from the Imperial Valley came to the area in the late 1880s seeking cooler weather during summer months. In March 1887, over 2,000 laborers descended upon nearby
Coronado, California Coronado (Spanish language, Spanish for "Crowned") is a resort town, resort city in San Diego County, California, United States, across San Diego Bay from downtown San Diego. It was founded in the 1880s and incorporated in 1890. Its population ...
to construct the Hotel del Coronado, the largest resort in the world at the time. A large number of the workers stayed in Imperial Beach and some would later make it their permanent homestead. The city would incorporate in 1956, operating its own
mayor–council government A mayor–council government is a system of local government in which a mayor who is directly elected by the voters acts as chief executive, while a separately elected city council constitutes the legislative body. It is one of the two most comm ...
providing city fire department service and policing by the formation of its own police department but eventually, years later, through the contracting of services through the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. Imperial Beach has undergone a makeover to become more visitor-friendly and commercially viable. In 2004, the city began implementing a community redevelopment plan to improve the commercial corridor along Palm Avenue and Seacoast Drive. Aside from a few smaller hotels, Imperial Beach remains a highly residential city with little hotel or motel accommodation for visitors. On September 13, 2010, after many years of planning, demolition officially began on the old Seacoast Inn located off Seacoast Drive. Construction of a $22 million hotel called Pier South Resort was completed in the former Seacoast Inn's place in December 2013.


Geography

Imperial Beach is the most southwesterly located city in the continental United States. 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 city has a total area of . of it is land and of it (7.22%) is water. The city occupies the extreme southwest corner of the continental United States: bordered by Playas de Tijuana and
Tijuana Tijuana is the most populous city of the Mexican state of Baja California, located on the northwestern Pacific Coast of Mexico. Tijuana is the municipal seat of the Tijuana Municipality, the hub of the Tijuana metropolitan area and the most popu ...
to the south,
Coronado, California Coronado (Spanish language, Spanish for "Crowned") is a resort town, resort city in San Diego County, California, United States, across San Diego Bay from downtown San Diego. It was founded in the 1880s and incorporated in 1890. Its population ...
, and San Diego Bay to the north,
San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Imperial Beach is located in San Diego County, the fifth most-populous county in the United States and part of the San Diego metropolitan area, the 17th largest metropolitan area in the United States with over 3 million people. It is also part of the San Diego–Tijuana region, the largest bi-national metropolitan area shared between the United States and Mexico with over 5 million people.


Climate

The city has a warm
semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of se ...
(''BSh''), with summer temperatures often in the upper 70s °F (mid-20s °C) and winter temperatures in the 60s °F (15 to 20 °C). Because of the comfortable year-round temperatures, many homes in Imperial Beach are built without air conditioning. Imperial Beach often remains 10 degrees °F (5 degrees °C) cooler than inland areas of San Diego County in the summer, and 10 degrees warmer in the winter. The city is mostly or partly sunny 323 days of the year, with the wettest months in winter. As of 2006, the '' Farmers' Almanac'' consistently ranked the area within th
Top 10 Best Weather Cities in America
Scripps Institution of Oceanography operates a weather reporting station at the middle of the Imperial Beach Pier for sky condition, temperature, humidity, pressure, wind and water temperature data.


Environment

Imperial Beach marks the terminus of the Tijuana River watershed and is subject to changes that occur upriver. There have been numerous instances of beach closures and pollutant aerosolization within Imperial Beach as caused by untreated sewage or spills. Beaches have been closed since December 8, 2021. According to Sumya Karamangla, writing in ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' (May 26, 2025): "Every day, 50 million gallons of untreated sewage, industrial chemicals and trash flow from Tijuana, Mexico, into southern San Diego County." The problem "has significantly worsened in recent years as the population of Tijuana has exploded and sewage treatment plants in both countries have fallen into disrepair." This has been causing businesses to lose money and negatively affecting inhabitants' health. Mexico is doing a poor job maintaining sewage treatment from the Tijuana River valley. Residents have been pleading for action but fear proposed solutions, which require binational cooperation to implement, will take far too long.


Demographics


2020 census

The 2020 United States census reported that Imperial Beach had a population of 26,137. The population density was . The racial makeup of Imperial Beach was 43.4%
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 ...
, 3.7%
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 ...
, 1.2% Native American, 6.2% Asian, 0.6%
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 ...
, 23.9% from other races, and 21.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 51.1% of the population. The census reported that 99.9% of the population lived in households, 33 people (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized. There were 9,405 households, out of which 36.3% included children under the age of 18, 41.5% were married-couple households, 8.4% were cohabiting couple households, 28.2% had a female householder with no partner present, and 21.9% had a male householder with no partner present. 22.4% of households were one person, and 7.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.78. There were 6,390 families (67.9% of all households). The age distribution was 22.6% under the age of 18, 9.7% aged 18 to 24, 31.7% aged 25 to 44, 23.5% aged 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 34.7years. For every 100 females, there were 100.8 males. There were 10,105 housing units at an average density of , of which 9,405 (93.1%) were occupied. Of these, 31.7% were owner-occupied, and 68.3% were occupied by renters.


2023 estimates

In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 17.7% of the population were foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 58.2% spoke only English at home, 37.2% spoke Spanish, 1.0% spoke other
Indo-European languages The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the northern Indian subcontinent, most of Europe, and the Iranian plateau with additional native branches found in regions such as Sri Lanka, the Maldives, parts of Central Asia (e. ...
, 3.3% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 0.2% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 85.3% were high school graduates and 23.7% had a bachelor's degree. The median household income in 2023 was $79,071, and 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 ...
was $38,709. About 8.8% of families and 15.2% of the population were below the poverty line.


Culture


Coastal and beach areas

Imperial Beach includes nearly of beaches and employs a year-round lifeguard staff.
Beach volleyball Beach volleyball is a team sport played by two teams of two to four players each on a sand court divided by a net. Similar to indoor volleyball, the objective of the game is to send the ball over the net and to ground it on the opponent's side o ...
,
surfing Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suita ...
and body boarding are popular in Imperial Beach with activities concentrated north and south of the Imperial Beach Pier and the Boca Rio beach break, one of San Diego County's best surf spots. '' San Diego Magazine'' identifies the Boca Rio beach break as the second best surfing location in the county, second only to Black's Beach and the Scripps Canyon area near La Jolla. The area around Imperial Beach Pier known as Pier Plaza showcases plaques placed on surfboard benches that tell the story of how the city's big waves influenced surfing from 1937 to the 1950s. Nearby Border Field State Park signifies the southernmost beach on the west coast of the United States and allows beachgoers in America to speak through the fence with beachgoers in Mexico, where the beach is called Playas de Tijuana (Tijuana Beach). The city connects to nearby
Coronado, California Coronado (Spanish language, Spanish for "Crowned") is a resort town, resort city in San Diego County, California, United States, across San Diego Bay from downtown San Diego. It was founded in the 1880s and incorporated in 1890. Its population ...
, by way of the Silver Strand, a narrow, isthmus. Silver Strand State Beach, a popular beach for camping, bird watching, and bicycling, is located in the middle of the isthmus and includes both bay and ocean beaches. The San Diego County summer tourist season brings many visitors to the city's beaches each year. For 31 years, Imperial Beach played home to the U.S. Open Sandcastle competition, the largest sand castle competition in the United States, drawing in approximately 325,000 people. The city held the final sand castle competition in August 2011, bringing an end to the annual event and tradition. The city also holds the beach front classic car show every summer and an annual dog-surfing contest. Th
South Bay Drive-in
one of the few remaining drive-in movie theaters in San Diego County, is located just outside Imperial Beach off Coronado Avenue. Imperial Beach is home to Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve, a National Estuarine Research Reserve, and Border Field State Park. The estuary, located off Seacoast Drive and Imperial Beach Boulevard, is home to many endangered birds and wildlife. This estuary marks the place where the fresh water Tijuana River enters the salt water Pacific Ocean. It is the largest salt water marsh in Southern California.


Military presence

Imperial Beach has a large military population and is home to the US Navy's Naval Outlying Landing Field Imperial Beach also known as NOLF Imperial Beach. It is bordered on its northern extreme by Silver Strand Training Complex.


Crime

The San Diego County Sheriff's Department 2008 crime statistics rank Imperial Beach below the national average in all areas reported.


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). ...
, Imperial Beach is in , and in . 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 ...
, Imperial Beach is in .


Transportation

The
San Diego Metropolitan Transit System The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) is a public transit service provider for San Diego County, California. The agency operates a transit system that includes the San Diego MTS bus system, San Diego Trolley, and Rapid (San Diego), Rap ...
(MTS) provides bus and paratransit services to the city from throughout San Diego County. The city is one of five Port member cities making up the Port of San Diego, one of America's top 30 U.S. container ship ports.


In popular culture

Kem Nunn's novel, ''Tijuana Straits'', provides insight into the culture of the border and surfing in Imperial Beach and the Tijuana River Valley, and the environmental problems that affect residents of Tijuana, Imperial Beach and Coronado. Portions of the 2005 film Lords of Dogtown were shot in Imperial Beach, including use of the Imperial Beach Pier in exterior establishing shots. The HBO television series ''
John from Cincinnati ''John from Cincinnati'' is an American drama television series, set against the surfing community of Imperial Beach, California. It aired on HBO from June 10 to August 12, 2007. Overview ''John from Cincinnati'' is the result of a collaborati ...
'' was about a dysfunctional surfing family in Imperial Beach set against the backdrop of the U.S.-Mexico border. The series (from Executive Producer David Milch, writer Kem Nunn, and director
Mark Tinker Mark Tinker (born January 16, 1951) is an American television producer and television director, director. Early life Tinker was born in Stamford, Connecticut, the son of Ruth Prince Tinker (née Byerly) (1927–2004) and future NBC chairman Grant ...
) was filmed at a variety of locations in Imperial Beach and in the Tijuana River Valley. On February 21, 2019, '' Vice News Tonight'' on
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
broadcast a segment from Imperial Beach about how an extreme tidal surge, known as king tide, affects the local population living along the Pacific coast.


Notable people

* California Congressman Brian Bilbray grew up in Imperial Beach. Bilbray graduated from Mar Vista High School in 1970. * Billy Lee Chadd, serial killer who lived in Imperial Beach during most of his crimes. * Aaron Chang, award-winning American photographer specializing in surfing and ocean photography for Surfing Magazine * Serge Dedina is the director of environmental organization Wildcoast. He was the mayor of Imperial Beach. * Allen "Dempsey" Holder, was a pioneering surfer in the
San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
South County area. He is noted for riding the large surf of the Tijuana Sloughs and he headed up the Imperial Beach lifeguard services for many years. The local public safety/lifeguard facility is named in his honor. * Software entrepreneur Charlie Jackson grew up in Imperial Beach and graduated Mar Vista High in 1967. * Actor and screenwriter Jordan Jacobo lives in Imperial Beach. * Eleanor Mariano, retired USN Rear Admiral and physician to the President of the United States at the White House for 9 years. * Marco Minnemann, drummer * Film actor Matthew Modine attended high school in Imperial Beach. *Travis Ryan, vocalist of Deathgrind band Cattle Decapitation and Grindcore band Murder Construct. *
Kevin Smith Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. He came to prominence with the low-budget buddy comedy film ''Clerks (film), Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and acted i ...
, character actor was born in Imperial Beach.


See also

* List of beaches in San Diego County * List of California state parks


References


External links


Imperial Beach Chamber of CommerceThe City of Imperial BeachImperial Beach Eagle and Times
* {{Authority control Cities in San Diego County, California Incorporated cities and towns in California Mexico–United States border crossings San Diego metropolitan area South Bay (San Diego County) Populated coastal places in California Beaches of San Diego County, California Beaches of Southern California Surfing locations in California History of Imperial County, California