El Centro, California
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El Centro is the county seat of Imperial County, California, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 37,835. It is one of the largest cities in the Imperial Valley, the region east of San Diego, and is home to retail, transportation, wholesale, and agricultural industries. El Centro comes from a Spanish phrase meaning the center.
El Centro's largest ethnic group by far is Mexican Americans. Many arrived in the 1960s and 1970s to work at the irrigated agricultural fields, and even more came during the 1990s and 2000s to find jobs.
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Lifestyle
El Centro has one of Southern California's newest shopping centers, Imperial Valley Mall, located on the southeastern edge of the city. Also, there are strip malls and many retail stores located around the town.
El Centro is rich with Latino heritage. There are many fine Mexican restaurants, many of which tend to be hole in the wall establishments frequented by local regulars as well as vistors. There is also a number of family-owned Chinese restaurants, due to the sizeable Chinese community in nearby Mexicali, Mexico. Dining in El Centro tends to be mostly in casual settings in the restaurants that vary from American, Thai, Filipino, Mexican and other types of cuisine to the standard restaurant chains.
Within a short drive of El Centro are the Off Highway Vehicle recreational areas visited frequently by motocross and off road enthusiasts from all over the state. Areas of sand such as Glamis and Mount Superstition become packed with party-minded crowds numbering in the tens of thousands during the Thanksgiving and New Years holidays.
Residents in El Centro enjoy heading south of the border to the large Mexican city of Mexicali for entertainment. To the disdain of many parents, Mexicali has a legal drinking age of 18 years old; therefore many clubs promote events to the Imperial Valley youth. El Centro's proximity to Mexicali, makes it within driving distance to activities across the border such as nightclubs, fine restaurants, bull fights, as well as shopping.
Crime
With a high unemployment rate, El Centro has a relatively large amount of crime. However, it has decidedly dropped as new businesses have been sprouting up at a fast pace.
As of 2005, the murder rate is extremely low, and most of the crimes tend to be property crimes, and drug related.
Due to its proximity to the border, El Centro and the rest of the Imperial Valley has traditionally been an intense area of traffic of illegal drugs north to the Los Angeles area.
The city is working hard to remove graffiti that once dotted the city, and tear down blighted buildings for new businesses. The community and local government are cooperating to make El Centro a great place to live.
Geography
El Centro is located at 32°47'17" North, 115°33'29" West (32.788139, -115.557966)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 24.9 km² (9.6 mi²). 24.8 km² (9.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.42% water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 37,835 people, 11,439 households, and 8,910 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,524.9/km² (3,950.2/mi²). There were 12,263 housing units at an average density of 494.2/km² (1,280.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 46.86% White, 3.16% Black or African American, 0.98% Native American, 3.50% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 41.68% from other races, and 3.73% from two or more races. 74.58% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 11,439 households out of which 47.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% were married couples living together, 18.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.1% were non-families. 18.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.23 and the average family size was 3.71.
In the city the population was spread out with 33.6% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 9.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,161, and the median income for a family was $36,910. Males had a median income of $36,753 versus $24,514 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,874. 22.8% of the population and 20.6% of families were below the poverty line. 29.5% of those under the age of 18 and 14.8% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.