About Calexico, California

Calexico is a city in southern Imperial County, California. Situated on the Mexico–United States border, it is linked economically with the much larger city of Mexicali, the capital of the Mexican state of Baja California. Calexico, along with six other incorporated Imperial County cities, forms part of the larger populated area known as the Imperial Valley. The name of the city is a portmanteau of California and Mexico.

Founded in 1900 and incorporated in 1908, Calexico was once a tent town for the Imperial Land Company. It developed as a trade and shipping centre and a port of entry, with some light manufacturing, but transnational tourism is the economic mainstay. Near the city limits is the All-American Canal, which irrigates the valley.