Welcome to the City of El Centro’s web site. We hope to provide you with a site that is both user friendly and informative. Our goal is to maximize the communication process and provide you with relative information regarding City services and activities.

The City of El Centro, the county seat of Imperial County, California, was incorporated on April 16, 1908. Situated in the southern most part of California. El Centro is 120 miles east of San Diego, 60 miles west of Yuma, Arizona, and just 14 miles north of Mexicali, Mexico. It is accessible via Interstate 8, State Highway 86 and State Highway 111. El Centro, a vibrant and dynamic community with over 40,000 residents, is the regional center for shopping, eating, health care, and recreational and cultural activities for the 156,500 residents of Imperial Valley. The City owns and operates 145 acres of parkland including a community center with outdoor sports facilities that serve as year-round locations for outstanding activities such as baseball and softball tournaments, concerts, the annual children’s fair, and other community programs.

The outdoor swimming pool is open during the summer from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Monday through Friday for public swim, swim lessons, and private parties. The youth center provides indoor basketball and volleyball courts and other activities such as youth sports training, youth aerobics and youth mentoring programs. The state of the art Southwest High School auditorium provides theatrical plays, master coral performances and concerts. The equestrian park provides horse boarding and equestrian competitions year-around.

The City Library has more than 14,000 square feet of public library accessibility and owns more than 111,000 books, magazines, and audiovisual materials. In addition, the Library owns a total of 16 public access computers to connect to the Internet or for general word-processing functions. In addition to the main public library on State Street, the City also operates a branch library located at the El Centro Community Center on First Street.

The Downtown Revitalization Project features added and improved landscaping and crosswalks between the 400 and 700 blocks of Main Street, which includes an attractive plaza area featuring a stage and large fountain, grass and trees and decorative pillars that is located at the entrance of the 700 block off 8th Street. All of which brings a stunning park-like atmosphere to the shopping experience in the downtown area.

The City owns and operates a 165 acute bed community hospital (El Centro Regional Medical Center) with a staff of more than 250 physicians and surgeons that provide quality health care to the entire region (www.ecrmc.org). ECRMC has completed a 108,000 sq. ft., which includes a new entrance and lobby area and a two-story addition that replaced an outdated acute care facility. The new facility brings the hospital into compliance with new seismic standards dictated by California Senate Bill 1953.

Economic Development in the City of El Centro is at an all time high and is expected to continue in an upward movement. Local developers as well as developers from across the nation are in a charge to meet the high demand in the housing industry. With low housing prices and beautiful winter weather, El Centro is definitely the city of choice. Approximately 450 homes are expected to be built this year with an additional 800 homes next year. New industrial and commercial developments continue to flourish. The most recent constructions underway include the development of a 987,000 square foot regional shopping center known as the Imperial Valley Mall that is scheduled to open in March 2005. The IV Mall will consist of four anchor department stores and a total of 100 retail stores and a 2.4 million dollar incubator facility located in the City’s Centerpoint Industrial Park that will be home to seven new businesses employing approximately 21 people. For further information on economic development ventures visit the Imperial Valley Economic Development Corporation at www.ivedc.com or the Imperial Irrigation District at www.iid.com.

Competent and well-trained City personnel are available to provide administrative, law enforcement, fire protection, and emergency medical assistance. For a more comprehensive overview of the services we provide, I invite you to browse the rest of our site. I’m confident you will find the information very interesting. Thank you for visiting and if you have any questions or suggestions to improve the way we deliver the information, please call (760) 337-4540 or e-mail us at inquiry@cityofelcentro.org.

El Centro, a city that is Shining with Opportunity!

Ruben A. Duran
City Manager