imperial

Imperial Valley

Valley extending from southeastern California, U.S., to Mexico. It forms part of the Colorado Desert. Intensive irrigation began in 1901 with the opening of the Imperial Canal, which diverted water from the Colorado River. Floodwaters in 1905–07 destroyed the irrigation channels and created the Salton Sea. The valley is now watered by the Hoover Dam and the All-American Canal. With 3,000 mi (4,800 km) of irrigation canals, it contains 500,000 acres (200,000 hectares) of cultivated land.

Learn more about Imperial Valley with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.

Imperial, California

Imperial is a city in Imperial County, California. As of the 2006 census, the city had a population of 11,754. It is part of the 'El Centro, California Metropolitan Statistical Area'. Imperial has the annual California Mid-Winter Fair in February (formerly the Imperial County Fair) which receives over 100,000 visitors: either are locals, from nearby Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico and the numerous "snowbirds" across Southern Cal. and the country (U.S.) temporarily reside in Imperial.

Geography

Imperial is located at (32.842630, -115.571841).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.9 square miles (10.1 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2006, there were 11,754 people, 2,308 households, and 1,911 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,932.2 people per square mile (746.5/km²). There were 2,385 housing units at an average density of 609.6/sq mi (235.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 58.53% White, 2.66% Black or African American, 0.75% Native American, 2.71% Asian, 0.17% Pacific Islander, 30.90% from other races, and 4.27% from two or more races. 61.10% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,308 households out of which 53.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.9% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.2% were non-families. 14.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.26 and the average family size was 3.60.

In the city the population was spread out with 35.3% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 33.8% from 25 to 44, 16.8% from 45 to 64, and 6.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 96.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $49,451, and the median income for a family was $53,053. Males had a median income of $37,373 versus $27,778 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,538. About 8.9% of families and 11.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.2% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.