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Small city

Living in Imperial, CA

Imperial is a small city of 21,430 people in Imperial County, California. It's about 4 miles from El Centro, CA and 91 miles from San Diego, CA, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 106°F and winter highs 70°F, with almost no snow. The typical home is valued around $361k and rent runs about $1k a month.

21,430people
$361kTypical home
$1,255/moRent
106° / 70°Summer / winter
0"Snow
338Sunny days
15Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Small city of 21,430
  • Part of a metro area
  • About 3,398 people per sq mi
  • 91 mi to San Diego, CA
  • 4 mi to El Centro, CA
  • Has its own stores and services

Money

  • Typical home $361k (≈$2,276/mo)
  • Median rent $1,255/mo
  • Median household income $90k
  • Property tax about 1.0% of value
  • 8.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 106°F
  • Winter highs around 70°F
  • Comfortable summers (dew point 50°F)
  • 338 sunny days a year (236 totally clear)
  • 27 cloudy days a year
  • 14 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 15 days a year with rain or snow
  • Basically no snow
  • Snow days are rare
  • 118 days a year over 100°F
  • Rarely drops below 10°F
  • Breezy

Safety

  • Very low violent crime (111 per 100k)
  • Very low property crime (125 per 100k)

People

  • Median age 31
  • 47% of households have kids
  • 10% are 65 or older
  • 23% have a college degree
  • Not very diverse
  • 10% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 20 min
  • 2% walk or take transit to work
  • 0 mi to IPL airport
  • 87 mi to PSP (major hub)
  • 56 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 79% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 2002
  • 92% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Flat, open land
  • Elevation -62 ft
  • 68 mi to the ocean
  • 20 mi to a big lake
  • 35 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 120 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 27 mi to the nearest campground
  • 4 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 64 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 3 bars within 25 mi
  • 37 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • 2 music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 2 museums within 25 mi
  • No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 37 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the bottom 49% of California districts (reading)
  • Grocery store in town
  • 5 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 81 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • 3 mi to the nearest vet
  • Dog park in town
  • 3 congregations per 10k people
  • 4 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Imperial County: Purple — split almost evenly
  • California: D+20 in 2024

Natural hazards

  • Very low hurricane risk
  • Very low tornado risk
  • Low wildfire risk
  • High earthquake risk
  • Very low flood risk
  • Moderate drought risk
  • Very low winter storm risk
  • High heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Places near Imperial

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