Imperial Valley

The Imperial Valley is a region of southeastern California (USA) located, in part, between the Colorado River and the Salton Sea, the state of California's largest lake. Major population centers are El Centro and Brawley in California, and the twin border towns of Calexico and Mexicali. Locally, the terms "Imperial Valley" and "Imperial County" are used synonymously.

Related Topics:
California - USA - Colorado River - Salton Sea - El Centro - Brawley - Calexico - Mexicali - Imperial County

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Other regions in the vicinity of the Imperial Valley include the Coachella Valley, and Mexicali Valley (Baja California, Mexico), all of which lie within the Salton Sea watershed. In Mexico, this area of the Baja California peninsula is referred to as the Valle de Mexicali.

Related Topics:
Coachella Valley - Mexicali Valley - Baja California - Mexico - Baja California peninsula

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Spanish explorer Melchior Díaz was one of the first Europeans to visit the area in 1540, and probably sent at least scouting parties into the valley proper.

Related Topics:
Melchior Díaz - 1540

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Although this region is a desert, with high temperatures and low rainfall of three inches (75 mm) per year, the economy is heavily based on agriculture due to the availability of irrigation water, which is supplied wholly from the Colorado River via the All-American Canal. A vast sytem of canals, check dams, and pipelines carry the water all over the valley, a system which forms the Imperial Irrigation District, or IID. The water distribution system includes over 1,400 miles of canal and with 1,100 miles of pipeline. The number of canal and pipeline branches number roughly over a hundred. Imported water and a long growing season allow two crop cycles each year, and the Imperial Valley is a major source of winter fruits and vegetables, cotton, and grain for U.S. and international markets. Alfalfa is another major crop produced in the Imperial Valley. The agricultural lands are also served by a constructed agricultural drain system, which conveys surface runoff and subsurface drainage from fields to the Salton Sea, which is a designated repository for agricultural runoff.

Related Topics:
Desert - Colorado River - All-American Canal - Imperial Irrigation District

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A secondary industry of the Imperial Valley region is tourism. Many visitors come to the area to visit the Salton Sea (California's largest inland lake, which serves as a dumpout point for the overflow and drainage from the IID canal system and ditch drainage) and the Glamis Sand Dunes. Another unique feature of the Imperial Valley is the New River, which flows from south to north, from the nearby border city of Mexicali to the Salton Sea.

Related Topics:
Salton Sea - Glamis Sand Dunes - New River - Mexicali

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Imperial Valley is crossed by Interstate 8, and California State Highways 7, 78, 86, 98, 111, and 115.

Related Topics:
Interstate 8 - California State Highways 7 - 78 - 98 - 111 - 115

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