City, San Diego County
© McCormack's Guides
Zip Codes: 91932, 91933
Small
city, 4.5 square miles, on the Pacific, south of Coronado Cays. Part of
Imperial Beach fronts on San Diego Bay. Choice location. In recent years,
Imperial Beach has been trying to revive itself as coast city, attractive to
visitors. Population 28,200. www.mccormacks.com
Served by
South Bay Union Elementary District and the Sweetwater High School District.
The high-school district in 2001 won an $187 million bond to upgrade schools,
including those in Imperial Beach. See Schools.
Bond for
elementary schools, $8.5 million, won approval in 1997. Money was used to make
basic repairs — plumbing, roofing, electrical — on all schools and
fit them for high-tech communications.
Click for regional or detailed map
One
homicide in 2004, zero in 2003, 2002 and 2001, one in 2000, three in 1999, zero
in 1998 and 1997, one in 1996, four in 1995, seven in 1994, three in 1993. For
previous years, the counts are two, zero, four, one, zero and zero. Sheriff’s
substation. See Crime.
Many young
in town. Median age of residents is 31. Those under 18 make up 27 percent of
the inhabitants.
Residential
Imperial Beach runs about 14 by 20 blocks, some long, some short. Although much
of the housing was built in era of suburban circles and curves, the streets
here are laid out on a grid pattern, straight and wide and flat. www.mccormacks.com
About 275
homes and apartments were built before World War II. Between 1940 and 1960, the
city built about 2,800 units. In the 1960s, about 2,200 units were erected and
in the 1970s, another 2,200. Then the pace slackened: 1,600 units in the 1980s
and 700 units in the 1990s. Out of land to grow, Imperial Beach will fill in
parcels but probably add little to its population.
The
dominant housing style is mid-to-late 20th century suburban tract, plain but
well-cared-for. Some of the older homes are faded, the lawns browned out, but
even these homes show care and with rise of property values more owners are
sprucing up their homes.
Some of
the newer stuff is upscale — two-story, four-bedroom plus. Many cottages
and apartments near the beach.
The state
in 2008 counted 9,968 housing units: 4,098 single-family detached, 687 single
attached, 4,843 multiples and 340 mobile homes. Many of the single homes are
rented out, especially for beach visitors. Rental units outnumber
owner-occupied 70 percent to 30.
Imperial
Beach used to be a stand-alone community, nestled in an ignored corner of the
county. No more. So many homes have been built in the south county that
Imperial Beach housing flows into City of San Diego housing (Nestor
neighborhood). www.mccormacks.com
Imperial
Beach was founded by developers who hoped to draw buyers from Imperial Valley.
The town incorporated as a city in 1956.
Military
base to the north, Navy airfield (helicopters) to the south, along with an
estuary and a large state park. After that, Tijuana.
About 15
miles from downtown San Diego but the commute may not be too bad. Coast road
leads up to Coronado and bridge to downtown.
Fishing
pier (renovated in 2006), about a half-dozen parks, one a sports park. Trails.
Bikers, joggers, walkers and in-line skaters seem to love the Strand, the
narrow peninsula from Imperial Beach to Coronado. A path has been paved between
the two cities.
Estuary nature center. Land to south of
city placed in nature reserve. Library. Boys and Girls Club and school district
have set up day-care program before and after school. www.mccormacks.com
Annual
sand castle competition draws about 200,000. Statues and artwork grace the
shore. Lot of activities associated with the beach and ocean. Tijuana and its
allures are within a short drive. Pier Plaza, a commercial area on the Pacific,
has been renovated. Stores, park and barbecue pits added.
City plans
to use redevelopment money to promote housing, especially near water. Money
from other sources will be used for other beach projects: landscaping, benches,
lights, parking, public art and a plaza.
Film
festival, an annual, showcases independents. In late 2006, HBO was filming a
surf drama in town. The show will be presented as a pilot and if it catches on,
Imperial City may be new O.C. — stranger things have happened in
California.
The water
off Imperial Beach frequently gets polluted by drainage from the Tijuana River,
and swimming quarantines are imposed. In 1997, work was completed on a
treatment plant and outfall pipe that stretches two miles into the Pacific.
This helps but problems remain. Another treatment plant is to be built along
the border.
The beach is a strong selling point for
the town but the sewage problems curtail its popularity. www.mccormacks.com
Chamber of
commerce (619) 424-3151.
• South
Bay school district is losing enrollment, which is forcing budget cuts. In
2006, the district board was considering closing a school in Imperial Beach but
after the state increased its funding, the board put off a decision for two
years.
• With
many absentee homeowners, the city was having difficulty enforcing its cleanup
codes because its policies required repeat notifications of violations. In
2005, the rules were changed to favor immediate enforcement. Officials report
that the owners are correcting violations faster.
• Surfers
love the winter waves, high and rough. The city dislikes them because they
strip sand from the beaches. Toward summer, gentler waves replenish the beaches
but the city sometimes has to import sand.
City web
site: www.cityofib.com
