The expedition of Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza traveled through the area some time between 17, during Spanish rule. Mexicali is a similarly named city directly across the international border from Calexico, its name being a portmanteau of the words 'Mexico' and 'California.' The originally proposed names were Santo Tomas or Thomasville. The name of the city is a portmanteau of California and Mexico. Calexico, along with six other incorporated Imperial County cities, forms part of the larger populated area known as the Imperial Valley.įirst explored by Europeans in the 18th century, Calexico began as a small tent community which was ultimately incorporated in 1908. It is about 122 miles (196 km) east of San Diego and 62 miles (100 km) west of Yuma, Arizona.
Situated on the Mexican border, it is linked economically with the much larger city of Mexicali, the capital of the Mexican state of Baja California. Calexico, seen from the International Space Station, is situated north of the Mexico–US border.Ĭalexico ( / k ə ˈ l ɛ k s ɪ k oʊ/) is a city in southern Imperial County, California.
