Salton City, California
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Salton City | ||
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FIPS code 06-64294 | | |
GNIS feature IDs | 1853413, 2409242 |
Salton City is a
Although planned and developed as a large resort community with an extensive road, water, sewer and power grid capable of supporting 40,000 residents on 12,000 residential lots, demand for property in Salton City fell drastically short of the planners' expectations.[4] According to the 2010 census, 81% of the surveyed lots in Salton City remain undeveloped, and 38% of the habitable residences in Salton City are unoccupied.[5] Despite Salton City's higher population compared to nearby Salton Sea communities such as Bombay Beach and Desert Shores, the eerie, mostly-abandoned appearance of the area has led some to call it a modern ghost town.[6][7][8]
History
Salton City was developed in the 1960s and established in 1958 primarily by
In the 1970s, most of the buildings constructed along the shoreline, including the city's marina[9] were abandoned[13] due to rising sea elevation. In the 1980s, the Imperial Irrigation District took proactive water conservation measures to reduce the flow of unused canal water into the Salton Sea.[14] Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, as salinity and suspected pollution levels in the Salton Sea increased, the attraction of the Salton Sea as a recreational destination diminished.[15] Most of the original tourist related structures fell during this time, including the Truckhaven Cafe, the Salton Bay Yacht Club hotel and restaurant, and the Holly House motel and restaurant (later renamed Desser House and then the Sundowner).
In the 2000s, development in Salton City began to rise as a result of the escalating California housing market. Cheap land and housing costs, improvements to
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 21.1 square miles (55 km2), all land. This area makes Salton City the largest city or town in terms of land area in the Imperial Valley.
Salton City is located on relatively flat ground. Several washes flow from the mountains to the west creating small gorges where any flowing run-off will drain into the Salton Sea. The vegetation consists of mostly sparse desert shrubs; however, in developed areas a variety of palm trees as well as other deciduous trees survive. Salton City is positioned between the eastern slope of the Peninsular Ranges and the western coast of the Salton Sea.
Earthquakes are an extremely common occurrence around the Salton Sea, and in Salton City, due to dozens of fractured fault lines that run through Imperial County. Salton City is also mere miles from major, destructive fault lines, such as the Imperial Fault, the San Andreas Fault, and the San Jacinto Fault. The Superstition Faults also pose a major risk to the area, as well as the Brawley Seismic Zone, which produces frequent yet mostly non-damaging earthquake swarms. At certain times, this area can experience dozens of felt earthquakes in a time period lasting from one day to over one week. Most of the earthquakes are minor to moderate and pose no hazard due to strict seismic codes; however, the area is notorious for earthquake swarms and other major seismic events. The San Andreas Fault begins at Bombay Beach where the southern terminus of the San Andreas transitions into the Brawley Seismic Zone, about ten miles across the Salton Sea from Salton City. Most residents are fully accustomed to minor and moderate earthquakes, but are prepared for a large one.[citation needed]
To the north of the CDP are Salton Sea Beach and Desert Shores. Salton City is approximately 50 miles (80 km) from the Imperial County seat of El Centro and 110 and 115 miles respectively from the coastal San Diego County cities of Oceanside and San Diego.
Climate
This area has a large amount of sunshine throughout the year, due to the amount of descending high pressure aloft. According to the
Climate data for Salton City, CA | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 96 (36) |
96 (36) |
104 (40) |
109 (43) |
118 (48) |
126 (52) |
125 (52) |
124 (51) |
126 (52) |
111 (44) |
98 (37) |
90 (32) |
126 (52) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 67.8 (19.9) |
73.8 (23.2) |
79.4 (26.3) |
85.1 (29.5) |
93.9 (34.4) |
102.6 (39.2) |
105.7 (40.9) |
105.4 (40.8) |
101.0 (38.3) |
90.3 (32.4) |
78.2 (25.7) |
68.8 (20.4) |
87.7 (30.9) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 39.4 (4.1) |
44.8 (7.1) |
49.4 (9.7) |
57.1 (13.9) |
61.6 (16.4) |
68.8 (20.4) |
76.6 (24.8) |
77.0 (25.0) |
70.8 (21.6) |
59.6 (15.3) |
47.9 (8.8) |
38.4 (3.6) |
57.6 (14.2) |
Record low °F (°C) | 22 (−6) |
22 (−6) |
30 (−1) |
35 (2) |
43 (6) |
50 (10) |
51 (11) |
60 (16) |
49 (9) |
36 (2) |
27 (−3) |
14 (−10) |
14 (−10) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.43 (11) |
0.41 (10) |
0.34 (8.6) |
0.10 (2.5) |
0.04 (1.0) |
0.00 (0.00) |
0.13 (3.3) |
0.27 (6.9) |
0.30 (7.6) |
0.28 (7.1) |
0.20 (5.1) |
0.46 (12) |
2.96 (75.1) |
Source: http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?ca4223 |
Demographics
Despite a long period of population decline, the population of Salton City has been increasing in recent years.
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1990 | 1,233 | — | |
2000 | 978 | −20.7% | |
2010 | 3,763 | 284.8% | |
2020 | 5,155 | 37.0% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[3] |
2010
The
The Census reported that 3,763 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 1,204 households, out of which 513 (42.6%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 653 (54.2%) were
The population was spread out, with 1,247 people (33.1%) under the age of 18, 350 people (9.3%) aged 18 to 24, 890 people (23.7%) aged 25 to 44, 813 people (21.6%) aged 45 to 64, and 463 people (12.3%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.1 males.
There were 2,026 housing units at an average density of 94.5 per square mile (36.5/km2), of which 1,204 were occupied, of which 833 (69.2%) were owner-occupied, and 371 (30.8%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 18.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 20.3%. 2,425 people (64.4% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,338 people (35.6%) lived in rental housing units.
2000
According to the
There were 416 households, out of which 21.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.8% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.4 and the average family size was 2.9.
In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 20.9% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 18.9% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 30.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.5 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $21,563, and the median income for a family was $20,208. Males had a median income of $26,458 versus $4,886 for females. The
From 2004 to 2007, Salton City experienced a housing boom. Several hundred new houses were built.[citation needed]
Government
Local
Salton City and the neighboring communities of
The legislative body of the SCSD is a five-member Board of Directors who are elected every two years. Aside from acting as the architectural committee for architectural compliance with the
Fire protection and emergency medical services in Salton City are provided by the Imperial County Fire Department[22] and the Salton Community Services District Volunteer Fire Department.[23]
Law enforcement in Salton City is provided by the Imperial County Sheriff's Office North County Patrol Division, which operates a substation in Salton City.[24]
Water service is provided by the Coachella Valley Water District.[25]
State and Federal
In the
Federally, Salton City is in California's 25th congressional district, represented by Democrat Raul Ruiz.[28]
In media
This section includes a improve this section by introducing more precise citations. (November 2020) ) |
Literature
The 1996 non-fiction book Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer mentions Salton City as a place where Chris McCandless stopped in his travels.
J. A. Jance's novel Trial by Fire is partly set in Salton City.
In
Salton City was a location for a gambling loan in Norm Macdonald's pseudo-biographical book Based on a True Story: Not a Memoir.
Music
"Salton City" is the name of a track on the Hot Snakes' 2000 album Automatic Midnight.
Television
Salton City has been featured in various television series due to its "ghost town"-like nature. Salton City has been featured in the sixteenth episode of the television series Life After People, the "Los Angeles" episode of the Travel Channel series Off Limits, an episode of Forgotten Planet, and an episode of the Viceland series Abandoned.
Salton City was featured in an episode of the Discovery Channel series Wheeler Dealers when the team converted a Land Rover Series II into a "bug-out" vehicle.
Salton City was featured in an episode of the television series S.W.A.T..
See also
References
- ^ a b "Salton City". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ "2010 Census U.S. Gazetteer Files – Places – California". United States Census Bureau.
- ^ a b US Census Bureau, 2020 Census, Salton City CDP, California profile
- ^ Lorey, David E. "Global Environmental Challenges of the Twenty-first Century: Resources, Consumption, and Sustainable Solutions". Rowman & Littlefield, 2003. p.104-5
- ^ "2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA - Salton City CDP". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
- New York Times. Mar 19, 2004. "Exploring Modern Ruins in Southern California".
- Vice Magazine. Sep 26, 2013. "I Went to California's Post-Apocalyptic Beach Town".
- ^ Kessel, Tim. Rider Magazine. Sep 04, 2015. "The Salton Sea: The Strange Beauty of the Post-Apocalypse
- ^ a b "Salton Sea Timeline". The San Diego Union-Tribune. March 9, 2005. Archived 2012-03-13 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Laflin, P. (1999) [First published 1995]. The Salton Sea: California's Overlooked Treasure. The Periscope, Coachella Valley Historical Society, Indio, California. pp. 61. Archived 2020-08-05 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ "Salton City | Greetings from the Salton Sea". Archived from the original on September 2, 2018. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
- ^ Greenfield, Steven. "A Lake by Mistake" in Invention & Technology magazine Volume 21 Number 3 Winter 2006. "AmericanHeritage.com / A Lake by Mistake". Archived from the original on September 6, 2008. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
- ISBN 1-58948-043-0, p.32
- ^ Imperial Irrigation District, "Salton Sea", "IID Water Department". Archived from the original on June 1, 2010. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
- National Geographic (magazine), Joel K. Bourne, Jr., "Salton Sea", Feb. 2005, http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0502/feature5/index.htmlArchived 2007-12-14 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Imperial Valley Press (2005), Salorio, Michael A., "West Shores community has high hopes for growth"
- ^ Streitfeld, David (July 1, 2007). "Salton City: A land of dreams and dead fish". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 18, 2009. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
- ^ Climate Summary for Salton City, California
- ^ "2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA - Salton City CDP". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ "Salton Community Services District". saltoncsd.ca.gov. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ^ "Imperial County Fire Department". Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ^ "Volunteer Fire Department". Salton Community Services District. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ^ "Operations – Sheriff Coroner". Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ^ "CVWD Map | Coachella Valley Water District - Official Website".
- ^ "Senators". State of California. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
- ^ "Members Assembly". State of California. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
- ^ "California's 25th Congressional District - Representatives & District Map". Civic Impulse, LLC. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
- William deBuys, Joan Myers, "Salt Dreams: Land and Water in Low-Down California", UNM Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8263-2428-2
External links
- The 2006 John Waters) documented the lives of the inhabitants of Salton City, as well as ecological issues associated with the Sea
- Imperial Irrigation District website documenting history and water quality of the Salton Sea