Los Algodones, Baja California
Encyclopedia
Los Algodones, Baja California
, is a small Mexican
town located on the extreme northeastern tip of the municipality of Mexicali, approximately 16 km (9.9 mi) west of Yuma, Arizona
, USA
. Its official name is Vicente Guerrero, although most people use Algodones when referring to it. It reported a population of 5,474 as of the 2010 Mexican census. It also serves as a borough seat of its surrouding area.
Los Algodones is the northernmost town in Mexico, and at its northeastern tip is the northernmost point in Mexico. Another interesting geographical distinction is that if someone were to travel in any of the four cardinal directions from anywhere in Algodones (due north, due east, due south, or due west), they would cross a U.S. border.
Situated near the borders of both southeastern California
and southwestern Arizona
, Los Algodones has become a popular tourist attraction in recent years due in part to inexpensive shopping and restaurants as well as inexpensive medical care and prescription
medicines. The warm, dry climate of the area attracts a number of older tourists from across the United States
and Canada
who settle during the winter in the nearby towns of Yuma, Arizona
and Winterhaven, California
. Organized day trips from the Coachella Valley
are popular among seniors as well.
From the US side, Los Algodones is most easily reached via Interstate 8 and south a short distance (3.33 Km
/ 2.07 mi
) along State Route 186/Andrade Road to the international border at Andrade, California
. From Andrade, visitors can elect to park their vehicles for a small fee and walk across the border or to drive across.
The popularity of both inexpensive prescriptions and medical care catering to Canadian and US senior citizens have prompted a virtual explosion of pharmacies
and dental
offices which have largely displaced a great deal of the open-air shops and restaurants immediately across the border and have effectively shifted the town's focus from tourism to medicine
. Nevertheless, a number of shops and restaurants remain and Los Algodones capitalizes on the tourist trade with frequent fiestas throughout the year, most notably around the Christmas
season.
The exact geographical location is 32°42′55"N 114°43′44"W at an elevation of 110 feet/33.5 m above mean sea level.
The Spanish-language name Los Algodones translates into English
as "The Cottons (referring to the plants, not the fiber)."
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
, is a small Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
town located on the extreme northeastern tip of the municipality of Mexicali, approximately 16 km (9.9 mi) west of Yuma, Arizona
Yuma, Arizona
Yuma is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. It is located in the southwestern corner of the state, and the population of the city was 77,515 at the 2000 census, with a 2008 Census Bureau estimated population of 90,041....
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Its official name is Vicente Guerrero, although most people use Algodones when referring to it. It reported a population of 5,474 as of the 2010 Mexican census. It also serves as a borough seat of its surrouding area.
Los Algodones is the northernmost town in Mexico, and at its northeastern tip is the northernmost point in Mexico. Another interesting geographical distinction is that if someone were to travel in any of the four cardinal directions from anywhere in Algodones (due north, due east, due south, or due west), they would cross a U.S. border.
Situated near the borders of both southeastern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and southwestern Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, Los Algodones has become a popular tourist attraction in recent years due in part to inexpensive shopping and restaurants as well as inexpensive medical care and prescription
Prescription drug
A prescription medication is a licensed medicine that is regulated by legislation to require a medical prescription before it can be obtained. The term is used to distinguish it from over-the-counter drugs which can be obtained without a prescription...
medicines. The warm, dry climate of the area attracts a number of older tourists from across the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
who settle during the winter in the nearby towns of Yuma, Arizona
Yuma, Arizona
Yuma is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. It is located in the southwestern corner of the state, and the population of the city was 77,515 at the 2000 census, with a 2008 Census Bureau estimated population of 90,041....
and Winterhaven, California
Winterhaven, California
Winterhaven is a census-designated place in Imperial County, California. Winterhaven is located east of Pilot Knob, The population was 394 at the 2010 census, down from 529 at the 2000 census. It is part of the 'El Centro, California Metropolitan Statistical Area'...
. Organized day trips from the Coachella Valley
Coachella Valley
Coachella Valley is a large valley landform in Southern California. The valley extends for approximately 45 miles in Riverside County southeast from the San Bernardino Mountains to the saltwater Salton Sea, the largest lake in California...
are popular among seniors as well.
From the US side, Los Algodones is most easily reached via Interstate 8 and south a short distance (3.33 Km
Kilometre
The kilometre is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one thousand metres and is therefore exactly equal to the distance travelled by light in free space in of a second...
/ 2.07 mi
Mile
A mile is a unit of length, most commonly 5,280 feet . The mile of 5,280 feet is sometimes called the statute mile or land mile to distinguish it from the nautical mile...
) along State Route 186/Andrade Road to the international border at Andrade, California
Andrade, California
Andrade is a small unincorporated town in the southeasternmost corner of the state of California, in Imperial County. It is directly across the border from Los Algodones, the northernmost town of the municipality of Mexicali, in Baja California, and in all of Mexico. The ZIP Code is 92283...
. From Andrade, visitors can elect to park their vehicles for a small fee and walk across the border or to drive across.
The popularity of both inexpensive prescriptions and medical care catering to Canadian and US senior citizens have prompted a virtual explosion of pharmacies
Pharmacy
Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...
and dental
Dentistry
Dentistry is the branch of medicine that is involved in the study, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, disorders and conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area and the adjacent and associated structures and their impact on the human body. Dentistry is widely considered...
offices which have largely displaced a great deal of the open-air shops and restaurants immediately across the border and have effectively shifted the town's focus from tourism to medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
. Nevertheless, a number of shops and restaurants remain and Los Algodones capitalizes on the tourist trade with frequent fiestas throughout the year, most notably around the Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
season.
The exact geographical location is 32°42′55"N 114°43′44"W at an elevation of 110 feet/33.5 m above mean sea level.
The Spanish-language name Los Algodones translates into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as "The Cottons (referring to the plants, not the fiber)."