Tecate
Encyclopedia
Tecate is a small city in Baja California
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...

, Mexico
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...

 and the municipal seat of Tecate Municipality. It is located on the border with Tecate
Tecate, California
Tecate is an unincorporated community in the Mountain Empire area of southeastern San Diego County, California, directly adjacent to the Mexican city of Tecate, Baja California. The area is best known for its border crossing between the United States and Mexico, and nearby Tecate Peak.The...

, 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...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 in the San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area
San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area
San Diego–Tijuana, also known as Tijuana–San Diego, is an international metropolitan area, or conurbation, on the border between the two large North American coastal cities of San Diego, California, United States and Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. The region consists of San Diego County in the...

. There is a small port of entry betwixt the sister cities that serves as a calmer alternative to the bustling port of Tijuana
Tijuana
Tijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area, part of the international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. An industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics...

. Although the city is only 64 kilometres (39.8 mi) from San Diego, the road to the border crossing traverses mountainous terrain making Tecate a nonviable alternative to the San Ysidro Port of Entry.

Tecate is best known outside of metropolitan San Diego–Tijuana for Tecate beer and being the home of author Daniel Reveles
Daniel Reveles
Daniel Reveles is an American fiction writer who lives on the outskirts of Tecate, Baja California, Mexico. He was born in Los Angeles to Mexican parents, where he worked as a radio DJ and television writer, director, and producer for many years...

. Tecate beer is one of the most popular beers in Mexico and California and is typically drunk pouring lime and salt on top of a can of the product.

Geography

Tecate's altitude of approximately 1775 feet (541 m) above sea level and its proximity to the ocean contribute to the temperate climate. It rains enough in the area for a thick ground cover of shrubs to grow; the change from maritime to desert climates is at a higher altitude a couple hours' drive further east.

Tecate is also the name of a small river that courses through the city, and of a hamlet on the Alta California (US side) of the border, affectionately known as "Tecatito"
Tecate, California
Tecate is an unincorporated community in the Mountain Empire area of southeastern San Diego County, California, directly adjacent to the Mexican city of Tecate, Baja California. The area is best known for its border crossing between the United States and Mexico, and nearby Tecate Peak.The...

 (population around 100; zip code 91980).

Demographics

Tecate, which reported a population of 64,764 in the 2010 census, serves as the administrative centre for the Tecate Municipality.

Transportation

Tecate is on a spur of Mexican Federal Highway 2 that connects Tijuana with Mexicali
Mexicali
Mexicali is the capital of the State of Baja California, seat of the Municipality of Mexicali, and 2nd largest city in Baja California. The City of Mexicali has a population of 689,775, according to the 2010 census, while the population of the entire metropolitan area reaches 936,826.The city...

 via the central Sierra mountains
Sierra mountains
Sierra is a Spanish word meaning "saw". The corresponding word in Portuguese and Latin is serra. This name is used for various mountain ranges in Spanish-speaking and other countries ....

. It is on the older, two-lane, east-west road which is toll-free.

A train from Campo, California
Campo, California
Campo is a census-designated place located in the Mountain Empire area of southeastern San Diego County, California. The population was 2,684 at the 2010 census....

, called the Tecate Ticket, travels to Tecate on a monthly basis. The train is run by the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum
Pacific Southwest Railway Museum
The Pacific Southwest Railway Museum, located at the corner of State Route 94 and Forrest Gate Road near Campo, California, is a railroad museum dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of railroads as they existed in the Pacific Southwest....

.

The city is the location of the Tecate Airport
Tecate Airport
Tecate Airport is a closed, paved airstrip located South of Tecate in Municipality of Tecate, Baja California, Mexico. The city is on the U.S.-Mexico border. The airport is now no longer operated as an airport, and the runway is now used as a race track for street racing competitions....

, which no longer operates due to low traffic. Instead, Tecate residents are served by nearby Tijuana International Airport (TIJ), with flights to most major Mexican cities and Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...

 and Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

. TIJ is closer to Tecate than Mexicali International Airport
General Rodolfo Sánchez Taboada International Airport
General Rodolfo Sánchez Taboada International Airport Is an international airport located outside Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico. It is the northern-most airport in the state of Baja California and the country of Mexico.- Information :...

 and thus used more frequently by Tecate residents.

Tourism and recreation

In May, the annual Tecate-to-Ensenada bicycle race takes place, with thousands of cyclists from both sides of the border participating. July is the time for a two-week celebration in Los Encinos Park, featuring dance groups, crafts, food concessions, and exhibits.

The pamplonada
Encierro
The Running of the Bulls is a practice that involves running in front of a small group of bulls that have been let loose, on a course of a sectioned-off subset of a town's streets...

, or running of the bulls, was ordinarily held in August in the 1980s and early 1990s along one of the main streets, but it was canceled because of a series of accidents and violence.

Tecate has a stadium, Manuel Ceceña, which is home to the local baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

 team, the Cerveceros.

Education

Tecate is the site of the Autonomous University of Baja California
Autonomous University of Baja California
The Autonomous University of Baja California, is a public university in the Mexican state of Baja California. UABC is one of the 43 state universities throughout Mexico as part of the country's state university system. The Autonomous University of Baja California headquarters are located in the...

, Tecate. The school houses a school of engineering.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK