Borrego Springs, California

History

Anza-Borrego State Park's name is derived from Juan Bautista de Anza, who notably camped there, and "borrego", which is Spanish for "lamb", in honor of the local herds of bighorn sheep. The area east of town was the site of a vast World War II US Navy training center, the Borrego Valley Maneuver Area, with supporting camps and airstrips.

Geography

Borrego Springs is on the floor of the Borrego Valley, which lies at the Sonoran Desert ecoregion's western edge. The village and surrounding countryside have a wide variety of desert flora and fauna. One iconic species found in the Borrego Springs area is the California Fan Palm, Washingtonia filifera, a lower risk/near-threatened species and the only palm native to the western United States. An abandoned calcite mine, dating to World War II, is on the northeast slope of the Santa Rosa Mountains in the state park.

Climate

Borrego Springs has a dry-summer hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification: BWhs). There are an average of 176.6 days with highs of 90 °F or higher and an average of only 1.4 days with lows of 32 °F or lower. The record high temperature was 122 °F on June 25, 1990. The record low temperature was 20 °F on January 5, 1971. The average annual precipitation is 5.21 in and there are an average of 22.2 days with measurable precipitation. The wettest year was 1983, with 18.28 in, and the driest was 1953, with 1.35 in. The most rainfall in one month was 8.78 in in January 1993. The most rainfall in 24 hours was 2.73 in on August 17, 1977. Although snow rarely falls in the lowlands, 6.5 inches fell in December 1967.{{Weather box |Jan record high F = 90 |Feb record high F = 95 |Mar record high F = 101 |Apr record high F = 111 |May record high F = 114 |Jun record high F = 122 |Jul record high F = 121 |Aug record high F = 120 |Sep record high F = 117 |Oct record high F = 113 |Nov record high F = 98 |Dec record high F = 89 |year record high F = 122 |Jan avg record high F = 80.2 |Feb avg record high F = 83.3 |Mar avg record high F = 91.7 |Apr avg record high F = 100.5 |May avg record high F = 105.8 |Jun avg record high F = 113.5 |Jul avg record high F = 116.5 |Aug avg record high F = 115.1 |Sep avg record high F = 110.6 |Oct avg record high F = 102.1 |Nov avg record high F = 89.8 |Dec avg record high F = 79.1 |year avg record high F = 117.6 |Jan avg record low F = 34.4 |Feb avg record low F = 36.8 |Mar avg record low F = 39.6 |Apr avg record low F = 44.4 |May avg record low F = 49.5 |Jun avg record low F = 56.6 |Jul avg record low F = 67.0 |Aug avg record low F = 66.3 |Sep avg record low F = 58.9 |Oct avg record low F = 50.2 |Nov avg record low F = 40.2 |Dec avg record low F = 34.4 |year avg record low F = 31.7 |Jan record low F = 20 |Feb record low F = 24 |Mar record low F = 28 |Apr record low F = 28 |May record low F = 34 |Jun record low F = 45 |Jul record low F = 56 |Aug record low F = 55 |Sep record low F = 49 |Oct record low F = 33 |Nov record low F = 31 |Dec record low F = 23 |year record low F = 20 |access-date = May 24, 2023

Demographics

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Borrego Springs was first listed as a census designated place in the 1980 U.S. census.

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Borrego Springs had a population of 3,073. The population density was 70.8 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Borrego Springs was 61.5% White, 0.6% African American, 1.0% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 16.7% from other races, and 19.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 38.2% of the population.

The census reported that 99.7% of the population lived in households and 0.3% were institutionalized.

There were 1,453 households, out of which 14.5% included children under the age of 18, 44.9% were married-couple households, 5.9% were cohabiting couple households, 25.3% had a female householder with no partner present, and 24.0% had a male householder with no partner present. 37.0% of households were one person, and 25.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.11.

The age distribution was 14.5% under the age of 18, 4.6% aged 18 to 24, 15.4% aged 25 to 44, 24.5% aged 45 to 64, and 41.0% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 60.2years. For every 100 females, there were 101.2 males.

There were 2,522 housing units at an average density of 58.1 /mi2, of which 1,453 (57.6%) were occupied. Of these, 77.0% were owner-occupied, and 23.0% were occupied by renters.

In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $83,836, and the per capita income was $52,124. About 2.3% of families and 2.1% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010

The 2010 United States census reported that Borrego Springs had a population of 3,429. The population density was 79.0 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Borrego Springs was 2,766 (80.7%) White, 20 (0.6%) African American, 34 (1.0%) Native American, 22 (0.6%) Asian, 5 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 500 (14.6%) from other races, and 82 (2.4%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1,218 persons (35.5%).

The Census reported that 3,429 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 1,571 households, out of which 283 (18.0%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 828 (52.7%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 82 (5.2%) had a female householder with no husband present, 57 (3.6%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 85 (5.4%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 13 (0.8%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 507 households (32.3%) were made up of individuals, and 262 (16.7%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18. There were 967 families (61.6% of all households); the average family size was 2.76.

The population was spread out, with 592 people (17.3%) under the age of 18, 165 people (4.8%) aged 18 to 24, 477 people (13.9%) aged 25 to 44, 1,044 people (30.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,151 people (33.6%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 56.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.4 males.

There were 2,611 housing units at an average density of 60.1 /sqmi, of which 1,235 (78.6%) were owner-occupied, and 336 (21.4%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 8.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 12.1%. 2,593 people (75.6% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 836 people (24.4%) lived in rental housing units.

Arts and culture

Borrego Springs has pueblo-style, modern architecture and ranch-style house architecture. A local landmark is the traffic roundabout between the airport and downtown, Christmas Circle. The town includes a branch of the San Diego County Library. Anza-Borrego Desert State Park surrounds the town. There are four public golf courses, a tennis center, and horseback riding, and it is a destination for snowbirds. Tourism is Borrego Springs's primary industry.

The village of Borrego Springs is recognized as a designated International Dark Sky Community by the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA). Borrego Springs has no stoplights, and nighttime lighting is kept to a minimum to protect the view of the night sky. The International Dark-Sky Association designated it as California's first International Dark-Sky Community. It is a center for public astronomy activities throughout the year.

Attractions

Members of the International Aerobatic Club have established a practice and competition area adjacent to and directly north of the Borrego Valley Airport. The area was first designated in 1976 and has an operational waiver approved by the Federal Aviation Administration. Aerobatic pilots from California and the southwest U.S. regularly use the airspace for practice and major competitive events; users have included three past national champions. Visitors are welcome to come to the airport and watch the flight activity, which does not interfere with other airport operations. The San Diego Aerobatic Club sponsors two annual competition events, in April and October.

More than 130 large metal statues of animals by sculptor Ricardo Breceda can be found in Galleta Meadows Estate.

Government

In the California State Legislature, Borrego Springs is in , and in .

In the United States House of Representatives, Borrego Springs is in .

Infrastructure

From the 1960s through the 1990s, Borrego Springs Airlines and its subsequent iterations provided commercial airline service to and from Borrego Valley Airport.

In popular culture

The community and surrounding valley are significant sites in some of Dean Koontz's Jane Hawk novels.

References

References

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