
Border crossing into Los Algodones from Andrade, California
'Los Algodones',
Baja California, is a small
Mexican town located on the extreme northeastern tip of the
municipality of Mexicali, approximately 16 km (10 miles) west of
Yuma, Arizona,
USA. It is the northernmost town in Mexico, and at its northeastern tip is the northernmost point in Mexico. Its official name is 'Vicente Guerrero', although most people use 'Algodones' when referring to it. It reported a population of 4,021 persons as of the 2005 Mexican census (Segundo Conteo de Población y Vivienda 2005).
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;
Winterhaven, California; and
Andrade, 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 along
California State Route 186/Andrade Road to the international border at Andrade. 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 at an elevation of 110 feet/33.5 m above mean sea level.
The
Spanish-language name ''Los Algodones'' translates into
English as "The Cotton Plants" (''"the Cottons"'').
References
★
Link to tables of population data from Census of 2005 INEGI: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática
External link
★
Official website with business contact and festival information