Brawley, California
Encyclopedia
Brawley is a city in Imperial County
Imperial County, California
Imperial County is a county located in the Imperial Valley, in the far southeast of the U.S. state of California, bordering both Arizona and Mexico. It is part of the El Centro Metropolitan Area, which encompasses all of Imperial County. The population as of 2000 was 142,361. The county seat is 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...

. Brawley is located 13 miles (21 km) north of El Centro
El Centro, California
El Centro is a city in and county seat of Imperial County, the largest city in the Imperial Valley and the east anchor of the Southern California Border Region, and the core urban area and principal city of the El Centro metropolitan area which encompasses all of Imperial County. El Centro is also...

. The population was 24,953 at the 2010 census, up from 22,052 at the 2000 census. The town has a significant cattle and feed industry, and hosts the annual Cattle Call Rodeo. Year-round agriculture is an important economic activity in Brawley. Summer daytime temperatures often exceed 120 °F (48.9 °C).

History

The Imperial Land Company
Imperial Land Company
The Imperial Land Company was a land colonization company incorporated in California in March, 1900 for the purpose of encouraging settlement of the Imperial Valley thus providing customers for the California Development Company...

 laid out the town in 1902 and named it Braly in honor of J.H. Braly, who owned the land. After Braly refused to permit the use of his name, the name was changed to Brawley. The first post office at Brawley opened in 1903.

Incorporated in 1908, it was a "tent city" of only 100 persons involved in railroads and the earliest introduction of agriculture. It had a population of 11,922 in 1950, but population growth was slow from the 1960s to the early 1990s.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, Brawley has a total area of 7.7 square miles (19.9 km²), all land.

At the 2000 census, the city had a total area of 5.8 square miles (15 km²), all land except for the Alamo and New Rivers that pass through the town (the latter of which has been reported as the most polluted river in North America). Brawley's elevation (like other Imperial Valley towns) is below sea level.

Climate

Average January temperatures in Brawley are a high of 69.4 °F (20.8 °C) and a low of 38.9 °F (3.8 °C). Average July temperatures are a high of 107.6 °F (42 °C) and a low of 75.2 °F (24 °C). There are an average of 177.0 days with highs of 90 °F (32.2 °C) or higher. The record high temperature was 122 °F (50 °C) on July 1, 1950, and the record low temperature was 4 °F (-15.6 °C) on January 1, 1919.

Average annual precipitation is 2.65 inches (6.7 cm). There are on average 13 days with measurable precipitation. The wettest year was 1939 with 8.18 inches (20.8 cm). There have been years when no measurable precipitation fell in Brawley, including 1953. The most rainfall in one month was 6.75 inches (17.1 cm) in September 1939. The most rainfall in 24 hours was 3.9 inches (9.9 cm) on October 10, 1932. A rare snowfall in December 1932 brought a total of 3 inches (7.6 cm).

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that Brawley had a population of 24,953. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 3,248.4 people per square mile (1,254.2/km²). The racial makeup of Brawley was 13,570 (54.4%) White, 510 (2.0%) African American, 241 (1.0%) Native American, 349 (1.4%) Asian, 32 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 9,258 (37.1%) from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 993 (4.0%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 20,344 persons (81.5%).

The Census reported that 24,779 people (99.3% of the population) lived in households, 63 (0.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 111 (0.4%) were institutionalized.

There were 7,623 households, out of which 3,827 (50.2%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 3,932 (51.6%) were opposite-sex married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 1,560 (20.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, 543 (7.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 589 (7.7%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
POSSLQ
POSSLQ is an abbreviation for "Persons of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters," a term coined in the late 1970s by the United States Census Bureau as part of an effort to more accurately gauge the prevalence of cohabitation in American households....

, and 23 (0.3%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,346 households (17.7%) were made up of individuals and 550 (7.2%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.25. There were 6,035 families
Family (U.S. Census)
A family or family household is defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes as "a householder and one or more other people related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. They do not include same-sex married couples even if the marriage was performed in a state...

 (79.2% of all households); the average family size was 3.67.

The population was spread out with 8,138 people (32.6%) under the age of 18, 2,670 people (10.7%) aged 18 to 24, 6,065 people (24.3%) aged 25 to 44, 5,572 people (22.3%) aged 45 to 64, and 2,508 people (10.1%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30.2 years. For every 100 females there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males.

There were 8,231 housing units at an average density of 1,071.5 per square mile (413.7/km²), of which 3,970 (52.1%) were owner-occupied, and 3,653 (47.9%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 8.0%. 12,950 people (51.9% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 11,829 people (47.4%) lived in rental housing units.

2000

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 22,052 people, 6,631 households, and 5,265 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 3,783.0 people per square mile (1,460.4/km²). There were 7,038 housing units at an average density of 1,207.4 per square mile (466.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 52.8% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 2.5% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 1.1% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 1.3% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.2% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 37.9% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 4.3% from two or more races. 73.8% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 of any race.
There were 6,631 households out of which 48.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.0% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 17.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.6% were non-families. 17.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.3 and the average family size was 3.7.

In the city the population was spread out with 34.5% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 18.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 96.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.5 males.

The median income
Income
Income is the consumption and savings opportunity gained by an entity within a specified time frame, which is generally expressed in monetary terms. However, for households and individuals, "income is the sum of all the wages, salaries, profits, interests payments, rents and other forms of earnings...

 for a household in the city was $31,277, and the median income for a family was $35,514. Males had a median income of $34,617 versus $25,064 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the city was $12,881. About 22.5% of families and 26.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.0% of those under age 18 and 14.1% of those age 65 or over.

The majority of Brawley's residents today are of Mexican
Mexican American
Mexican Americans are Americans of Mexican descent. As of July 2009, Mexican Americans make up 10.3% of the United States' population with over 31,689,000 Americans listed as of Mexican ancestry. Mexican Americans comprise 66% of all Hispanics and Latinos in the United States...

 and Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...

 origins; the town contained white
White American
White Americans are people of the United States who are considered or consider themselves White. The United States Census Bureau defines White people as those "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa...

, East Indian
Indian American
Indian Americans are Americans whose ancestral roots lie in India. The U.S. Census Bureau popularized the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Indigenous peoples of the Americas who are commonly referred to as American Indians.-The term: Indian:...

, Chinese
Chinese American
Chinese Americans represent Americans of Chinese descent. Chinese Americans constitute one group of overseas Chinese and also a subgroup of East Asian Americans, which is further a subgroup of Asian Americans...

, Filipino
Filipino American
Filipino Americans are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipino Americans, often shortened to "Fil-Ams", or "Pinoy",Filipinos in what is now the United States were first documented in the 16th century, with small settlements beginning in the 18th century...

 and African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...

 sections in the 20th century.

Politics

In the state legislature
California State Legislature
The California State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of California. It is a bicameral body consisting of the lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members, and the upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members...

 Brawley is located in the 40th Senate
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...

 District, represented by Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 Juan Vargas
Juan Vargas
Juan C. Vargas is a Senator in the State of California, 40th District. He is a Democrat and former member of the California State Assembly, San Diego City Council, and Order of the Jesuits, having fought for the poor, aged, and infirmed....

, and in the 80th Assembly
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...

 District, represented by Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 Manuel Perez
Manuel Perez (politician)
V. Manuel Pérez is a Democratic Assemblymember from California's 80th State Assembly district from Coachella, California, United States.-Biography:...

. Federally, Brawley is located in California's 51st congressional district
California's 51st congressional district
California's 51st congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California. The district includes all of Imperial County and the extreme southern portions of San Diego County that run across the U.S.-Mexico border...

, which has a Cook PVI
Cook Partisan Voting Index
The Cook Partisan Voting Index , sometimes referred to as simply the Partisan Voting Index , is a measurement of how strongly an American congressional district or state leans toward one political party compared to the nation as a whole...

 of D +7 and is represented by Democrat Bob Filner
Bob Filner
Robert Earl Filner is the U.S. Representative for , and previously the 50th, serving since 1993, and Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party...

.

Brawley is in the 4th Imperial County Board of Supervisors District and is represented by Gary Wyatt.

Education

  • High-school age students in both Brawley and neighboring Westmorland
    Westmorland
    Westmorland is an area of North West England and one of the 39 historic counties of England. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974, after which the entirety of the county was absorbed into the new county of Cumbria.-Early history:...

     use the Brawley Union High School District, of which there is one high school, Brawley Union High School
    Brawley Union High School
    Brawley Union High School is a high school in Brawley, California.-Clubs:*Environmental Club*Campus Life*Theatre/Drama*Rotary Interact*Friday Night Live*S Club*California Scholastic Federation*AVID* American Field Service*Travel...

    .
  • Children from kindergarten through eighth grade use the Brawley Elementary School District. There are five schools in the Brawley Elementary School District: Barbara Worth Junior High School (serving 7th and 8th grades), Phil D. Swing Elementary School (serving kindergarten, 4th, 5th, and 6th grades), Miguel Hidalgo Elementary School (serving kindergarten, 4th, 5th, and 6th grades), J.W. Oakley Elementary School (serving kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades), and Myron D. Witter Elementary School (serving kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades).
  • Brawley is located in the Imperial Community College District of which there is on junior college, Imperial Valley College
    Imperial Valley College
    Imperial Valley College is a college in Imperial County, California, USA. Founded in 1962 the college currently enrolls around 7,000 students per year. Currently, Ed Gould is President of the college. The main campus is located on a site in the city of Imperial...

    .
  • San Diego State University
    San Diego State University
    San Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...

     operates a satellite campus in Brawley.

Notable people

  • Sid Monge
    Sid Monge
    Isidro "Sid" Monge Pedroza is a retired Major League Baseball relief pitcher with a ten-year career from 1975 to 1984...

    , MLB
    Major League Baseball
    Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

     pitcher
    Pitcher
    In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...

    , many teams
  • Barbara O'Brien
    Barbara O'Brien (politician)
    Barbara O'Brien was the 47th Lieutenant Governor of Colorado from 2007 to 2011. She is a Democrat. She was chosen as running mate by Bill Ritter, the Democratic candidate for governor in the 2006 election. The Ritter/O'Brien ticket won with 56.99% of the vote. As Lieutenant Governor she made...

    , Lieutenant Governor of Colorado
    Lieutenant Governor of Colorado
    The lieutenant governor of Colorado is the second-highest-ranking member of the executive department of the Colorado state government, below only the Governor of Colorado. The lieutenant governor, who acts as governor in his absence and succeeds to the governorship in case of vacancy, is elected on...

  • Sergio Romo
    Sergio Romo
    Sergio Francisco Romo is a American right-handed professional baseball pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League baseball.-Early life:Romo was born in Brawley, California to Mexican immigrant parents...

    , MLB
    Major League Baseball
    Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

     relief pitcher
    Relief pitcher
    A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...

    , San Francisco Giants
    San Francisco Giants
    The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....

    .
  • Rudy Seánez
    Rudy Seanez
    Rudy Caballero Seánez [SEE-ah-nez] is a former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. He was the prototypical major league journeyman....

    , MLB
    Major League Baseball
    Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

     relief pitcher
    Relief pitcher
    A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...

    , Philadelphia Phillies
    Philadelphia Phillies
    The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...

    .
  • Steve Taylor
    Steve Taylor
    Roland Stephen Taylor , is an American Christian singer, songwriter, record producer and film director.-Early life:Taylor, the eldest of three children, was born in Brawley, California. Taylor's father, Roland Taylor, was a Baptist minister. When Taylor was six years old, the family relocated to...

    , contemporary Christian singer
  • Mike Mohamed
    Mike Mohamed
    -Denver Broncos:Mohamed was drafted with the 24th pick of the 6th round, 189th overall, by the Denver Broncos in the 2011 NFL draft. He was released by the Denver Broncos on September 22, 2011, but was signed to the practice squad the next day.-External links:*...

    , NFL
    National Football League
    The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

     linebacker
    Linebacker
    A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...

    , Denver Broncos
    Denver Broncos
    The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

    .

External links

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