Holtville, California


Holtville is a city in Imperial County, California. Holtville is located east of El Centro. The population was 5,605 at the 2020 census, down from 5,939 in 2010.
WWW Official Site

History

The city was founded in the 1880s by Swiss-German settlers, many of whom entered from Mexico. The construction of railroads in the 1890s, the All-American Canal in the late 1940s, and U.S. Route 80 in the 1920s and the North American Free Trade Agreement economic boom in the 1990s brought more people to Holtville and the Imperial Valley.
The city of Holtville, which was originally called Holton, was founded in 1903 by W.F. Holt, and incorporated on June 20, 1908. The name was changed to Holtville due to a request by the U. S. Postal Service because the name Holton sounded too much like Colton, the regional headquarters of the Southern Pacific Railroad at the time. The name honors W.F. Holt, founder of the community.
The city lies on the northeast bank of the Alamo River, one of two rivers that flow north from Mexico into Imperial County.
On March 2, 2021, 13 people were killed just outside of town when an SUV carrying 25 people collided with a semi-truck and trailer.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, with 1.15 square miles land and 0.40% water.

Climate

This area has a large amount of sunshine year round due to its stable descending air and high pressure. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Holtville has a desert climate, abbreviated "Bwh" on climate maps.

Demographics

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Holtville had a population of 5,605. The population density was. The racial makeup of Holtville was 30.7% White, 0.6% African American, 1.3% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 40.2% from other races, and 26.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 85.0% of the population.
The census reported that 98.3% of the population lived in households, 1.7% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized.
There were 1,709 households, out of which 44.4% included children under the age of 18, 55.5% were married-couple households, 3.6% were cohabiting couple households, 27.2% had a female householder with no partner present, and 13.7% had a male householder with no partner present. 17.0% of households were one person, and 9.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.23. There were 1,358 families.
The age distribution was 26.5% under the age of 18, 9.3% aged 18 to 24, 24.1% aged 25 to 44, 23.4% aged 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 36.4years. For every 100 females, there were 92.7 males.
There were 1,793 housing units at an average density of, of which 1,709 were occupied. Of these, 55.4% were owner-occupied, and 44.6% were occupied by renters.
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $63,438, and the per capita income was $22,831. About 14.4% of families and 14.4% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010

At the 2010 census Holtville had a population of 5,939. The population density was. The racial makeup of Holtville was 3,655 White, 37 African American, 41 Native American, 50 Asian, 4 Pacific Islander, 1,977 from other races, and 175 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4,858 persons.
The whole population lived in households, no one lived in non-institutionalized group quarters and no one was institutionalized.
There were 1,799 households, 894 had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,033 were opposite-sex married couples living together, 290 had a female householder with no husband present, 106 had a male householder with no wife present. There were 81 unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 6 same-sex married couples or partnerships. 319 households were one person and 164 had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.30. There were 1,429 families ; the average family size was 3.72.
The age distribution was 1,850 people under the age of 18, 618 people aged 18 to 24, 1,327 people aged 25 to 44, 1,416 people aged 45 to 64, and 728 people who were 65 or older. The median age was 32.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.2 males.
There were 1,937 housing units at an average density of, of which 1,799 were occupied, 904 by the owners and 895 by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.5%. 3,017 people lived in owner-occupied housing units and 2,922 people lived in rental housing units.

Arts and culture

Annual cultural events

The city's major civic event is the annual Carrot Festival, held in late January or early February. It usually features a parade, a carnival and other activities over a 10-day period. Holtville was famous in the mid 20th century with having the Holtville "Carrot Festival" but was confused with the "Coachella Valley" name from the Bugs Bunny cartoon Bully for Bugs when he reads a map seeking a "Carrot Festival".

Government

In the state legislature, Holtville is in, and.
Federally, Holtville is in.
History was made during the election cycle of 2006, when voters elected Lisa Bianca Padilla, who thus became the first female Hispanic candidate ever to win a seat on the city council.

Media

A weekly newspaper, The Holtville Tribune, is distributed by mail and newsstand in the Holtville area. Its circulation is about 3,750. The daily newspaper, the Imperial Valley Press in El Centro, has circulation at over 20,000.

Infrastructure

Transportation

The old U.S. Route 80 once ran along Fifth Street through the center of town. A small obelisk in Holt Park, just north of Fifth Street, gives the distances to various points to the north, east and west. U.S. Route 80 has been decommissioned and made as County Route S80 in California. The portion in and near Holtville is now part of State Route 115.
Much of the east–west automobile traffic has been diverted to Interstate 8, about 2.5 miles to the south. Holtville is easily accessible through the Orchard Road interchange. The newly constructed State Route 7 connects Holtville with the factories and industrial areas of Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico.
The city was once joined by railroad to El Centro, but this line, and another railroad line going to the north, have been abandoned. The closure of the railroad station brought economic decline to the town in the late 20th century.

Police Department

The city formerly had its own police force, but police protection is now provided by the Imperial County Sheriff's Department.

Utilities

The city provides its own water and sewer service. Trash services are provided by CR&R. Other utility providers for Holtville are Southern California Gas, Imperial Irrigation District, AT&T California, and Spectrum.

Pete Mellinger Alamo River Trail

A trail was constructed in the 2010s that begins along Evan Hewes Highway and ends at the Holtville Skatepark. The trail was dedicated to former city planning commissioner, Pete Mellinger.

In literature

"The 1911 novel and the 1926 silent film, The Winning of Barbara Worth, was set and then filmed in the area. The city was featured in Milton J. Silverman's bestselling novel "Open and Shut," which chronicled the true crime story of Norma Winters, a Holtville resident who contracted for the death of her husband during the summer of 1974.

Notable people