Editing Imperial Beach, California (section)

== History ==
[[File:Santiago E. Argüello.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Rancho Melijo]], which encompassed all of modern-day Imperial Beach, was granted to [[Californio]] ranchero [[Santiago E. Argüello]] in 1833.]]
Imperial Beach sits on the traditional territory of the [[Kumeyaay]] people, who had established the village of Alyshuwii.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Kumeyaay Sense of the Land and Landscape|url=http://viejasbandofkumeyaay.org/viejas-community/kumeyaay-history/kumeyaay-sense-of-the-land/|access-date=August 28, 2020|website=Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians|language=en-US}}</ref> Founded in June 1887, the city takes its name from [[Imperial County, California]], a desert climate {{convert|100.|mi|km}} east. Farmers and land owners from the [[Imperial Valley]] came to the area in the late 1880s seeking cooler weather during summer months.{{Citation needed|date=September 2020}} In March 1887, over 2,000 laborers descended upon nearby [[Coronado, California]] to construct the [[Hotel del Coronado]], the largest resort in the world at the time. A large number of the workers stayed in Imperial Beach and some would later make it their permanent homestead. The city would incorporate in 1956, operating its own [[mayor–council government]] providing city fire department service and policing by the formation of its own police department but eventually, years later, through the contracting of services through the [[San Diego County Sheriff's Department]].

Imperial Beach has undergone a makeover to become more visitor-friendly and commercially viable. In 2004, the city began implementing a community redevelopment plan to improve the commercial corridor along Palm Avenue and Seacoast Drive. Aside from a few smaller hotels, Imperial Beach remains a highly residential city with little hotel or motel accommodation for visitors. On September 13, 2010, after many years of planning, demolition officially began on the old Seacoast Inn located off Seacoast Drive. Construction of a $22 million hotel called Pier South Resort was completed in the former Seacoast Inn's place in December 2013, with the new facility offering 78-rooms across four stories plus a restaurant, bar, spa and conference facilities.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 2, 2011 |title=Ground Broken For Seacoast Inn In Imperial Beach |url=http://www.imperialbeachnewsca.com/news/article_52e82296-8d4c-11e0-95a3-001cc4c03286.html |access-date=July 19, 2023 |website=imperialbeachnewsca.com |language=en}}</ref>