Editing Imperial Beach, California (section)

== Culture ==

===Coastal and beach areas===
[[File:La Border.jpg|thumb|250px|Children looking through the border fence on the Mexican side of Imperial Beach]]
[[Image:Imperial beach ca 2.jpg|right|thumb|250px|The pier of Imperial Beach]]
[[File:Imperial Beach SW01.jpg|left|thumb|Surfer statue]]
Imperial Beach includes nearly {{convert|4|mi|km|spell=in}} of beaches and employs a year-round lifeguard staff. [[Beach volleyball]], [[surfing]] and [[body boarding]] are popular in Imperial Beach with activities concentrated north and south of the Imperial Beach Pier and the Boca Rio beach break, one of San Diego County's best surf spots. ''[[San Diego Magazine]]'' identifies the Boca Rio beach break as the second best surfing location in the county, second only to [[Black's Beach]] and the [[Scripps Canyon]] area near [[La Jolla]]. The area around Imperial Beach Pier known as Pier Plaza showcases plaques placed on surfboard benches that tell the story of how the city's big waves influenced surfing from 1937 to the 1950s. Nearby [[Border Field State Park]] signifies the southernmost beach on the west coast of the United States and allows beachgoers in America to speak through the fence with beachgoers in Mexico, where the beach is called Playas de Tijuana (Tijuana Beach). The city connects to nearby [[Coronado, California]], by way of the [[Silver Strand (San Diego)|Silver Strand]], a narrow, {{convert|7|mi|km|adj=mid|-long|abbr=off|sp=us}} isthmus. Silver Strand State Beach, a popular beach for camping, bird watching, and bicycling, is located in the middle of the isthmus and includes both bay and ocean beaches.

The San Diego County summer tourist season brings many visitors to the city's beaches each year. For 31 years, Imperial Beach played home to the [[U.S. Open Sandcastle competition]], the largest sand castle competition in the United States, drawing in approximately 325,000 people. The city held the final sand castle competition in August 2011, bringing an end to the annual event and tradition. The city also holds the beach front classic car show every summer and an annual dog-surfing contest. The [http://www.southbaydrivein.com/ South Bay Drive-in], one of the few remaining drive-in movie theaters in San Diego County, is located just outside Imperial Beach off Coronado Avenue.

Imperial Beach is home to [[Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve]], a [[National Estuarine Research Reserve]], and [[Border Field State Park]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-california-coast-storm-damage-20190313-story.html|title=Destruction from sea level rise in California could exceed worst wildfires and earthquakes, new research shows|last=Xia|first=Rosanna|date=March 13, 2019|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=March 15, 2019}}</ref> The estuary, located off Seacoast Drive and Imperial Beach Boulevard, is home to many endangered birds and wildlife. This estuary marks the place where the fresh water [[Tijuana River]] enters the salt water Pacific Ocean. It is the largest salt water marsh in Southern California.

===Military presence===
Imperial Beach has a large military population and is home to the US Navy's [[Naval Outlying Landing Field Imperial Beach]] also known as NOLF Imperial Beach. It is bordered on its northern extreme by [[Silver Strand Training Complex]].

===Crime===
The [[San Diego County Sheriff's Department]] 2008 crime statistics rank Imperial Beach below the national average in all areas reported.