EL CENTRO

city, seat (1907) of Imperial county, southeastern California, U.S., 120 miles (193 km) east of San Diego. A desert community located 52 feet (16 m) below sea level, it is the largest settlement in the United States below sea level. El Centro was laid out in 1905 by W.F. Holt and developed as a commercial and transportation centre for the irrigated Imperial Valley. The National Parachute Test Range is there, and geothermal energy based on local well drilling was being developed in the 1980s. Inc. 1908. Pop. (1990) 31,384.