Mexicali is the capital of the Mexican state of Baja California, seat of the Municipality of Mexicali, and 2nd largest city in Baja California. The City of Mexicali has a population of 689,775, according to the 2010 census, while the population of the entire metropolitan area (as well the municipality) reaches 936,826.
The city maintains a highly educated and skilled populace. Its standard of living is one of the highest in Mexico. As the city has modernized and become a cosmopolitan and international center in a desert region, it has maintained a sizable middle class and an even larger upper class. In Mexico, it is recognized for its substantial investment in education as well as its low unemployment levels.
Mexicali's economy was historically based on agricultural products, and to this day it remains a large sector of the economy. As time has progressed however, its economy has gradually gone from being agriculturally based to industrially based. Companies such as Mitsubishi, Honeywell, Nestle, Coca Cola and Goodrich Corporation have built plants in the city and its metropolitan area. Silicon Border is located here as well; a large industrial park that is a high tech manufacturing area. Its goal is to become a global center for semiconductor manufacturing. Mexicali's proximity to the United States has made the city a popular tourist destination with Americans from Arizona, California, and Nevada. The city is a well known sports city with many ball sports being popular in the region.
Founded on March 14, 1903, Mexicali is situated on the U.S.-Mexico border adjacent to its sister city Calexico, California with which it forms a metropolitan region, Calexico-Mexicali. Mexicali also has the distinction of being the northernmost city in Latin America
