Mecca, California
Location in Riverside County and the state of California
Coordinates: 33°34′24″N 116°4′25″W / 33.57333, -116.07361
Country	United States
State	California
County	Riverside
Area
- Total	1.3 sq mi (3.4 km²)
- Land	1.3 sq mi (3.4 km²)
- Water	0 sq mi (0 km²)
Elevation	-180 ft (-55 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	5,402
- Density	4,155.4/sq mi (1,588.8/km²)
Time zone	PST (UTC-8)
- Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP code	92254
Area code(s)	760
FIPS code	06-46660
GNIS feature ID	1652751

"Welcome to Mecca" sign

Mecca is a census-designated place (CDP) in Riverside County, California, United States. The population was 5,402 at the 2000 census. In 2006, the population might had doubled or tripled in the 10,000-15,000 range.

The unincorporated community is served by State Route 111, which is one of only two north-south highways connecting the areas on either side of the Salton Sea, the other being State Route 86 paralleling the Salton Sea to the west.

Rapid growth in population, development and employment in the 2000s gave Mecca a new identity as the fastest growing area in California. A new public school complex, tens of thousands of new homes, a proposed commercial aviation airport in nearby Thermal and economic development as part of the Coachella Valley Free Enterprise Zone is positively contributing to living there.

About two-thirds of the local population are in the federal poverty range, the majority are migrant laborers and every May, the population triples to 25,000 to 40,000 gave Mecca the distinction as the highest population density of any community in rural California (about 15,000 per square mile).^{[citation needed]}

A 2006 documentary film, Mecca: A Legacy of Cesar Chavez, reveals details about the area. It was distributed nationwide by the National Educational Telecommunications Association and discusses poverty, health care, and farmworker history of the area.

Recently, the Torres Martinez Band of Mission Indians of the Cahuilla tribe whom got federal monetary damage payments from land loss by the creation of the Salton Sea in 1905, opened a new gaming operation: Red Earth Casino to generate employment and recreation desperately needed in Mecca and the Salton Sea area.

On March 3, 2008, twenty-two cars of a sixty-three unit Union Pacific freight train running between Colton and El Centro derailed near Mecca, causing a long-term evacuation of forty homes and precipitating the long-term closure of both the railroad and State Route 111 due to the leakage of both hydrochloric acid and phosphoric acid. Closure of the highway greatly affected travel between the eastern Coachella Valley and eastern Imperial County.

Geography

Mecca is located at 33°34′24″N, 116°4′25″W (33.573388, -116.073536)^[1].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 1.3 square miles (3.4 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 5,402 people, 1,049 households, and 958 families residing in the CDP. Mecca is predominately an agricultural community - with a large portion of its population consisting of migrant farm-workers employed throughout the Coachella Valley. The population density was 4,167.1 people per square mile (1,604.4/km²). There were 1,059 housing units at an average density of 816.9/sq mi (314.5/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 24.10% White, 0.11% African American, 1.02% Native American, 0.74% Asian, 70.66% from other races, and 3.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 98.02% of the population.

Mecca Community and Health Care Center.

There were 1,049 households out of which 67.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.4% were married couples living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 8.6% were non-families. 4.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 1.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 5.04 and the average family size was 4.97.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 39.8% under the age of 18, 14.4% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 13.1% from 45 to 64, and 3.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females there were 128.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 135.0 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $22,973, and the median income for a family was $21,250. Males had a median income of $16,897 versus $11,901 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $6,389. About 43.0% of families and 45.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 52.1% of those under age 18 and 16.8% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

In the state legislature Mecca is located in the 40th Senate District, represented by Democrat Denise Moreno Ducheny, and in the 80th Assembly District, represented by Republican Bonnie Garcia. Federally, Mecca is located in California's 45th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of R +3^[3] and is represented by Republican Mary Bono Mack.

External links

1. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
2. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
3. ^ Will Gerrymandered Districts Stem the Wave of Voter Unrest?. Campaign Legal Center Blog. Retrieved on 2008-02-10.

• Coverage of the train derailment at kesq.com

• Mecca, California is at coordinates 33°34′24″N 116°04′25″W / 33.573388, -116.073536 (Mecca, California)Coordinates: 33°34′24″N 116°04′25″W / 33.573388, -116.073536 (Mecca, California)

v â€¢ d â€¢ e Municipalities and communities of Riverside County, California County seat: Riverside Cities Banning | Beaumont | Blythe | Calimesa | Canyon Lake | Cathedral City | Coachella | Corona | Desert Hot Springs | Hemet | Indian Wells | Indio | La Quinta | Lake Elsinore | Moreno Valley | Murrieta | Norco | Palm Desert | Palm Springs | Perris | Rancho Mirage | Riverside | San Jacinto | Temecula CDPs Bermuda Dunes | Cabazon | Cherry Valley | East Blythe | East Hemet | El Cerrito | Glen Avon | Highgrove | Home Gardens | Homeland | Idyllwild-Pine Cove | Lakeland Village | Lakeview | March ARB | Mecca | Mira Loma | Murrieta Hot Springs | Nuevo | Pedley | Quail Valley | Romoland | Rubidoux | Sedco Hills | Sun City | Sunnyslope | Thousand Palms | Valle Vista | Wildomar | Winchester | Woodcrest Unincorporated communities Aguanga | Anza | Chiriaco Summit | Desert Center | Eagle Mountain | Eastvale | Lost Lake | Menifee | Mountain Center | North Shore | Ripley | River Bend Lodge | Sun City Palm Desert | Thermal | White Water