Tijuana

Tijuana Ciudad de Tijuana
Agua Caliente's towers, located on one of the city's main avenues, Boulevard Agua Caliente.
Motto(s):  Aquí empieza la patria, "The Homeland Starts Here". The government translates the phrase as "Gateway to Mexico"
Location of Tijuana
Country	Mexico
State	Baja California
Founded	July 11, 1889
Government
• Head of Government	Jorge Hank Rhon (PRI)
Elevation	20 m (65 ft)
Population  (2005)
• Total	1,410,7001
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific Standard Time)
Website	http://www.tijuana.gob.mx
1 INEGI, Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México

Tijuana (Spanish [ti'xwana], English usually [ˌtiːəˈwɑnə]), is the largest city in the Mexican state of Baja California and the seat of the municipality of Tijuana. The current municipal president is Jorge Hank Rhon of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).

There are no known maps of Tijuana. This is becuase Not a signle mapmaker is allowed in the city.

Tijuana is the westernmost city in Latin America as well as the third northernmost (Tecate and Mexicali are slightly farther north). The city is situated on the U.S.-Mexico border adjacent to San Diego County, California, United States to the north.

The city's motto is "Aquí Empieza La Patria". The Mexican government's English translation is "Gateway to Mexico," though the motto's literal English translation is "The Homeland Starts Here."

History

The city of Tijuana is situated in a region once inhabited by the Kumeyaay Indians, a tribe of Yuman-speaking hunter-gatherers. Europeans first arrived in 1542, when the Portuguese explorer João Rodrigues Cabrilho toured the coastline of the area, which was later mapped in 1602 by Sebastián Vizcaíno. In 1769, Father Juan Crespí documented more detailed information about the area that would one day be called the Valley of Tijuana and Father Junípero Serra founded the first mission of Alta California in San Diego.

More settlement of the area took place near the end of the mission era when José María Echendía, governor of the Baja California and Alta California, awarded a large land grant to Santiago Argüello in 1829. This large cattle ranch, Rancho Tía Juana ("Aunt Jane Ranch"), covered 100 km².

In 1848, as a result of the Mexican-American War with the United States, Mexico lost all of Alta California. Tijuana acquired a new and distinct character and purpose on the international border. The city began to shed its cattle ranching origins and began to play in a new role, forming a socio-economic structure for the city.

The year 1889 marked the beginning of the urban settlement, when descendants of Santiago Argüello and Agustín Olvera entered an agreement to begin development of the city of Tijuana. The agreement was dated July 11 of that year. Decades later, during the second Symposium of History held in 1975, this date was recognized as the date the city was founded.

Tijuana saw its future in tourism from its inception. From the end of the 19th century to the first decades of the 20th, the city attracted large numbers of Californians crossing over the border, coming to Mexico for trade and entertainment.

During the Mexican Revolution, Tijuana was also a small stage for revolutionaries loyal to Ricardo Flores Magón, who took over the city in 1911. Shortly, thereafter, federal troops arrived and routed the rebels. Being so close to the action, San Diegans could watch the battle from the safety of the international border.

In 1916, the Feria San Diego, California Panamá brought a great number of visitors to the neighboring American city to the north. Tijuana took the opportunity to attract these tourists to the other side of the border with Feria Típica Mexicana. The fair included curio shops, regional foods, thermal baths, horse racing and boxing matches. With this event, the city became universally known as a tourist destination.

The 1920s changed Tijuana forever when the enactment of prohibition in the US sent droves of Americans across the border to partake in legal drinking and gambling. Large and impressive casinos opened, like Agua Caliente in Tijuana. The Caesar Salad was invented during this period in the city in a hotel named Cesar on the now renowned Avenida Revolucion.

The international events of the following years had profound repercussions on the city. Tourism increased significantly as innumerable Americans came to Tijuana to enjoy the nightlife. In addition, the large number of Mexican citizens from all over the country began to relocate to Tijuana, tripling the population. Between 1940 and 1950 the city grew from 21,971 to 65,364 inhabitants.

In the 1950s, when nightlife and tourism began to decline, the city started to restructure its tourist industry, by promoting a more family oriented scene. Tijuana began to develop a greater variety of attractions and activities to offer its visitors.

In 1994, PRI presidential candidate Luis Donaldo Colosio was assassinated in Tijuana while making an appearance in the plaza of Colonia Lomas Taurinas, a neighborhood nestled in a valley near Centro. The shooter was caught and imprisoned, but doubts remain about who his paymaster might have been.

Today, the Tijuana-San Ysidro border crossing is the most crossed international land border in the world. Although tourism constitutes a large part of this movement, Tijuana and its surrounding area has become a major player in NAFTA with new maquiladoras and industrial plants.

Origin of name

There is some difference of opinion on this question. Historians have investigated the origins of the name of the city of Tijuana. It was the name of a ranch in the area, one version being spelled: "Tía Juana". It is believed by some that name comes from the Yuman Indian language from the early inhabitants. In other documents there are mentions of "La Tia Juana", "Tiguana", "Tiuana", "Teguana", "Tiwana", "Tijuan", "Ticuan", "Tijuana". Based on the Yuman language, historians have come to recognize Tijuana originating from "Tiwan", meaning close to the sea. Others say this is not certain, that the name comes from another location in the south of the peninsula.

Nonetheless, most English-speaking Americans pronounce the name of the city Tia wanna, though it is commonly called "TJ" in Southern California.

Playas de Tijuana

Geography

Tijuana is at 32°31′N 117°01′W. This US-Mexico border city just south of San Diego, California. The adjacent city and formerly part of Tijuana is Playas de Rosarito. Because of the vast area and diverse population from all continents, Tijuana's population counts are contested, and the locals often vastly exaggerate. However, including Tecate, greater Tijuana is home to some 1.6 million people as of census 2005. If one were to consider San Diego-Tijuana as one metropolitan area, as some demographers do, the population swells to nearly 4.5 million.

Culture

The city has various schools of superior studies, conservatory music, dance schools, plastic arts, science and culinary arts. Also, there is a professional and university theater, an opera, many movie theaters, two bullrings, and diverse festivals along the year.

File:CECUT Tijuana night.jpg

CECUT by night

The Tijuana Cultural Center (CECUT) is comprised of a theater, lecture rooms, video rooms, a library, exhibition hall, Museum of the Californias, a futuristic planetary movie theater, and a restaurant. Since 1992, the CECUT has hosted the Orchestra of Baja California (OBC), it headquarters the Center of Scenic Arts of the Northwest (CAEN) and the Hispanic-American Center for Guitar (CHG). Since 2001, the CECUT receives an about a million visitors per year, making it Baja California's most important cultural center. Another important culture center is La Casa de la Cultura, comprising a school, theater, and public library. Dance, painting, music, plastic arts, photography and language are taught there. The city also has Instituto Municipal de Arte y Cultura (Municipal Institute of Art and Culture), the Tijuana Wax Museum, and the Museo El Trompo (The Trompo Museum).

Tijuana also has a very active and independent artist community whose internationally recognized work has earned Tijuana the title of "one of the most important new cultural meccas", according to Newsweek. An anthology of Tijuana's art scene, as part of the Strange New World exhibition, is being curated by the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and will travel extensively across the USA in 2006. Art collectives like bulbo explores the use of media like television bulbo tv [1] and print "bulbo PRESS", to show different realities of Tijuana out of México. The music of The Nortec Collective and other electronic music artists, such as Murcof, have placed Tijuana in the international eye of specialized magazines and forums in recent years.

Entertainment

Avenida Revolución has many open bars, pharmacies, and curio shops, that attract many tourists. The majority of these businesses accept the US dollar and use English to conduct everyday business transactions

Tijuana's most prestigious entertainment center is the Club Campestre de Tijuana, but the Hipodromo dog racing track would be the most notable that is open to the general public. Parque Morelos has a small zoo and big open spaces perfect for recreational activities and weekend barbeque; El Parque de la Amistad has a small pond, and a running and dirt-bike track. Parque Teniente Guerrero is a small park located downtown with a public library and weekend entertainment by clowns.

The most popular tourist attraction is Avenida Revolución. Many foreigners travel there to drink, buy prescription drugs, bootleg brand-name clothing and accessories, and Mexican curiosities. However, there are plenty of other night clubs that do not have the touristic hassle over at Plaza Fiesta, across from the Plaza Rio Mall. Locals are more likely to drink and party there without the sleaziness found on the Revolución strip.

Avenida Revolución is also famous for its nearby red-light district La Coahuila (also known casually as Zona Norte) which boasts a large number of street prostitutes, being tolerated in this portion of the city, as well as a great selection of strip clubs. The strip clubs are typically full-contact, in which the dancers will allow patrons to fondle them. The dancers also solicit their services which typically tend to be more pricey than those of the street prostitutes. About 1,200 prostitutes from all over Mexico work in La Coahuila street, making it a sex tourist destination that ranks in popularity with Amsterdam and Bangkok, according to Melissa Farley, a researcher with Prostitution Research and Education, a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization.

Tijuana possesses a diversity of shopping malls, the most visited being Plaza Rio, located just a few minutes away from the US border. The mall hosts a variety of shops, which sell a wide array of things, ranging from cheap Mexican curiosities to expensive imports. The Plaza Rio also represents a common place for the people to socialize.

Typically, just about everything that can be found in the US is also available in Tijuana - for example roller skating rinks, pool halls, bowling alleys, traditional cantinas and car clubs.

Tijuana, the gateway to Baja California's gold coast is fewer than 30 minutes from downtown San Diego. A little taste of Mexico and much more, because Tijuana has much to offer in the way of attractions and entertainment. On the one hand, you'll find museums, art galleries, restaurants, hotels, and the Cultural Center, where you can enjoy both permanent and temporary art exhibits and other expositions, along with theatrical productions, and the films presented by the Omnimax Planetarium.

Sports

Club Sport Founded League Venue Logo Tijuana Galgos Basketball ? Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional Auditorio Municipal Tijuana Galgos Logo Tijuana Dragons Basketball 2003 American Basketball Association Auditorio Municipal Tijuana Potros Baseball ? Mexican League Calimax Stadium Tijuana Potros Logo Club Tijuana Gallos de Caliente Football (Soccer) 2006 Primera División A CREAD Stadium

There are also two professional basketball teams. The Dragones de Tijuana play in the American Basketball Association against teams from the US. The team is comprised mostly of American players. Their season is during the winter months. The Galgos de Tijuana (Greyhounds) de Tijuana play in the LNBP (Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional) during the summer months. The team is comprised mostly of players from Mexico. Both teams play in the Auditorio Municipal.

Former super featherweight boxing champion Erik Morales calls Tijuana his home.

Education

Tijuana is home to several primary schools as well as many colleges and universities.

Colleges and Universities

• Center of Technical and Superior Teaching (CETYS Universidad)
• CITEDI (Centro de Investigación en Tecnología Electrónica y Digital)
• Centro de Ensenanza Tecnica e Industrial (CECATI)
• College of the Northern Border (COLEF)
• Colegio Nacional de Educacion Professional Tecnica (CONALEP)
• Tijuana Institute of Technology (ITT)
• Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC)
• Universidad Iberoamericana
• Universidad de Tijuana (CUT)
• Univer

Economy

File:Tijuana jpg.jpg

View of Paseo de los Héroes in the Zona Río Business District.

Due to Tijuana's proximity to Southern California and the US border and its large, inexpensive, skilled and diverse workforce it is an attractive city for foreign companies to establish extensive industrial parks comprised of 'assembly plants' or maquiladoras, even more so than other cities in the US-Mexican border zone, taking advantage of NAFTA to export products. At its peak, in 2001 Tijuana had roughly 820 of these 'maquiladoras' (today the number is closer to 550).

Companies that have setup 'maquiladoras' in Tijuana include Sony, Toyota, Samsung, Kodak, Matsushita/Panasonic, Nabisco, Philips, Pioneer, Plantronics, Pall Medical, Tara and Sanyo.

Binational economic development along the US-Mexico border is key to the development of Tijuana going forward. Multiple regional (San Diego-US/Tijuana-MX) think-tanks exist on both sides of the border that promote such regional collaboration and innovation.

Foreign and domestic companies employ thousands of employees in these plants, usually in assembly related labor. Such jobs are demanding but offer high pay for Mexico. The nominal GDP per capita of the city is above the national average at about $9000 per year, third only to Cancún and Mexico City (source: INEGI). This makes Tijuana a popular city for poor migrant workers from other parts of Mexico as well as other countries to the south.

In addition there are also some high-tech firms and telemarketing companies making their way into the city drawing skilled people with technical trades and college degrees to Tijuana.

Tijuana also relies on tourism as a major revenue. Many visitors cross by foot or car from the San Ysidro point of entry in the United States every day. Restaurants, taco stands, bars and dance clubs are part of the draw for the city's tourists. Many shops and stalls selling Mexican crafts and souvenirs are also located in walking distance from the border.

The city's drinking age of 18 (vs. United States' 21) make it a common weekend destination for many high school and college aged Southern Californians who tend to stay within the touristy Revoluccion Blvd. area.

Tijuana is also home to several pharmacies marketed toward visitors from the United States. These pharmacies sell pharmaceutical drugs without prescriptions and at much lower costs than pharmacies in the US. Many medications still require a Mexican doctor's prescription though several accessible doctor offices are located near the border as well.

Tijuana is also home to many businesses selling products and services at a much cheaper rate than in the United States. Such businesses as auto detailing, medical services, dentistry and plastic surgery are heavily marketed and located near the city's border with the US.

In addition Tijuana has a legal "red-light" district known as the Zona Norte which also adds significant revenue to its economy.

Infrastructure

Sewer

International Boundary Wastewater Treatment Plant

The IWTP plant currently treats 25mgd directly pumped across the border from the central collection point in Mexico (Pump Station #1). When there is any flow in the river, the river diverter kicks in and diverts up to about 12-13 mgd to the IWTP. The totals from either must not exceed 25mgd, based on a monthly average (permit conditions) although the IWTP can treat sustained flows up to 45mgd daily and peaks of 70 or so for a short period. The diverter is regularly sending about 6-8 mgd daily to the IWTP.

Japanese Credit Plants

The plants (a total of 4-5 decentralized units in all) have been planned for some time as part of the "Tijuana/Rosarito Potable Water and Wastewater Master Plan". This plan was required as part of Public Law 106-457 (Nov.7-2000) which was written to allow the Bajagua project to move forward. The master plan was a binational collaborative effort by EPA and CESPT and addressed those cities' needs for the next 20 years.

The plants are intended to treat approximately 5 mgd each, to tertiary levels and provide the reclaimed water to the surrounding areas for agriculture, industry etc.

There are several issues that they are facing: no infrastructure to convey the reclaimed water to customers and inadequate groundwater recharge infrastructure.

Tijuana River

The Tijuana River (Spanish: Río Tijuana) is an intermittent river, 120 mi (195 km) long, on the Pacific coast of northern Baja California in Mexico and southern California in the United States. It drains an arid area along the U.S.–Mexico border, flowing through Mexico for most its course then crossing the border for its lower 5 mi (8 km) to empty into the ocean in an estuary on the southwesternmost corner of the United States. Its lower reaches provide the last undeveloped coast wetlands in San Diego County amidst a highly urbanized environment at the southern city limits of Imperial Beach. The river has been the subject of great controversy in recent decades regarding pollution, flood control, and U.S. border protection.

Transportation

Tijuana is well-served by bus, road, and air transportation links to all of Mexico, and to the United States via two heavily traveled border crossings.

Air Travel

The General Abelardo L. Rodríguez International Airport is the city's airport, with eleven airlines serving destinations across the nation. As of November 16, 2006, Aeroméxico has introduced twice-weekly international service to Tokyo, Japan. U.S. and select Canadian destinations can be reached from the busy San Diego International Airport, located about 35 kilometers north of the international border.

Bus Travel

Mexico is served by an excellent network of bus transportation, reaching virtually all parts of the country. The city has a main Central de Autobuses, in the eastern part of the city. There is also a small terminal downtown which serves a few Mexican bus lines and US-based Greyhound Lines and Crucero USA. Another small depot is near the border, with frequent service to Ensenada.

Road

Tijuana is home to the world's busiest border crossing and queues to enter the U.S. can literally be hours long. However, after clearing customs and immigration formalities, Interstate 5 is a major 8-10 lane freeway to downtown San Diego, Los Angeles, and north to the Canadian border. Interstate 805 takes a more easterly route north and rejoins I-5 in the northern part of San Diego.

Two important Mexican federal highways terminate in Tijuana. Mexican Federal Highway 1 runs south through the Baja California peninsula, terminating in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. From Tijuana to Ensenada, most travelers take Highway 1-D , a four-lane, limited access toll road. Mexican Federal Highway 2 runs east for several hundred kilometers near the international border, currently as far as Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua.

Driving to Tijuana from the USA

Either Interstate 5 or Interstate 805 lead directly to the international crossing at San Ysidro, California -- a community within the city limits of San Diego. To enter at the Otay crossing, leave either 5 or 805 at the exit to Route 905 and proceed to follow that highway directly to the Otay crossing. There is ample parking in San Ysidro for travellers crossing on foot, taking a taxi or tourist bus service which is available from the large parking lot located west of the I-5 freeway. This parking lot is next to the pedestrian border crossing. From there, it is a ten minute walk to the downtown shopping and restaurant area along Avenida Revolución.

El Arco, a man watches Tijuana's arch located in Ave. Revolucion.

Trivia

Mexican politician, Luis Donaldo Colosio was murdered here on March 23, 1994.

The famous battle between the Tijuana Cartel and their rival, Chihuahua-based Juárez Cartel was portrayed in the 2000 Hollywood movie Traffic.

Tijuana's International Airport (General Abelardo L. Rodríguez International Airport) is known for the tight approaches airplanes have to carry out, flying just over a fence before landing.

Caesar Salad was invented in Tijuana in 1924 by an Italian chef named Caesar Cardini.

About 300,000 people cross the border between San Diego and Tijuana every day.

Despite general perceptions about the economy, there are various products that are actually more expensive in Tijuana than in the United States. Among these are: designer clothing and perfumes, prepackaged snack foods, burnable CDs, and other common products.

Tijuana in Pop Culture

• The song Mexican Radio by 80s band Wall of Voodoo features the line: "I wish I was in Tijuana, eating barbecued iguana."

• In "Talladega Nights" Rickey And Cal Say:"Hello! I'm Rickey Bobby!And I'm Cal Norton JR. Telling You To Never Travel To Tijuana."

• Much of the film Born in East L.A. starring Cheech Marin takes place in Tijuana.

• In the animated TV series Futurama, Tijuana is the industrial heartland of the United States. The fictional robot Bender Bending Rodriguez was assembled here.

• In the animated TV series The Simpsons Krusty the Klown takes a group of children to Tijuana in the episode Kamp Krusty. To make up for a lousy camp, Krusty personally drives the campers in a bus to "the happiest place on earth... Tijuana!"

• The city is mentioned in Nortec Collective's song Tijuana Makes Me Happy.

• Slamdance Award Winning feature film Tijuana Makes Me Happy directed by Dylan Verrechia, produced by James Lefkowitz, and co-produced by Pablo Tendilla Rocha is a celebration of Tijuana.

From the arch hangs a sign saying "Bienvenidos a Tijuana" (Welcome to Tijuana)

• In the movie Inside Man, Keith Frazier (Denzel Washington) mentions that the last time he had "his Johnson pulled that hard", it cost him five dollars. When asked about that, he mentions "It was Tijuana. Don't ask."

• Two episodes of the show "The OC" took place here, The Escape and The Gringos.

• In the TV show Veronica Mars, characters often make the trip from Southern California to Tijuana for wild weekends.

• In early 1966, Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass had a top 40 hit with "Tijuana Taxi." The song hit the top 10 on San Diego radio stations KCBQ and KGB, due to their proximity to the international border. Herb Alpert, however, was not born in Mexico; his birthplace is Los Angeles.

• Tijuana born manga creator, who is only known by the pen name of "Da Mangaka", bases much of her series on the controversial city being mostly depicted on the Girlsfromspace saga. In such series, it reflects much of the city's lifestyle, costumes and places (being one of the battlegrounds schools like the Lazaro Cardenas Federal High).

• Alejandro González Iñárritu's Golden Globe winner in 2007 for "Best Movie" and Academy Award nominee for the same category Babel (2006 film), shows Amelia (played by Adriana Barraza) going to a Wedding Party with her nephew Santiago (played by Gael García Bernal) situated in a remote zone of Tijuana, taking 2 children she caretakes until the parents, which are stranded in Morocco, return.

• The musician Manu Chao has a song on his first solo album Clandestino called Welcome to Tijuana. He mentions throughout the song "Tequilla, sex and maruijana.

• British band Gomez have a song called Tijuana Lady on their 1998 album, Bring It On.

Fictional References

2005 Don Winslow Novel, The Power of the Dog

1996 Edward Bunker novel, Dog Eat Dog

Gorillaz bassist Murdoc Niccals spent 18 months in Tijuana's local prison.

See also

• San Diego/Tijuana megalopolis
• Juan Soldado, a local folk saint and Tijuana's first urban legend

External links

• Tijuana Restaurants
• Tijuana Hotels
• Tijuana Night Clubs Center
• Tijuana Plastic Surgeons
• Tijuana Tourism Guide
• Official website (in Spanish)
• bi-lingual Baja portal
• Tijuana Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Tijuana Makes Me Happy