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Visiting Imperial Beach, CA | CBS 8 Zip Trip

CBS 8 is hitting the road to feature the vibrant areas of San Diego County. On this Zip Trip, we visit Imperial Beach and all that makes this community great.

CBS 8 Staff

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Published: 8:32 AM PDT August 15, 2024
Updated: 1:15 PM PDT August 16, 2024

The CBS 8 team was out in the Imperial Beach community on Friday, Aug 16, 2024 sharing all the things that make Imperial Beach a great place to live and visit.

Welcome to Imperial Beach, California

Known for its beaches, big waves and being the "Most Southwesterly City in the Continental U.S.”, Imperial Beach was founded in 1887. At first, it was a coastal summer retreat for people from the Imperial Valley, giving the city its name. Imperial Beach grew in size when about 2,000 laborers came to the area to help build the Hotel Del Coronado. They decided to stay in Imperial Beach, making it their permanent home.

While the beaches are currently closed to swimmers, IB has always been known for its big waves. The Tijuana Slew called to surfers for generations. In the 1940s the waves became a testing ground for mainlanders going to Hawaii. Surfers from all over the US would come to IB to surf what was at that time considered the biggest waves off the continental US. One of those surfers was Bob Simmons, who's known as the father of the modern surfboard and moved to IB in 1950.

And it's not just the waves bringing people to the beach, it's also the sand. For years, sandcastle sculptors have flocked to IB for sandcastle competitions that started back in the 1960s. Imperial Beach also held the US Open sandcastle competition for about 30 years, starting in 1980 and the fun continues today. The Sun & Sea Festival takes place in IB every summer

Imperial Beach now has a population of about 25,000 people. While it has evolved over the years, it is still beloved by locals and tourists alike.

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