StateBook International®

• Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing And Hunting

  The Imperial Valley is largely flat terrain with mountains toward the west. Its central portion has been irrigated with water from the Colorado River since nearly the turn of the century. Historically, Imperial Valley has been one of California’s leading agricultural areas. Today, the economy is driven by logistics firms, warehousing, retail trade and light manufacturing. The valley encompasses nearly 500,000 acres of some of the world's most productive farmland and possesses the largest single water right on the Colorado River. Abundant agricultural resources and a year-round growing season make it an area prime for biofuel production.

• Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing And Hunting

  According to the 2016 Imperial County Crop and Livestock Report, cattle has consistently been the #1 commodity trend for the Imperial County since 1957. The gross value for cattle in 2016 for the Imperial County was $400,614,000. The County has three areas of production: Imperial Valley (472,593 acres), Palo Verde (7,668 acres) and Bard/Winterhaven (14,452 acres), for a total of 494,713 farmable acres.

• Foreign Trade Zone #257. The advantages of the Foreign Trade Zone far exceed benefits of any other program that currently exists. These advantages include, but are not limited to:
• Relief from Inverted Tariffs (Manufacturing)
• Duty Exemption (Exports)
• Duty Deferral (Cashflow)
• Weekly Entry (MPF Minimization)
• Unlimited Storage

• Cali Baja Bi-national Mega-Region. The Valley makes up part of this unique bi-national location for business investments. CaliBaja provides access to the lucrative California and North American markets, is strategically located to access global markets in the Pacific Rim and is a gateway to the emerging Latin American markets.

• Recycled Markets Development Zone (Cal EPA program). The goal of this program is to increase diversion of non-hazardous solid waste away from California landfills and to promote market demand for secondary and postconsumer materials. Program benefits include:
• Business loans
• Creative partnerships
• Free advertising
• Permitting assistance

• Employment Training Panel (State workforce training funds)

• Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act (federal workforce training funds)

• Historically Under Utilized Business Zone (HubZone program). This helps small businesses in urban and rural communities gain preferential access to federal procurement opportunities. Benefits for HubZone-certified companies include:
•  Competitive and sole source contracting
• 10% price evaluation in full and open contract competitions


• California Competes tax credit program. Income tax credit available to business who want to come, stay, or grow in California, with tax credit agreements negotiated by GO-Biz and approved by a statutorily created "California Competes Tax Credit Committee" (Business.ca.gov).

The Imperial Valley College (IVC), San Diego State University (SDSU) and the University of Phoenix are the Valley's main institutions for higher education and are key contributors to the growing qualified work force the valley has to offer.

• San Diego State University offers a variety of degrees typically for 3rd and 4th year students accepting transfer students from IVC. The Imperial Valley University Partnership (IVUP) program allows incoming freshmen to complete their Bachelor’s Degree locally through a partnership between IVC, SDSU, and the Imperial County Office of Education (ICOE).

• Imperial County residents interested in career technical education can also attend a number of accredited institutions that offer a variety of vocational training programs (ICCEDS, 2016).

• IVC offers technical careers and certificates and allows students to transfer to the four-year universities of their choice, particularly transferring STEM-focused students.

• The University of Phoenix is a private university and has a campus in El Centro where students can pursue their education through flexible degree programs, through on-campus or online formats.

IVC and the University of Arizona-Yuma entered a memorandum of understanding and formed a partnership in order to allow students more transfer options for earning a bachelor's degree while staying relatively close to their home (Imperial Valley College, 2015)

IVC also entered into an MOU with CETYS University in Mexicali, establishing an exchange program, allowing students to do their first two college years at IVC and then transfer to CETYS - the only Mexican university with Western Association of Schools and Colleges accreditation - for their final two years (IVC, 2014).

CETYS and SDSU have partnered over several decades, exchanging faculty and students in innovative programs which has enhanced education on both sides of the border (SDSU NewsCenter, 2015). A recent program made up of two concentrations, Business in the Global Marketplace and International Entrepreneurship, was designed and launched by SDSU and CETYS faculty.

                                                                                                                                     

• Availability of uncongested airspace
• Proximity to restricted airspace
• Rural locations to facilitate rocket and jet testing
• An average of 360 days of clear flying weather per year
• Availability of affordable workforce
• Proximity to San Diego County’s $1.3 billion Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) industry
• Proximity to Mexicali, BC Mexico which currently has 25 aerospace related companies with a workforce of approximately 7,500 engineers, technicians and operators (2)

• The Imperial Valley is home to the Salton Sea, where a lot of boating, hiking, and fishing takes place.
• The Blue Angels, the U.S. Navy's flight demonstration squadron, perform at the annual Naval Air Facility (NAF) Airshow in El Centro, CA. The team has been training and performing there for 50 years.
• Many films, commercials, music videos and TV programs have been filmed here. Feature films include hits like The Scorpion King and Return of the Jedi (http://www.filmimperialcounty.com/credits/).