El Centro is a city located in southeastern California and serves as the county seat of Imperial County. It is situated approximately 113 miles from San Diego and less than 20 miles from the Mexican city of Mexicali.
As the most populous city in the Imperial Valley, El Centro functions as the core urban area and principal city of the El Centro metropolitan area, which encompasses all of Imperial County. Notably, it is recognized as the most populous United States city to lie entirely below sea level.