Imperial Beach boasts that it is the most southwesterly community in the U.S.  Located 20 miles south of San Diego, just north of Tijuana, the community was started originally as a beach retreat for residents of Imperial Valley in 1887, hence the name. 

Imperial Beach sits between the Silver Strand and the Mexican Border and boasts a small but neighborly business center. The area is a bedroom community for many of the Navy personnel stationed at North Island who enjoy its proximity to the commissary at Ream Field, a helicopter training base located near the border.