El Centro is the center of one of Southern California's most promising new commercial and industrial regions. There are two international border crossings nearby for commercial and noncommercial vehicles.

Covering 10.75 square miles, El Centro is the largest city in Imperial County. El Centro is located 616 miles southwest of San Francisco, 117 miles east of San Diego and 245 miles west of Phoenix, Ariz. and just 15 minutes from the international industrial complexes in Mexicali, Baja California. El Centro is accessible via Interstate 8, State Highway 86 and State Highway 111.

El Centro is the county seat and principal trading center of Imperial County. It is strategically located in the Imperial economic base. Several state and Federal government offices are located in El Centro, such as the Bureau of Land Management, Federal Bureau of Investigations, U.S. Border Patrol Headquarters, Social Security Administration, Employment Development Department and Department of Agriculture.