Welcome to San Ysidro California

San Ysidro California is a community within San Diego and San Diego County located at the location of the U.S. and Mexico border. It has a resident population of approximately 30,000 people and is home to the world's busiest land crossing between nations. There are believed to be approximately 100 million border crossings a year at the very busy "San Ysidro Crossing" at the US-Mexico border.

Just a few minutes driving time north of San Ysidro is sunny San Diego, California, where you will find the world-famous San Diego Zoo, gorgeous beaches, Sea World Adventure Park, and so many other southern California attractions. Minutes south of San Ysidro, you will discover Tijuana, Mexico! Tijuana is known for great shopping on Revolution Avenue, plastic and cosmetic surgery clinics, delicious and authentic Mexican restaurants.

San Ysidro is a community within the city of San Diego, California. San Ysidro CA is located in the southernmost part of San Diego County California, immediately north of the international border with Mexico. San Ysidro was annexed by the city of San Diego 50-years ago.

Although the independent municipalities of National City, Chula Vista, Coronado, and Imperial Beach California lie in between San Ysidro and the rest of San Diego, the two areas are connected by a narrow 400-ft wide city boundary line wall running over San Diego Bay. Therefore, as an interesting side-note, it's possible to travel across water from San Diego to San Ysidro without leaving the City of San Diego and its city limits!

San Ysidro is part of the greater San Diego area. San Ysidro is located in the southernmost part of San Diego County California, immediately north of the international border with Mexico. It was annexed by the city of San Diego in 1957. San Ysidro is named for San Ysidro Labrador, patron saint of farmers. Furthermore, San Ysidro is the site of one the nation's first communes started by William Ellsworth Smythe in 1908.

San Ysidro is home to the world's busiest land border crossing, where U.S. Interstate 5 crosses into Mexico at Tijuana. In the 2005 U.S. fiscal year, more than 17 million vehicles and 50 million people entered the United States at the San Ysidro port of entry. The great majority of these are workers which are both of Mexican and U.S. nationality commuting from Tijuana to jobs in the greater San Diego area and throughout southern California. There is also a thriving reverse traffic, both of workers traveling to maquiladoras in Mexico and those purchasing services such as: vehicle repairs, hair and beauty services, childcare, medical or dental or seeking entertainment in Tijuana.

Border crossing times are often slow at San Ysidro, particularly for those entering the United States in vehicles. For this reason many cross the U.S. border on foot, the line for it is frequently much faster than vehicle lines. Some foot travelers own a car in each country, and keep them in one of the large parking lots located near the border post, or use the respective public transportation systems of both cities. Both city systems have a bus station built to serve only the border-crossings, and the San Diego Trolley runs from downtown San Diego to the border crossing.

Many people frequently visit the border fence that separates the beaches at the international border in nearby Imperial Beach, which is pictured at the top-left photo above. On Sundays, people go to speak to their friends and family members through the rusty fence, under the close watch of U.S. Border Patrol personnel who watch with binoculars from the nearby hillside.