San Quintín, Baja California facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
San Quintín, Baja California
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 View of the Bay of San Quintín
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 San Quintín, Baja California
Location in Baja California
San Quintín, Baja California
Location in Mexico
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| Country |  Mexico |
| State |  Baja California |
| Municipality | San Quintín |
| Area | |
| • Land | 14,263 sq mi (36,941 km2) |
| Elevation | 92 ft (28 m) |
| Population
(2010)
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| • City | 4,777 |
| • Urban | 4,777 |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Northwest US Pacific) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (Northwest) |
San Quintín is a city in San Quintín Municipality, Baja California, located on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. The city had a population of 4777 in 2010. San Quintín is an important agricultural center for Baja California. The city is also an emerging tourist destination, known for its sand dunes and beaches.
Contents
History
In the 1880s, a British land company with plans for a wheat empire purchased much of the San Quintín area from the US–based International Land Company; at the time, ILC owned most of northern Baja. In response to promises of agricultural wealth, around a hundred English colonists purchased subdivided land tracts from the parent company, planted wheat, and constructed a gristmill. For flour transportation, the English built a pier on inner Bahiá San Quintín and began constructing a railway to link up with the Southern Pacific tracks to the north in California. Thirty kilometers of track were laid, including a rail causeway from the west bank of inner Bahiá San Quintín, before the colony failed. A 17-ton, six-wheeled locomotive still lies underwater at the mouth of the bay, the remains of a loading accident for the aborted railway.
A drought devastated one of the first wheat harvests, and by 1900 all the colonists abandoned San Quintín.
Remnants of the gristmill, the railroad causeway, the pier, and an English cemetery still stand along the perimeter of the inner bay. The English names on the cemetery's heavily weathered wooden crosses have faded from sight, and more recent Mexican graves are beginning to crowd out their neglected English counterparts.
Recently there has been foreign (especially Chinese) investment in San Quintin for the development of shellfish harvesting and export (especially abalone). A tourist hotel is also planned.
A new abalone farm is under construction out at the beach west of town in La Chorera. They are working with both state and federal agencies to reestablish the depleted abalone population.
On October 28, 2015 residents voted 17,580 to 7,548 in favor of San Quintin becoming its own municipality By December 1, 2016 San Quintin was expected to separate from the municipality of Ensenada and become the state's sixth municipality. The agricultural plain roughly 50 kilometers from Camalu to Vicente Carranza, recorded a total of roughly 80,000 people in 2010.
Climate
The temperatures tend to run warmer in summer and cooler in winter compared to San Diego, but out along the Pacific Ocean coastline about 10 miles west of San Quintin, the climate is virtually identical to San Diego's weather, year-round.
Aquaculture
In the realm of aquaculture, there are immense possibilities for growth. The extensive shoreline along the Pacific and the Sea of Cortes is in ideal condition, both biologically and economically speaking. The development and adaptation of aquaculture technology by Baja Californian institutions and the vocation of cultivating marine fish and mollusks have influenced the practice, making it a reality in present day Baja California.
Due to the development in the cultivation of oysters, mussels and abalones, aquaculture has secured its place in the fishing industry and the demand for fishing products is increasing on a global scale. It should be noted that Baja California is a pioneer in the practice and at the forefront in aquaculture. Natural resources are at their maximum exploitation or have entered over-exploitation. Aquaculture has proved to be an answer to this crisis, as it is the area in the primary food sector where there are significant records of growth.
Fishing has become a tradition for many in Baja California, being distinguished worldwide for its high quality and variety. Business is conducted with distant locations such as Europe and Asia in addition to the United States and parts of Mexico. Products are noted as having some of the best prices on an international level. There is infrastructure in fisheries of all kinds, including technological, scientific, and specialized educational infrastructure.
Ensenada has many processing plants, canning machines, freezers, as well as fresh and live products, and gel production from seaweed. Several factories produce packages of different materials, such as tin cans, cardboard boxes, and extracted polyethylene packaging. The adjacent industrial areas in Baja California also facilitate the acquisition of equipment and spare parts.
There are shipyards and workshops to support the fishing industry as well as prestigious research centers for aquaculture that prepare students from a specialized secondary education, through technology programs in high school focusing on oceanography, to doctoral degrees in science. Resources have increased substantially in recent years, considering the aquaculture industry in Baja California began just two decades ago.
To date, significant progress has already been made, with the greatest development being the cultivation of the oyster in San Quintín, where it has produced over 1000 tons annually as well as the mussel and red abalone in the Bay of Ensenada, with a capacity of 200 tons. This bay is certified by the Food and Drug Administration of the United States which guarantees the quality of the products and facilitates the commercial concurrence to the markets of that country. The cultivation of shrimp is also gaining prevalence in the northern region of the Sea of Cortes with about 100 hectares (~247 acres) in the first stages of development.
In addition to the natural wealth and the relative absence of pollution, it shares a border with a California, an important market. The most diverse shipments of seafood from Baja California cross the international border between Tijuana, B.C. and San Diego, California. The Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is located 138 miles from the border with Mexico. From there, regular shipments of live fish and fresh seafood are made, using a route from the Baja California fishing fields ending at the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo, Japan.
Towns
Lázaro Cárdenas, Baja California
- Colonia Vicente Guerrero
- a town north of San Quintín. It is located at (30°43′33″N 115°59′20″W / 30.72583°N 115.98889°W) (population 11,455)
- El Socorro
- A small town between San Quintín and El Rosario. It is located at (30°18′57″N 115°49′10″W / 30.31583°N 115.81944°W) (population 7). In the vicinity of this town was a salt marsh area which was the home of the likely extinct Tule Shrew and the San Quintin Kangaroo Rat.
Transportation
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By land, San Quintín is communicated by the Federal Highway 1, which runs from Cabo San Lucas to Tijuana. By air, the San Quintín Valley is served by severals airstrips:
- Campo de Lorenzo Skypark
- Cielito Lindo.
- El Buen Pastor Airstrip
- El Pedregal.
- Los Pinos.
- Rancho Magaña.
The San Quintín Airport is the only paved airstrip in the valley, but is a military field, so it is used for military aviation purposes only. The closest airports of entry are Ensenada and Tijuana.
Economy
San Quintín is home to the largest agricultural company in Baja California- Los Pinos.
Aquaculture
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In the realm of aquaculture, there are immense possibilities for growth. The extensive shoreline along the Pacific and the Sea of Cortes is in ideal condition, both biologically and economically speaking. The development and adaptation of aquaculture technology by Baja Californian institutions and the vocation of cultivating marine fish and mollusks have influenced the practice, making it a reality in present-day Baja California.
Due to the development in the cultivation of oysters, mussels and abalones, aquaculture has secured its place in the fishing industry and the demand for fishing products is increasing on a global scale. Baja California is a pioneer in the practice and at the forefront in aquaculture. Natural resources are at their maximum exploitation or have entered over-exploitation. Aquaculture has proved to be an answer to this crisis, as it is the area in the primary food sector where there are significant records of growth.
Fishing has become a tradition for many in Baja California, being distinguished worldwide for its high quality and variety. Business is conducted with distant locations such as Europe and Asia in addition to the United States and parts of Mexico. There is infrastructure in fisheries of all kinds, including technological, scientific, and specialized educational infrastructure.
.jpg)
Ensenada has many processing plants, canning machines, freezers, as well as fresh and live products, and gel production from seaweed. Several factories produce packages of different materials, such as tin cans, cardboard boxes, and extracted polyethylene packaging. The adjacent industrial areas in Baja California also facilitate the acquisition of equipment and spare parts.
There are shipyards and workshops to support the fishing industry as well as prestigious research centers for aquaculture that prepare students from a specialized secondary education, through technology programs in high school focusing on oceanography, to doctoral degrees in science. Resources have increased substantially in recent years, considering the aquaculture industry in Baja California began just two decades ago.
To date, significant progress has already been made, with the greatest development being the cultivation of the oyster in San Quintín, with Ostiones Guerrero, SA de CV being the oldest and largest producer of both Pacific Gigas and Kumamoto oysters in Bahia Falsa and home to La Ostionera, its signature restaurant on the bay where locals and tourists alike come to enjoy fresh oysters and other "mariscos". The local oyster harvests produce over 1000 tons annually as well as mussels, abalone and other local species. The Bahia Falsa is certified by the Food and Drug Administration of the United States which guarantees the quality of the products and facilitates the commercial concurrence to the markets of that country.
In addition to the natural wealth and the relative absence of pollution, it shares a border with a California, an important market. The most diverse shipments of seafood from Baja California cross the international border between Tijuana, B.C. and San Diego, California. The Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is located 138 miles from the border with Mexico. From there, regular shipments of live fish and fresh seafood are made, using a route from the Baja California fishing fields ending at the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo, Japan.
Images for kids
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San Quintín State Nature Reserve.
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Beach in San Quintín.
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See also
In Spanish: San Quintín (Baja California) para niños
