Mecca (Kalifornien)

Mecca is an unincorporated community located in Riverside County, California, United States. The desert community lies on the North shore of the Eastern Coachella Valley's Salton Sea and is surrounded by agricultural land.Geography and climateSituated within the Colorado Desert, Mecca's climate is that of an arid desert, which experiences an average 90 degree temperature. Low temperatures can reach into the 20s. The community sits at less than 150 feet below sea level on the edge of the Salton Sea, formerly the Salton Sink.Land developers intending to irrigate the desert with water from the Colorado River did not foresee excess snow melt and for two years from 1905-1906 accidentally re-routed the entirety of the river to the Salton Sink, flooding the salt mines that had been a source of salt for perhaps centuries and giving rise to the Salton Sea. Groundwater and water transported via the Coachella Canal have transformed the desert environment into large swaths of agricultural land.DemographicsThe 2010 United States Census reported that Mecca had a population of 8,577. The population density was 1,232.5 people per square mile (475.9/km²). The racial makeup of Mecca was 2,686 (31.3%) White, 40 (0.5%) African American, 47 (0.5%) Native American, 17 (0.2%) Asian, 7 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, and 237 (2.8%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8,462 persons (98.7%).