This exciting city is also the most dynamic border crossing in the country. Being the operational center of many national and foreign companies, Tijuana receives thousands of tourists annually for business and recreational purposes. Tijuana also boasts a strong assembly plant Industry that attracts more and more companies and people to come. It’s border crossing is consider the largest of the world; it counts for 60% of foreign travelers going into United States. Tijuana is not just about business, but has many interesting and fun attractions.
There are plentiful hotels, nightclubs, bars and some of the best restaurants in Mexico, which offer traditional Mexican dishes as well as an endless selection of international cuisine. Many also offer a variety of music, including Nortena bands from the northern regions of Mexico, romantic trios, mariachis, rock and roll and even rap. Several smaller clubs are becoming known for showcasing some of the hottest emerging bands.
Tijuana boasts one of the most shopped streets in the world, Avenida Revolucion. Everyday this area is bustling with activity. If you want it, you’ll find it here. Everything from leather goods, jewelry, and crafts to alcohol, pharmaceuticals, and clothing, and all at bargain prices. And don’t forget a photo with the local Zonkeys (donkeys painted to look like zebras).
You’ll also find modern shopping malls and boutiques in the Zona Rio section of the city. Tijuana is considered a “free trade zone”. Shoppers are permitted to bring back up to $800 worth of goods duty free if they are legal in the U.S. including one liter of alcohol for each person over 21. Please be aware that you cannot bring live or dead animals, Cuban cigars, and some meats, plus most vegetables back across the border.
Tijuana is in the Pacific Time Zone. There is nothing laid back about Tijuana. This town is buzzing with activity and business. Local businesses don’t take siesta breaks, but work a more American-style 9 to 5 day, if not many more hours. Since the tourist come at all times of day and night, you’ll usually find businesses open early and closing late at night.
Tijuana has a modern international airport; Aeropuerto International Abelardo Rodriguez with over 50 commercial flights arriving daily. The airport is located on Carretera Internacional along the border east of downtown Tijuana in the Otay Mesa area. The airport is equipped with car rental agencies, restaurants, and shops. Buses leave from the airport to downtown or the Central Bus Station near the airport. One unique aspect to the Tijuana airport is the Cross Border Xpress (CBX) which allows you to park on the U.S. side of the border and enter through an international bridge to the airport. You must have a flight reservation and have purchased the border crossing pass through CBX.
CECUT is a world class cultural center with OMNIMAX theater. The cultural center has a palate of exhibitions that are worth seeing like the painting by Diego Rivera a collecion of Zunigas works or if you like the dance and Drama they have presentations of the Russian Ballet or French play.
Tijuana History
In 1829 Sr. Santiago Arguello received the title of property to the twenty five thousand acre “Rancho Tia Juana” from Jose Maria Encendida, the Governor of both Californias, then under Mexican rule. In 1848 the Tijuana Valley became part of the International Border when Mexico lost Alta California (California) in the war with the United States. This became a key factor driving it’s socioeconomic structure. Tijuana changed from a cattle pasturing area, to a customs site, to a thriving metropolis.
Urban settlement started in Tijuana (note the proper name is Tijuana, not Tiajuana as many visitors repeat) around 1889 when the heirs of Sr. Arguello and Sra. Augustin Olvera entered into an agreement to establish a basis for the development of the present city. The signing of their agreement on July 11, 1889 is considered the actual founding date of the city of Tijuana.
The future of the town as a tourism center was clear at the outset. During the last portion of the 19th century, visitors from California came to watch horse races, bullfights and boxing matches, buy souvenirs, and enjoy the thermal waters.
Tijuana was also a small stage for the Mexican Revolution when revolutionaries loyal to Ricardo Magon took over the town in 1911. Shortly, thereafter, federal troops arrived and routed the rebels. San Diegans watched the battle from the safety of the international border.
The twenties changed Tijuana forever, actually it was the enactment of Prohibition in the U.S. which sent droves of Americans across the border to partake in legal drinking and gambling. Large and impressive casinos opened, like Agua Caliente in Tijuana. Jai Alai at the Fronton Palace was played beginning in 1925.
The city had two bullfighting rings (plaza de toros) at one time. One was downtown off of Blvd. Agua Caliente but has been torn down and the other is still standing in Playas Tijuana on the way to Rosarito. Called Plaza Monumental or the “bullring-by-the-sea” they no longer host bullfighting.
International events in the 1940’s had a profound effect on Tijuana. Many American tourists were attracted to Tijuana’s nightlife, and the migration of Mexicans from other parts of the country increased considerably. Tijuana’s population tripled in that decade, from 22,000 to 65,000 in 1950. The 50’s saw a shift from the nightclub scene toward family-oriented tourism.
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~Tijuana Clinic for Cosmetic Dentistry
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