Ensenada

This article is about the Mexican city. For other uses, see Ensenada (disambiguation).

Ensenada
City
Top: View of Ensenada from the Pacific; 2nd row: Riviera del Pacífico Cultural Center (left), downtown Ensenada (right); 3rd row: Ensenada's Pacific Coast (left) and Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe (right).
Flag Coat of arms
Nicknames:  Cenicienta del Pacífico (Cinderella of the Pacific)
Ensenada Location in Mexico Ensenada Ensenada (Mexico)
Coordinates: 31°51′28″N 116°36′21″W
Country	Mexico
State	Baja California
Municipality	Ensenada
Founded	May 15, 1882 (by Porfirio Díaz)
Government
• Type	Ayuntamiento
• Municipal President	Claudia Agatón Muñiz
Area
• Municipality	19,878 km2 (7,675 sq mi)
• City	79.17 km2 (30.57 sq mi)
Elevation	16 m (52 ft)
Population  (2020 census)
• Municipality	443,807
• Density	22.327/km2 (57.825/sq mi)
• City	330,652
• City density	4,176/km2 (10,820/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Ensenadan (English), ensenadense (Spanish)
Time zone	UTC-08:00 (Zona Noroeste)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-07:00 (DST)
Postal codes	22800–22899
Area code	646

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Ensenada ('inlet', pronounced [enseˈnaða]) is a city in Ensenada Municipality, Baja California, situated on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. Located on Bahía de Todos Santos, the city had a population of 279,765 in 2018, making it the third-largest city in Baja California. The city is an important international trade center and home to the Port of Ensenada, the second-busiest port in Mexico. Ensenada is a major tourist destination, owing to its warm climate and proximity to the Pacific Ocean, and is commonly known as La Cenicienta del Pacífico ("The Cinderella of the Pacific").

Ensenada was founded in 1882, when the small community of Rancho Ensenada de Santos was made the regional capital for the northern partition of the Baja California Territory. The city grew significantly with the proliferation of mines in the surrounding mountains. While the Mexican Revolution curtailed much of Ensenada's expansion, the onset of Prohibition in the United States transformed the city into a popular tourist destination for Americans seeking entertainment and alcohol. Ensenada's reputation as a resort town was cemented by the 1950s and 1960s, which saw a construction boom and the city's rise in international prominence outside of North America.

Today, Ensenada is a major economic and cultural hub for Baja California. The city is home to numerous universities, like the Ensenada Institute of Technology and the Autonomous University of Baja California, Ensenada. Ensenada is an important biotechnology hub and is home to numerous research institutions, like the Ensenada Center for Scientific Research. The city is a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.