Tijuana

This article is about the city in Mexico. For other uses, see Tijuana (disambiguation).

Tijuana
City
Skyline of Tijuana Tijuana Temple Arco Monumental Tijuana Cultural Center Playas de Tijuana
Flag Coat of arms
Nickname:  Gateway to Mexico
Motto:  Aquí empieza la patria ("The fatherland begins here")
Tijuana Location within Baja California Tijuana Location within Mexico Tijuana Location within North America
Coordinates: 32°31′30″N 117°02′0″W
Country	Mexico
State	Baja California
Municipality	Tijuana
Founded	11 July 1889
Government
• Type	Ayuntamiento
• Mayor	Ismael Burgueño (MORENA)
Area
• City	637 km2 (246 sq mi)
• Metro	1,392.5 km2 (537.6 sq mi)
Elevation	20 m (66 ft)
Population  (2020)
• City	1,810,645
• Rank	9th in North America 2nd in Mexico
• Density	2,832.5/km2 (7,336/sq mi)
• Urban	2,002,000 (estimated)
• Metro	2,157,853
• Metro density	1,549.6/km2 (4,013.5/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Tijuanan (in Spanish) Tijuanense
GDP (PPP, constant 2015 values)
• Year	2023
• Total (Metro)	$61.0 billion
• Per capita	$27,600
Time zone	UTC−08:00 (Zona Noroeste)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−07:00 (DST)
Postal codes	22000–22699
Area code	+ 52 664/663
Website	www.tijuana.gob.mx

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Tijuana is the most populous city of the Mexican state of Baja California, located on the northwestern Pacific Coast of Mexico. It is the municipal seat of the Tijuana Municipality, the hub of the Tijuana metropolitan area and the most populous city in northern Mexico. Tijuana is just south of California and is adjacent to the Mexico–United States border which is part of the San Diego–Tijuana metro area.

Tijuana is the 27th largest city in the Americas, and is the westernmost city in Mexico. As of 2024, the population of Tijuana has increased to 2,297,000, reflecting a growth of 1.63% since 2023. The city was second-largest nationally in 2020 with 1,810,645 inhabitants. The international metropolitan region including San Diego was estimated at 5,158,459 in 2016, making it the third-largest metropolitan area in the Californias, 19th-largest metropolitan area in the Americas, and the largest bi-national conurbation that is shared between the US and Mexico. The city is one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the country and rated as a "High Sufficiency" global city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network.

Tijuana traces its modern history to the arrival of Spanish colonists in the 16th century who were mapping the coast of the Californias. Following the division of the Californias after the American Conquest of California, Tijuana found itself located on an international border, giving rise to a new economic and political structure. The city was incorporated on 11 July 1889 as urban development began. The city has served as a major tourist destination since the 1880s. Today, Tijuana is a dominant manufacturing center for North America, hosting facilities of many multinational conglomerate companies. In the early 21st century, Tijuana has emerged as the medical device manufacturing capital of North America and is increasingly recognized as an important cultural Mecca for the border region of the Californias. The city is the most visited border city in the world, sharing a border of about 24 km (15 mi) with its sister city San Diego. More than fifty million people cross the border between these two cities every year.

Despite its popularity as a tourist destination, Tijuana suffers from a high amount of crime, especially violent crime, due to the extensive presence of organized crime and Mexican cartels. It regularly ranks among the most violent cities by homicide rate. According to Statista in August 2023, Tijuana had the second highest homicide rate in the world. Incidents involving the murder or kidnapping of foreigners since the 2000s have also sparked travel fears and affected Tijuana's status among international tourists.