When I was a kid and we were driving home from the beach I remember seeing the freeway sign for the 8 freeway to El Centro.  It was over a 100 miles away I wondered what it was like there.  We always got off the freeway before we got anywhere near El Centro.  I checked it out today on the way home from Scottsdale Arizona.  It was a small town full of fast food places and taco shops.  Looked kinda like El Cajon back in the old days.