Jacumba California.

Jacumba (pronounced "ha-cum-ba") is located along the original Highway 80, that was first a horse and wagon trail and also along the San Diego-Arizona Railroad tracks. It wasn't until 1927 that the California highway department graded and laid a twenty-foot pavement from the top of Mountain Springs Grade to the bottom of the desert floor, a nearly 3000 feet descent.  Today, as people cruise up and down the mountains on Interstate 8 they can still see some portions of the 1927 pavement. The original route was part of the Lee Highway and was the only national cross-country route designated as ending in San Diego.  It drew traffic from New York into Washington D.C., and along a southern, all weather route.

Today some 400 people live in Jacumba. What now appears a quiet high desert retreat was once a thriving spa. In the 1920s and ‘30s the community thrived, its therapeutic hot springs a Mecca for Hollywood celebrities and wealthy Imperial Valley growers. Clark Gable is said to have made Jacumba famous by frequenting its spa.

On weekends at the local airport you’ll find sail planes being towed aloft to catch the thermals, with pilots who savor the solitude and challenge of powerless flight. During the week the airport is quiet, inhabited by hawks and their prey.

Old U.S. Highway 80 bisects the beautiful town which is located at a elevation of 2800' amongst the mountain peaks.  There are several businesses in town including the "Mountain Sage" , A gift shop, a garage and the "Jacumba Spa".

The landmark Jacumba Hotel was destroyed by a fire and was torn down in 1991. But walking through town on a sunny day you get the sense of history. The old buildings, tumbleweeds and dry air give the imagination room to wander, to sense what was.