Year-round agriculture is an important economic activity in Brawley.

The Imperial Land Company laid out the town in 1902 and named it Braly in honor of J.H.

[4] Incorporated in 1908, it was a "tent city" of only 100 persons involved in railroads and the earliest introduction of agriculture.

The city's elevation, like other Imperial Valley towns, is below sea level.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Brawley has a total area of 7.7 square miles (20 km2).

Average January temperatures in Brawley are a high of 71.7 °F or 22.1 °C and a low of 41.4 °F or 5.2 °C.

A rare snowfall in December 1932 brought a total of 3.0 inches (0.076 m).

There were 8,231 housing units at an average density of 1,071.5 per square mile (413.7/km2),of which 7,623 were occupied, 3,970 (52.1%) by the owners and 3,653 (47.9%) by renters.

82.9% Brawley's residents today are of Mexican and Latino origins[11];the town contained White, East Indian, Chinese, Filipino and African American sections in the 20th century.

Major employers in Brawley include Pioneers Memorial Hospital, and Clinicas de Salud del Pueblo.

In the California State Legislature, Brawley is in the 40th Senate District, represented by Republican Brian Jones,[13] and the 56th Assembly District, represented by Democrat Lisa Calderon.

[15] Brawley is in the 4th Imperial County Board of Supervisors District and is represented by Ryan Kelley.

Brawley maintains its own police[16] and fire departments.