Tijuana, City of Many Faces

Tijuana, Mexico, is a city with a lot going on — it’s ethnically diverse, a cultural capital, and has a powerhouse economy. However, it’s best known as a border city, with its city limits extending right up to the division between Mexico and the United States. The fact that this border is the most distinguishing feature of Tijuana makes perfect sense, as its proximity to the USA built the city, and continues to be the biggest factor in its evolution. However, Tijuana is far from just a place where US citizens go to party.

Tijuana is on the Mexican side of the US/Mexico land border, in the state of Baja California; it lies just below to the city of San Diego in the state of California in the USA. Together, the international metropolitan area has a population of around 5.5 million people — with 2.2 in TJ and 3.3 in San Diego, respectively — and the cities are completely intertwined.

The San Ysidro border crossing, the main connection point between the cities, is the busiest land border checkpoint in the world — in 2019, 36 million people passed through it, whether in cars or on foot. The Tijuana airport even serves San Diegans — they have the option to check in on the US side of the border, walk across a bridge, and fly out of Mexico.

But, if you think about it, that arrangement is pretty bizarre. Flying out of TJ technically shouldn’t be cheaper…