Awarded city status in July 1958 , San Luis Rio Colorado serves as the administrative center for the surrounding municipality of the same name . The city is located on a mesa , characterized by a flat and sandy terrain . On Easter Sunday 2010 , a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck the region . The Sears department store ( formerly Dorian 's ) and 5 schools were destroyed , affecting approximately 30,000 people in the region . San Luis Rio Colorado was once an important inland port for steamers traveling the Colorado from the Gulf of California . Since the early 1900s the Colorado has been completely or nearly completely drained for irrigation . The once-formidable Colorado is usually dry or a small stream
7.2 magnitude earthquake
2010 Baja California earthquake
San Luis Río Colorado