Alta Sierra Ranches, California
29 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1888 and the latest in 1998. It stands in the Grass Valley census division. It lies in ZIP code area 95949. It lies near Buck Mountain. The Survey maps it on the Lake Combie quadrangle.
Then and now
1888 to 1998The same ground, surveyed 110 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.


Topographic sheets covering this place
13 surveys from 29 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1888 USGS Smartsville quadrangle1:125000
- 1891 USGS Smartsville quadrangle1:125000
- 1892 USGS Smartsville quadrangle1:125000
- 1894 USGS Smartsville quadrangle1:125000
- 1895 USGS Smartsville quadrangle1:125000, 6 printings
- 1949 USGS Grass Valley quadrangle1:62500, 5 printings
- 1949 USGS Lake Combie quadrangle1:24000, 4 printings
- 1950 USGS Lake Combie quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1958 USGS Chico quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1960 USGS Chico quadrangle1:250000
- 1993 USGS Yuba City quadrangle1:100000
- 1995 USGS Lake Combie quadrangle1:24000
- 1998 USGS Lake Combie quadrangle1:24000
Fires near this place
777 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 777 fires within 5 miles of Alta Sierra Ranches between 1992 and 2020, burning about 941 acres in total. 8 started naturally. 24 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 297 |
| Debris and open burning | 202 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 157 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 38 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 24 |
| Smoking | 22 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 17 |
| Natural | 8 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 8 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 4 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Central California District | THORNICROFT |
| 9 September 2005 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Central California District | OSCAR |
| 9 September 2002 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Central California District | GIBBONEY |
| 9 September 1992 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Nevada-Yuba-Placer Unit | PGE |
| 8 September 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection | OAK |
| 8 September 2015 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Nevada-Yuba-Placer Unit | CARRIAGE |
| 7 September 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Nevada-Yuba-Placer Unit | POWERLINE |
| 7 September 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7.0 acres | Nevada-Yuba-Placer Unit | KNOLLS |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 120 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 120 workings within 5 miles of Alta Sierra Ranches: 45 occurrences, 41 past producers, 12 unknowns, 11 prospects. 11 still produce. What was taken out: Gold, Chromium, Manganese, Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amador | Gold, Tungsten | Past Producer | Gold, Scheelite | |
| Amador Consolidated Claims | Gold, Molybdenum | Occurrence | ||
| Bear River | Gold, Arsenic, Silver | Unknown | ||
| Colfax Mine | Clay | Producer | ||
| Half Chrome Mine | Iron, Chromium | Past Producer | 1916 | |
| Lime Kiln Ranch | Limestone, Dimension | Occurrence | ||
| Meadow Vista Quarry | Stone | Past Producer | ||
| Nevada County Pb-Zn Property | Lead, Zinc | Past Producer | ||
| Prudential | Gold, Arsenic | Past Producer | Gold | |
| Unnamed | Gold, Silver, Arsenic | Past Producer | Gold, Pyrite, Tetrahedrite |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alta Sierra Estates | 1.8 miles | 29 | |
| Sierra Knoll Estates | 2.6 miles | 29 | |
| Alta Sierra | 3.0 miles | 28 | |
| Cherry Creek Acres | 3.1 miles | 29 | |
| Birch Meadow Acres | 3.5 miles | 28 | |
| Dew Drop | 3.5 miles | 29 | |
| Willaura Estates | 3.9 miles | 29 | |
| Kenwood Estates | 4.2 miles | 28 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikidata item Q17039946 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1682833. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.












