Califa, California
19 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1916 and the latest in 1983. It stands in the Chowchilla census division. It lies in ZIP code area 93610. The Survey maps it on the Berenda quadrangle. It stands 249 feet above sea level. The federal gazetteer marks this settlement historical: it is no longer a populated place, though the surveys that recorded it still are.
Then and now
1916 to 1983The same ground, surveyed 67 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
11 surveys from 19 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.
- 1916 USGS Berenda quadrangle1:31680
- 1918 USGS Berenda quadrangle1:31680
- 1946 USGS Le Grand quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1947 USGS San Jose quadrangle1:250000
- 1948 USGS Berenda quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1956 USGS San Jose quadrangle1:250000
- 1961 USGS Berenda quadrangle1:24000, 4 printings
- 1961 USGS Le Grand quadrangle1:62500
- 1962 USGS San Jose quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1966 USGS San Jose quadrangle1:250000
- 1983 USGS Merced quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
820 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 820 fires within 5 miles of Califa (historical) between 1992 and 2020, burning about 3,321 acres in total. None started naturally. 52 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 | 508 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 150 |
| Debris and open burning | 55 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 52 |
| Smoking | 35 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 16 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 3 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 1 |
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 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection | MAPLE ST CCWF |
| 9 September 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Merced-Mariposa Unit | ROADSIDE 15655 |
| 9 September 2000 | Railroad operations and maintenance | under an acre | Merced-Mariposa Unit | ROADSIDE 13775 |
| 9 September 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | 1.0 acres | Merced-Mariposa Unit | ROADSIDE 13095 |
| 9 September 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | 1.0 acres | Merced-Mariposa Unit | ROADSIDE 13092 |
| 8 September 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | Merced-Mariposa Unit | SANTA FE |
| 8 September 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Merced-Mariposa Unit | HWY 99 S/ AVE 20 2 |
| 8 September 1996 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | Merced-Mariposa Unit | MERRIAM |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
5 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 5 workings within 5 miles of Califa (historical): 2 producers, 2 past producers, 1 occurrence. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Gold, Stone. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Borrow Pit | Stone | Past Producer | ||
| Ash Slough Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Berenda Slough Sand Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Cross Load | Gold | Past Producer | ||
| Cross Load | Gold | Occurrence |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairmead | 1.0 miles | 19 | |
| Chowchilla | 3.8 miles | 15 | |
| Berenda | 4.2 miles | 19 | |
| Sharon | 4.2 miles | 19 | |
| Medano (historical) | 4.2 miles | 16 | |
| Minturn | 5.2 miles | 16 | |
| Ash (historical) | 5.2 miles | 15 | |
| Tyler (historical) | 6.0 miles | 15 |
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.
| Wikipedia article on Califa (historical) | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q5019910 | 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 1666145. 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.










