BlockBefore

Carson, California

39 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1896 and the latest in 1981. It stands in the Compton census division. It lies in ZIP code area 90745. The Survey maps it on the Torrance quadrangle. 95,558 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 39 feet above sea level.

Carson within Los Angeles County

Then and now

1896 to 1981

The same ground, surveyed 85 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Carson, surveyed 1981
Topographic sheet of Carson, surveyed 1896

Compare 1896 against another survey:

Population over time

3 figures

Carson grew from 38,059 to 95,558 between 1960 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
196038,059
201091,714
202095,558+3,844 (+4%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

14 surveys from 39 printed sheets

Matched 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.

Fires near this place

204 since 2005

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 204 fires within 5 miles of Carson between 2005 and 2020, burning about 105 acres in total. None started naturally. 11 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/undetermined120
Smoking30
Equipment and vehicle use18
Misuse of fire by a minor14
Arson/incendiarism11
Debris and open burning8
Recreation and ceremony3

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
8 September 2008Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
8 September 2008Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
7 September 2009Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
5 September 2011Smokingunder an acreLos Angeles County Fire Departmentnot named
4 September 2005Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
3 September 2006Misuse of fire by a minor5.0 acresCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
26 September 2005Equipment and vehicle use1.0 acresCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
24 September 2006Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Los Angeles County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 18 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 18 workings within 5 miles of Carson: 16 past producers, 1 occurrence, 1 plant. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Clay, Sand and Gravel, Construction, Silica, Diatomite. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Diatomaceous Earth DepositDiatomiteOccurrence
Torrance B Plant TiTitanium, MetalPlant
Unnamed QuarryLead, Silver, ZincPast Producer
Caswell & Co.SilicaPast Producer
Chandlers Palos Verdes S&G Co.Sand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Edward Sidebotham and Sons, Inc.Sand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Graham Bros.-Lomita PlantSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Lawrence I. Liston Co.-Madrona AveSilicaPast Producer
Miller Bros. Truck Co.- Vollmer PitSilicaPast Producer
Miller Bros. Truck Co.-HawthorneSilicaPast Producer

Every working recorded in Los Angeles County

Storms near this place

7 since 2001

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Carson in 7 storm reports between 2001 and 2026: 6 flash flood, 1 flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
February 2026Flash FloodCarson-Heavy rainfall generated flash flooding near the intersection of Interstate 710 and Willow Street.
February 2024Flash FloodCarson-California Highway Patrol reported significant flooding on Interstate 405 at the Wardlow exit. Two vehicles were stuck in the flooding roadway.
February 2024Flash FloodCarson-California Highway Patrol reported significant flooding on Interstate 710 near Long Beach. All southbound lanes of Interstate 710 under the PCH Bridge were closed due to flooding.
January 2017Flash FloodCarson-Flash flooding was reported at the intersection of the Pacific Coast Highway and Interstate 710.
December 2014Flash FloodWest Carson-A strong thunderstorm over the city of Torrance produced intense rainfall and flash flooding. Streets were flooded and numerous cars were stranded.
January 2010Flash FloodCarson-A very intense thunderstorm produced heavy rain and flash flooding in southern Los Angeles county near the interchange of Interstates 405 and 710. An automated rain gage in the area reported 2.46 inches of rainfall in 45 minutes. With such intense rainfall, water was at least chest high across the area which stranded many vehicles and flooded numerous businesses.
November 2001FloodCarson-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Los Angeles County

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 PlaceDistance Sheets
Keystone0.4 miles39
West Carson0.9 miles39
Dolanco Junction1.3 miles41
Avalon Village1.6 miles39
Southwest Village1.8 miles41
Ironsides1.9 miles41
Roosevelt2.6 miles41
Watson Junction2.7 miles40

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 CarsonAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q494690The 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 1660441. 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.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.