Chinatown, California
28 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1889 and the latest in 1993. It stands in the Ione census division. It lies in ZIP code area 95640. It stands on Copper Creek. The Survey maps it on the Ione quadrangle. It stands 344 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
1889 to 1993The same ground, surveyed 104 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.


On record in Chinatown
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register within a mile 5 records
The National Register names another town for these. They stand within one mile of this settlement's coordinate.
George and Eliza Withington Houselisted 2015 · 0.3 miles away
C.W. Swain Houselisted 2014 · 0.3 miles away
Ione City Centenary Churchlisted 1977 · 0.4 miles away
Preston Castlelisted 1975 · 0.7 miles away- Preston School of Industrylisted 2024 · 0.9 miles away
Topographic sheets covering this place
14 surveys from 28 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.
- 1889 USGS Jackson quadrangle1:125000
- 1892 USGS Jackson quadrangle1:125000
- 1897 USGS Jackson quadrangle1:125000
- 1902 USGS Jackson quadrangle1:125000, 7 printings
- 1941 USGS Sutter Creek quadrangle1:62500
- 1944 USGS Sutter Creek quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1947 USGS Sacramento quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1948 USGS Sacramento quadrangle1:250000
- 1956 USGS Sacramento quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1957 USGS Sacramento quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1957 USGS Sutter Creek quadrangle1:62500
- 1962 USGS Ione quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1962 USGS Sutter Creek quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1993 USGS San Andreas quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
247 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 247 fires within 5 miles of Chinatown (historical) between 1992 and 2020, burning about 2,540 acres in total. 4 started naturally. 12 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 | 96 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 80 |
| Debris and open burning | 30 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 12 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 8 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 6 |
| Smoking | 4 |
| Natural | 4 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 3 |
| Other causes | 3 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 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 1999 | Natural | 10 acres | Amador-El Dorado Unit | 0WENS |
| 9 September 1992 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Amador-El Dorado Unit | TWIN |
| 7 September 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Amador-El Dorado Unit | SUTTER |
| 7 September 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6.0 acres | Amador-El Dorado Unit | 124 |
| 7 September 2000 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Central California District | BUENA |
| 6 September 1992 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Amador-El Dorado Unit | POND |
| 5 September 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Amador-El Dorado Unit | JACKSON |
| 5 September 2009 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | under an acre | Amador-El Dorado Unit | HY |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 169 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 169 workings within 5 miles of Chinatown (historical): 57 occurrences, 36 producers, 28 unknowns, 26 past producers. 36 still produce. What was taken out: Clay, Gold, Copper, Chromium. 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 Lime Rock | Limestone, General | Producer | ||
| Fancher | Gold, Clay | Producer | ||
| Hayward | Copper, Silver, Gold, Zinc | Past Producer | Chalcopyrite, Pyrite, Sphalerite | |
| Ione | Copper, Gold, Silver, Zinc, Antimony | Past Producer | Stibnite | |
| Ione Clays | Iron, Silica, Aluminum, Water, Free | Past Producer | Surface | |
| Ione Pit and Mill | Zirconium, Titanium, Kaolin | Producer | 1954 | |
| Mooney | Gemstone, Quartz | Occurrence | ||
| Mooney | Gemstone | Prospect | ||
| Newton | Copper, Silver, Gold, Lead, Zinc | Past Producer | 1863 | |
| Newton | Copper, Gold, Silver | Past Producer | Underground |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ione | 0.2 miles | 28 | |
| Firebrick | 1.3 miles | 28 | |
| Dagon | 1.8 miles | 28 | |
| Sunnybrook | 2.8 miles | 28 | |
| Clarksona | 3.2 miles | 28 | |
| Edwin | 3.6 miles | 28 | |
| Buena Vista | 4.2 miles | 28 | |
| Carbondale | 5.6 miles | 25 |
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 Q5100131 | 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 1733296. 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.













