BlockBefore

Cowan Heights, California

46 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1896 and the latest in 1983. It stands in the Anaheim-Santa Ana-Garden Grove census division. It lies in ZIP code area 92705. The Survey maps it on the Orange quadrangle.

Cowan Heights within Orange County

Then and now

1896 to 1983

The same ground, surveyed 87 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Cowan Heights, surveyed 1983
Topographic sheet of Cowan Heights, surveyed 1896

Compare 1896 against another survey:

Topographic sheets covering this place

20 surveys from 46 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

99 since 1995

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 99 fires within 5 miles of Cowan Heights between 1995 and 2020, burning about 2,742 acres in total. 2 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/undetermined56
Equipment and vehicle use17
Arson/incendiarism12
Smoking9
Natural2
Misuse of fire by a minor2
Debris and open burning1

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
5 September 1995Equipment and vehicle use8.0 acresCleveland National ForestIRVINE
4 September 2018Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
24 September 2016Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
19 September 2016Smokingunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
9 August 2008Smokingunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
8 August 2006Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreRiverside UnitHIGHWAY
5 August 2018Arson/incendiarismunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
5 August 2005Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Orange County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 16 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 16 workings within 5 miles of Cowan Heights: 12 past producers, 4 producers. 4 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Mercury, Barium-Barite, Clay. 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
Red Hill MineMercury, Barium-BaritePast Producer
Unnamed Clay ProspectClayPast Producer
Red Hill MineMercuryPast Producer1927
Blue Diamond PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
El Toro PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Irvine Lake Rock Plant # 71Sand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Orange County Rock Co., Inc.Sand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer

Every working recorded in Orange 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
Panorama Heights1.3 miles46
Lemon Heights1.4 miles46
North Tustin1.4 miles46
La Paloma1.6 miles46
Orange Park Acres1.7 miles46
El Modena2.0 miles46
Hewes Park2.2 miles46
McPherson2.9 miles46

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 Q122598384The 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 241029. 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.