BlockMecca, California
28 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1904 and the latest in 1984. It stands in the Coachella Valley census division. It lies in ZIP code area 92254. The Survey maps it on the Mecca quadrangle. 8,219 people lived here at the 2020 count. It lies 187 feet below sea level.
Then and now
1904 to 1984The same ground, surveyed 80 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.
On record in Mecca
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 1 record
North Shore Yacht Clublisted 2015
Population over time
2 figuresMecca fell from 8,577 to 8,219 between 2010 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.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 8,577 | |
| 2020 | 8,219 | -358 (-4%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
12 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.
- 1904 USGS Indio quadrangle1:125000, 7 printings
- 1941 USGS Coachella quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1943 USGS Coachella quadrangle1:62500
- 1947 USGS Santa Ana quadrangle1:250000
- 1949 USGS Santa Ana quadrangle1:250000
- 1955 USGS Mecca quadrangle1:24000, 4 printings
- 1956 USGS Coachella quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1956 USGS Santa Ana quadrangle1:250000
- 1959 USGS Santa Ana quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1960 USGS Santa Ana quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1965 USGS Santa Ana quadrangle1:250000
- 1984 USGS Palm Springs quadrangle1:100000, 3 printings
Fires near this place
497 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 497 fires within 5 miles of Mecca between 1992 and 2020, burning about 2,584 acres in total. 3 started naturally. 53 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 | 302 |
| Debris and open burning | 58 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 53 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 34 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 20 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 15 |
| Smoking | 9 |
| Natural | 3 |
| Other causes | 1 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1 |
| 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 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Riverside Unit | 5TH ST / HOME AV |
| 9 September 1994 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Riverside Unit | LOCAL |
| 9 September 1992 | Equipment and vehicle use | 3.0 acres | Riverside Unit | LOCAL |
| 8 September 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Riverside Unit | AVENUE |
| 8 September 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Riverside Unit | HOME AV / 5TH ST |
| 5 September 2015 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Riverside Unit | HOME AV / 5TH ST |
| 4 September 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.5 acres | Riverside Unit | LINCOLN |
| 4 September 1999 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Riverside Unit | LOCAL |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
6 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 6 workings within 5 miles of Mecca: 3 occurrences, 2 past producers, 1 prospect. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Clay, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Sand and Gravel Occurrence | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Occurrence | ||
| Red Top Clay Deposit | Clay | Occurrence | Sedimentary | |
| Red Top Clay Deposit | Clay | Prospect | ||
| Skeleton Canyon Clay Mine | Clay | Past Producer | ||
| Surprise Canyon Clay Occurrence | Clay | Occurrence |
Storms near this place
23 since 1999Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Mecca in 23 storm reports between 1999 and 2025: 13 flash flood, 3 thunderstorm wind, 2 wildfire, 2 heavy rain. The reports record 5 injuries. 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2015 | Tornado (EF1) | Mecca | 2 hurt, $18,000,000 | The damage was west of Highway 111 between 64th and 66th Avenues, paralleling Highway 86 towards the mountains, or approximately 3 1/2 miles. An emergency manager for the Imperial irrigation water district (IID) reported a total of 140 poles damaged, 30 of which were steel. |
| June 2003 | Wildfire | Mecca | 2 hurt | no account filed |
| September 2018 | Flash Flood | Mecca | 1 hurt, $200,000 | A thunderstorms produced radar estimated 2 to 4 inches of rain in Box Canyon near I-10 within Box Canyon. The runoff destroyed a dike operated by Coachella Valley Water District. The moisture was associated with pre Tropical Cyclone Rosa. The thunderstorm produced prolific lightning in the area. Box Canyon had a flash flood which drains from the little San Bernardino mountains. The water eventually drains into the Salton Sea. A vehicle travelling on Box Canyon road was swept away in the flash flood and the driver drowned (within PHX area of responsibility). |
| September 2012 | Flash Flood | Mecca | $2,000,000 | A stationary thunderstorm brought persistent heavy rain in Mecca between 0200 and 0800 PST, resulting in flash flooding of two mobile home parks. Approximately 15 to 20 mobile homes in the Duroville and Saint Anthony's mobile home parks were damaged. The American Red Cross set up an evacuation center at the Mecca Family and Farm Workers Services Facility for the approximately 1500 residents affected. A boil water message was issued for these locations as well. Saul Martinez Elementary School also reported water damage to 15 classrooms, the teachers' lounge and the administration building with 2 to 3 inches of water. |
| January 1999 | Wildfire | Mecca | $400,000 | Strong gusty winds caused palm fronds to brush against electrical power lines and ignite near the intersection of Palm Island Drive and Highway 111. Wind gusts to 80 mph then fanned the flames into a 30 acre wild fire that affected the community of North Shore. One house, a garage, a small office building, a storage shed, two travel trailers, and eight vehicles were destroyed. Several residents were evacuated and one family was left homeless. |
| September 2012 | Flash Flood | Mecca | $150,000 | Fire department and rescue officials in Riverside County reported residential flooding of approximately 4 homes on the 91000 block of 5th Street in Mecca due to heavy downpours. No injuries reported and depth of flood waters was unknown. |
| October 2018 | Flash Flood | Mecca | $100,000 | Heavy rain from Tropical Storm Sergio resulted in flash flooding in the Coachella Valley. The runoff destroyed a dike operated by the Coachella Valley Water District for a second time. |
| August 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mecca | $10,000 | Law enforcement reported two large palm trees fell onto the road at 77th and Harrison, as well as a power pole that fell onto a vehicle near 70th and Pierce Streets. |
| July 2021 | Flash Flood | Mecca | $1,000 | Radar estimated 2 to 2.5 inches of rainfall at the mouth of Box Canyon which caused flash flooding at the entrance of Box Canyon Road and along Painted Canyon Road. There were a couple vehicles involved with the flooding which caused a road closure. Located south of I-10 and north of Highway 111. |
| August 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mecca | $1,000 | Strong thunderstorm winds resulted in roof damage at the Galilee Center, used as a shelter for people who had lost power the day before. The leaking roof prompted evacuation of the building. |
| August 2025 | Flood | Mecca | - | Report of roadway flooding on Highway 86 just south of 66th Avenue in Mecca. |
| August 2023 | Flash Flood | Mecca | - | A swift water rescue was conducted on Box Canyon Road in Mecca. |
| September 2023 | Flash Flood | Mecca | - | Flooding occurred at 67959 Lincoln Avenue after about 1.80 inches of rain fell nearby. Flooding continued through at least 10:30 AM on September 2nd, per CalTrans. |
| October 2022 | Flood | Mecca | - | Three to four feet of water accumulated on Box Canyon Road at Coachella Canal Road. Boulders were also in the road, causing Box Canyon Road to close at 4:45 PM local time. |
| August 2022 | Heavy Rain | Mecca | - | Rainfall of 0.91 inch recorded at Kent Sea Farms overnight from an MCS that moved southward from Joshua Tree into the lower deserts. |
| July 2021 | Flash Flood | Mecca | - | One vehicle swept off the roadway on box canyon road with 10 to 12 other vehicles potentially stranded. |
| August 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mecca | - | Large tree blocking the road near intersection of 66th Avenue/Box Canyon Road and Johnson Road in Mecca. |
| August 2014 | Flash Flood | Mecca | - | Roadway washed out near the intersection of Box Canyon Road / 66th ave. Road closure required. |
| July 2013 | Flash Flood | Mecca | - | Law enforcement reports a hard closure of the intersection of Tyler Street and 64th Street in Mecca, due to roadway flooding. Intersection closed due to roads being impassable. |
| September 2012 | Heavy Rain | Mecca | - | The ALERT rain gauge at Kent Sea Farms recorded 5.51 inches of rain in 24 hours, 4.18 inches of which was in the past 12 hours. The vast majority of the rain fell between 0000 and 0700 PST. |
| September 2012 | Flash Flood | Mecca | - | Heavy rain resulted in flooding along 66th Avenue east of Johnson Avenue. County Road Department was dispatched to barricade the roads. |A short distance upstream, the Thermal airport measured 1.42 inches of rain between 0019 and 0316 PST, over an inch of which fell between 0019 and 0236 PST. |
| September 2012 | Flash Flood | Mecca | - | Heavy rain resulted in flooding along State Highway 111, just east of the intersection with Colfax Street. The roadway there was covered with 3 feet of water. |A mesonet station, at Kent Sea Farms, just west of this location recorded 3.38 inches of rain between 0050 and 0419 PST. |
| August 2005 | Flash Flood | Mecca | - | no account filed |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martinez | 4.1 miles | 28 | |
| Caleb (historical) | 4.1 miles | 28 | |
| One Hundred Palms | 5.1 miles | 28 | |
| Valerie | 5.5 miles | 28 | |
| Desert Camp | 5.6 miles | 20 | |
| Thermal | 5.8 miles | 30 | |
| Sandy Korner | 7.4 miles | 30 | |
| Oasis | 7.4 miles | 29 |
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 Mecca | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2097028 | 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 1652751. 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.