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Mountain Center, California

37 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1901 and the latest in 1996. It stands in the Idyllwild census division. It lies in ZIP code area 92561. It lies near Blodgett Flat. The Survey maps it on the Idyllwild quadrangle. 66 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 4,518 feet above sea level.

Mountain Center within Riverside County

Then and now

1901 to 1996

The same ground, surveyed 95 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Mountain Center, surveyed 1996
Topographic sheet of Mountain Center, surveyed 1901

Compare 1901 against another survey:

Population over time

2 figures

Mountain Center grew from 63 to 66 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.

YearPeople Change
201063
202066+3 (+5%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

15 surveys from 37 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

342 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 342 fires within 5 miles of Mountain Center between 1992 and 2020, burning about 45,707 acres in total. 53 started naturally. 30 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
Recreation and ceremony79
Missing data/not specified/undetermined78
Natural53
Equipment and vehicle use38
Arson/incendiarism30
Power generation/transmission/distribution16
Debris and open burning14
Other causes13
Smoking12
Misuse of fire by a minor7
Fireworks2

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
7 September 2000Naturalunder an acreSan Bernardino National ForestBOSS
7 September 2000Naturalunder an acreSan Bernardino National ForestANTSELL
6 September 2006Naturalunder an acreSan Bernardino National ForestFOSTER
5 September 2002Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreSan Bernardino National ForestBALD
4 September 2020Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreSan Bernardino National ForestPEPPER
4 September 2019Smokingunder an acreRiverside UnitRIVERSIDE COUNTY PLAYGROU
4 September 2003Naturalunder an acreSan Bernardino National ForestFISHERMAN
30 September 2011Naturalunder an acreSan Bernardino National ForestLITTLE THOMAS

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Riverside County

Mines and quarries near this place

4 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 4 workings within 5 miles of Mountain Center: 2 past producers, 1 occurrence, 1 prospect. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Asbestos, Kyanite, Quartz, Stone, Crushed/Broken. 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
Catherine C. MineAsbestosPast Producer
Gilbert A. MorrisQuartzProspect
Riverside Co. Gravel PitStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Unnamed Andalusite OccurrenceKyaniteOccurrence

Every working recorded in Riverside County

Storms near this place

8 since 1999

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Mountain Center in 8 storm reports between 1999 and 2024: 3 flash flood, 2 wildfire, 2 debris flow, 1 heavy rain. The reports record 4 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
September 1999WildfireMountain Center3 hurtThis fire began on August 28 and was not fully contained until September 9. A total of 4 people were injured and over 3300 acres consumed.
August 1999WildfireMountain Center1 hurtA wild fire rapidly grew towards the southeast. August ended, it was only 92 percent contained and had injured 1 person, consumed 3000 acres, forced the evacuation of 100 residents and campers, and closed Highways 74 and 243. No property damage was reported, but the cost of fighting the fire so far was estimated at $555,000.
September 2013Flash FloodMountain Center$500,000Significant heavy rain on the 3rd through 5th resulted in devastating flooding and debris flows in the canyon of the Riverside Mountains where the Zen Mountain Center is located. The Center sustained heavy damage from debris flows on the 4th and 5th and it is unclear which particular day was worse. On the 4th, approximately 3 to 5 feet of mud and rocks flowed through the retreat, half-burying cars and cabins. On the 5th, the second flow brought several more feet of mud and debris, fully burying a few cars. The flows broke plumbing pipes and uncovered buried phone lines. The various buildings sustained significant damage as well, with several feet of mud inside and water damage. Much of the walkways and common areas were unrecognizable due to the washouts.
August 2024Heavy RainMountain Center-Mountain Center recorded 0.81 inches in 1 hour from thunderstorm. GW0998.|Temperature fell from 86 to 65F.
August 2018Debris FlowMountain Center-California Department of Transportation reported that there were dozens of small debris flows in and around the Cranston Fire burn scar on August 15th but highway 74 was proactively closed based on NWS warnings. On August 17th, there was a large debris flow up to 5 feet deep in the Lake Hemet Campground area from Hurkey Creek. Again highway 74 was closed about 2 hours in advanced based on NWS briefings and the actual Flash Flood Warning. Very large boulders were reported to have traveled downstream on the upper Hurkey Creek near Fleming Ranch. Evacuations were in order at Hurkey Creek Campground and Sheriff was on site monitoring the potential based on NWS briefings. Video of the debris flow was captured. A storm survey was conducted by NWS following the debris flow. No injuries or major damages reported from this event. Rain gauges in the area reported 1-1.5 inches of rainfall near the Cranston Fire burn scar. Evacuations of the small communities near the Cranston Fire burn scar were put into place on August 15th in anticipation of the heavy rainfall and potential for flash flooding and debris flows.
August 2018Debris FlowMountain Center-Sheriff reported that a major debris flow occurred on Highway 74 near the Cranston Fire burn scar. No injuries or damages were reported.
July 2013Flash FloodMountain Center-Crews on the Mountain Fire reported 0.5 inches of rain in 30 minutes between 1258 and 1328 PST. A debris flow from the fire moved through a pond, displacing the water and killing the fish. Other crews reported 18 inches of water and mud across Apple Canyon Road near Highway 74.
September 2013Flash FloodMountain Center-CHP reported water flowing across the roadway along state route 74 E / state route 371 in Mountain Center. The road is impassable.

Every storm recorded in Riverside 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
Idyllwild2.5 miles37
Pine Cove3.9 miles40
Fern Valley4.0 miles40
Saddle Junction5.5 miles40
Pine Wood7.6 miles40
Thomas Mountain8.2 miles38
Valle Vista9.4 miles42
Lake Crest Estates10.2 miles42

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 Mountain CenterAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q6646538The 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 1661073. 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.