BlockBefore

Polaris, California

36 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1891 and the latest in 2000. It stands in the Donner census division. It lies in ZIP code area 96161. It lies near Martis Valley. The Survey maps it on the Truckee quadrangle. It stands 5,695 feet above sea level.

Polaris within Nevada County

Then and now

1891 to 2000

The same ground, surveyed 109 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Polaris, surveyed 2000
Topographic sheet of Polaris, surveyed 1891

Topographic sheets covering this place

12 surveys from 36 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

312 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 312 fires within 5 miles of Polaris between 1992 and 2020, burning about 2,164 acres in total. 34 started naturally. 13 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/undetermined101
Recreation and ceremony81
Equipment and vehicle use34
Natural34
Debris and open burning20
Arson/incendiarism13
Smoking12
Misuse of fire by a minor12
Power generation/transmission/distribution4
Fireworks1

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
9 September 2019Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreNevada-Yuba-Placer UnitDONNER PASS RD TRUCKEE_F
9 September 2018Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreTahoe National ForestSAWTOOTH
9 September 2013Recreation and ceremony1.0 acresNevada-Yuba-Placer UnitAIRPORT
8 September 2017Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire ProtectionQUARRY
6 September 2015Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreTahoe National ForestSAWTOOTH
5 September 2011Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresNevada-Yuba-Placer UnitHIPPY
5 September 1994Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreNevada-Yuba-Placer UnitAIRPLANE
4 September 2006Equipment and vehicle use7.0 acresSanta Clara UnitCOE

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Nevada County

Mines and quarries near this place

8 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 8 workings within 5 miles of Polaris: 6 producers, 1 prospect, 1 past producer. 6 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Pumice, Gold. 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
Unnamed LocationGoldProspect
Hirschdale PitPumiceProducer
Red Rock AggregatesPumiceProducer
Cold Stream PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Martis Valley PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Sha-Neva-Plant No. 2Sand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Teichert Aggregates Truckee PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Truckee PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer

Every working recorded in Nevada 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
Olympic Heights1.2 miles36
Ponderosa Fairway Estates1.7 miles36
Union Mills1.8 miles34
Prosser (historical)2.2 miles36
Prosser Lakeview Estates2.5 miles36
Prosser Lake Heights2.6 miles36
Truckee2.6 miles36
Gateway3.7 miles36

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 PolarisAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q7209116The 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 1659416. 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.