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Prunedale, California

25 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1915 and the latest in 1983. It stands in the Castroville census division. It lies in ZIP code area 93907. It lies near Pesante Canyon. The Survey maps it on the Prunedale quadrangle. 18,885 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 92 feet above sea level.

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Prunedale within Monterey County

Then and now

1915 to 1983

The same ground, surveyed 68 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Prunedale, surveyed 1983
Topographic sheet of Prunedale, surveyed 1915

Compare 1915 against another survey:

Population over time

2 figures

Prunedale grew from 17,560 to 18,885 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
201017,560
202018,885+1,325 (+8%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

12 surveys from 25 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

356 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 356 fires within 5 miles of Prunedale between 1992 and 2020, burning about 620 acres in total. 2 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
Missing data/not specified/undetermined140
Equipment and vehicle use108
Debris and open burning36
Arson/incendiarism30
Misuse of fire by a minor20
Recreation and ceremony6
Smoking6
Power generation/transmission/distribution5
Other causes3
Natural2

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
8 September 2013Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreSan Benito-Monterey UnitSHERRY
7 September 2018Debris and open burning1.0 acresCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
7 September 2008Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreSan Benito-Monterey UnitSAN JUAN GRADE RD / CRAZY
7 September 1998Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreSan Benito-Monterey UnitMELUGAN
4 September 2015Power generation/transmission/distributionunder an acreSan Benito-Monterey UnitVIERRA CANYON RD NORTH_C
4 September 2004Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreSan Benito-Monterey UnitCABEU003585
4 September 1993Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreSan Benito-Monterey UnitPG&E #21
30 September 2005Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreSan Benito-Monterey UnitCABEU003693

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Monterey County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 17 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 17 workings within 5 miles of Prunedale: 8 past producers, 4 prospects, 2 plants, 2 producers. 4 still produce. What was taken out: Limestone, General, Stone, Stone, Crushed/Broken, Dolomite. 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
Arca Roofing Tile PlantClayPast Producer
Bethlehem Steel CoDolomitePast Producer
Natividad Calcining PlantMagnesitePlant
Natividad Quarry & MillMagnesite, Limestone, GeneralPlant1940, 1942
Sugarloaf DepositLimestone, General, DolomiteOccurrence
Echo ValleyStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Unnamed PitStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Unnamed QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
AugustiniStoneProducer
Echo ValleyStoneProducer

Every working recorded in Monterey County

Storms near this place

16 since 2014

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Prunedale in 16 storm reports between 2014 and 2024: 11 flood, 3 debris flow, 1 flash flood, 1 heavy rain. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. 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
January 2024FloodPrunedale$10Roadway flooding was reported at US Highway 101 Southbound at Pesante Road. The drain was not flowing properly because of nearby construction.
March 2024FloodPrunedale-Roadway flooding was reported on westbound Blackie Road west of US Highway 101.
March 2024Flash FloodPrunedale-Flash flooding reported around 2:40 pm at Ralph Lane in Northern Monterey County. Water is reported to be up to the window sills of homes along Ralph Lane. A temporary evacuation point has been set up at the Prunedale Library and half a dozen rescues and submerged cars have been reported.
March 2024FloodPrunedale-Half a foot of water covering the number 1 lane of US Highway 101.
March 2024FloodPrunedale-Southbound US Highway 101 was flooded just north of Blackie Road. The fast lane was reported flooded due to a clogged drain, and half a foot of water was reported on the road.
March 2024FloodPrunedale-Vehicle stuck in floodwaters near Ralph Lane and northbound US Highway 101.
January 2024FloodPrunedale-Three inches of water were reported between both lanes of the southbound US Highway 101/westbound California Highway 156 transition.
March 2024Heavy RainPrunedale-Around one inch of rain fell in the area. Vehicles pulled over on the shoulder and center medians of Northbound US 101 at Ralph Lane due to heavy rainfall reducing visibility.
December 2019FloodPrunedale-Flooding in the slow lane of 101 at the intersection of 156.
December 2019FloodPrunedale-Blackie Rd between hwy 183 and Borromeo Dr flooding.
February 2017Debris FlowPrunedale-Mud/dirt/rocks across Crazy Horse Cyn Rd at Wild Horse Rd.
February 2017Debris FlowPrunedale-Mud, dirt, and trees in slow lane HWY101 at Crazy Horse Canyon Rd.
February 2017Debris FlowPrunedale-Heavy mud slide about 3 feet deep blocking one lane near 18222 Moro Rd.
February 2017FloodPrunedale-Roadway completely flooded Cross Rd/Reese Cir.
February 2017FloodPrunedale-Roadway flooded Pesante Rd/Holly Hill Dr.
December 2014FloodPrunedale-Roadway flooding reported from intersection of Meridian Road and Archer Road.

Every storm recorded in Monterey 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
Oak Hills2.5 miles25
Gabilan Acres3.0 miles25
Bolsa Knolls3.3 miles27
Santa Rita3.7 miles27
Castroville4.7 miles26
Natividad4.9 miles27
Cooper4.9 miles27
Elkhorn5.0 miles25

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 PrunedaleAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q3296010The 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 277580. 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.