BlockBefore

Ridgecrest Heights, California

23 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1915 and the latest in 1993. It stands in the East Kern census division. It lies in ZIP code area 93555. The Survey maps it on the Ridgecrest South quadrangle.

Ridgecrest Heights within Kern County

Then and now

1915 to 1993

The same ground, surveyed 78 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Ridgecrest Heights, surveyed 1993
Topographic sheet of Ridgecrest Heights, surveyed 1915

Topographic sheets covering this place

9 surveys from 23 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

96 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 96 fires within 5 miles of Ridgecrest Heights between 1992 and 2020, burning about 761 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 23 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/undetermined48
Arson/incendiarism23
Misuse of fire by a minor7
Debris and open burning5
Equipment and vehicle use4
Smoking4
Recreation and ceremony3
Natural1
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
7 September 2005Arson/incendiarismunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
3 September 2007Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
29 September 2006Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Desert DistrictUNNAMED FIRE 1119
28 September 2006Arson/incendiarismunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
26 September 2005Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Desert DistrictUNNAMED FIRE 0200
21 September 2006Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Desert DistrictUNNAMED FIRE 1118
19 September 2007Misuse of fire by a minorunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
15 September 2006Smokingunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Kern County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 40 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 40 workings within 5 miles of Ridgecrest Heights: 19 past producers, 11 prospects, 8 producers, 2 unknowns. 8 still produce. What was taken out: Gold, Sand and Gravel, Construction, Gold, Iron, Copper, Gold, Lead. 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
Rademacher MineGold, UraniumProspect
Red Wing MineGold, LeadPast Producer
Vera Queen GroupGold, Copper, Iron, ManganesePast Producer
Yellow Treasure GroupGold, Iron, CopperPast ProducerBornite, Chalcopyrite, Gold, Hematite
Yellow Treasure MineGold, CopperPast Producer
Yellow Treasure MineGold, CopperProducer
Bertrand Sand PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Bowman Road PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Caltrans #262Sand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknown
Caltrans #264Sand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknown

Every working recorded in Kern 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
Ridgecrest2.1 miles23
China Lake4.0 miles23
China Lake Acres4.4 miles23
Terese (historical)4.8 miles23
Inyokern6.8 miles23
Searles8.7 miles28
Indian Wells10.2 miles23
Leliter (historical)10.3 miles23

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 Ridgecrest HeightsAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q122542676The 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 2804560. 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.