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.
Then and now
1915 to 1993The 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 sheets covering this place
9 surveys from 23 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.
- 1915 USGS Searles Lake quadrangle1:250000, 6 printings
- 1947 USGS Trona quadrangle1:250000
- 1948 USGS Trona quadrangle1:250000
- 1953 USGS Ridgecrest quadrangle1:62500, 4 printings
- 1953 USGS Trona quadrangle1:250000
- 1957 USGS Trona quadrangle1:250000, 5 printings
- 1960 USGS Trona quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1973 USGS Ridgecrest South quadrangle1:24000
- 1993 USGS Ridgecrest quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
96 since 1992Regional 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/undetermined | 48 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 23 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 7 |
| Debris and open burning | 5 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 4 |
| Smoking | 4 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 3 |
| Natural | 1 |
| Fireworks | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 September 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection | not named |
| 3 September 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection | not named |
| 29 September 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | California Desert District | UNNAMED FIRE 1119 |
| 28 September 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection | not named |
| 26 September 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | California Desert District | UNNAMED FIRE 0200 |
| 21 September 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | California Desert District | UNNAMED FIRE 1118 |
| 19 September 2007 | Misuse of fire by a minor | under an acre | California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection | not named |
| 15 September 2006 | Smoking | under an acre | California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 40 shownRegional 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 | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rademacher Mine | Gold, Uranium | Prospect | ||
| Red Wing Mine | Gold, Lead | Past Producer | ||
| Vera Queen Group | Gold, Copper, Iron, Manganese | Past Producer | ||
| Yellow Treasure Group | Gold, Iron, Copper | Past Producer | Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Gold, Hematite | |
| Yellow Treasure Mine | Gold, Copper | Past Producer | ||
| Yellow Treasure Mine | Gold, Copper | Producer | ||
| Bertrand Sand Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Bowman Road Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Caltrans #262 | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Caltrans #264 | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ridgecrest | 2.1 miles | 23 | |
| China Lake | 4.0 miles | 23 | |
| China Lake Acres | 4.4 miles | 23 | |
| Terese (historical) | 4.8 miles | 23 | |
| Inyokern | 6.8 miles | 23 | |
| Searles | 8.7 miles | 28 | |
| Indian Wells | 10.2 miles | 23 | |
| Leliter (historical) | 10.3 miles | 23 |
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 Heights | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q122542676 | 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 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.








