Serrano, California
31 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1897 and the latest in 1995. It stands in the San Luis Obispo census division. It lies in ZIP code area 93405. The Survey maps it on the San Luis Obispo quadrangle.
Then and now
1897 to 1995The same ground, surveyed 98 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.


Compare 1897 against another survey:
Topographic sheets covering this place
13 surveys from 31 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.
- 1897 USGS San Luis Obispo quadrangle1:62500, 4 printings
- 1900 USGS San Luis quadrangle1:125000, 4 printings
- 1942 USGS San Luis Obispo quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1947 USGS San Luis Obispo quadrangle1:250000
- 1948 USGS San Luis Obispo quadrangle1:250000
- 1952 USGS San Luis Obispo quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1956 USGS San Luis Obispo quadrangle1:250000, 5 printings
- 1957 USGS San Luis Obispo quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS San Luis Obispo quadrangle1:250000
- 1965 USGS San Luis Obispo quadrangle1:24000, 5 printings
- 1976 USGS San Luis Obispo quadrangle1:24000
- 1981 USGS San Luis Obispo quadrangle1:100000, 3 printings
- 1995 USGS San Luis Obispo quadrangle1:24000
Fires near this place
291 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 291 fires within 5 miles of Serrano between 1992 and 2020, burning about 6,506 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 8 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 |
|---|---|
| Equipment and vehicle use | 122 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 121 |
| Debris and open burning | 11 |
| Smoking | 10 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 9 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 8 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 4 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 2 |
| Natural | 2 |
| Firearms and explosives use | 2 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 September 2003 | Equipment and vehicle use | 2.0 acres | San Luis Obispo Unit | STENNER |
| 8 September 1994 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | San Luis Obispo Unit | SLU 3071 |
| 5 September 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | San Luis Obispo Unit | EMS3CDF/ |
| 5 September 2014 | Smoking | under an acre | San Luis Obispo Unit | OCONNOR WAY /W FOOTHILL B |
| 5 September 2011 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | San Luis Obispo Unit | CUESTA |
| 5 September 1994 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | San Luis Obispo Unit | SLU-3023 |
| 30 September 2000 | Railroad operations and maintenance | under an acre | San Luis Obispo Unit | GRADE |
| 29 September 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | San Luis Obispo Unit | RESERVOIR |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 89 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 89 workings within 5 miles of Serrano: 40 past producers, 18 producers, 16 prospects, 12 occurrences. 18 still produce. What was taken out: Chromium, Copper, Stone, Crushed/Broken, Manganese. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estrella Mine | Chromium, Iridium, Platinum, Palladium, Ruthenium, Rhodium | Past Producer | Chromite | |
| Lee Quarry | Stone | Producer | ||
| New London Mine | Chromium, Iron | Past Producer | 1882, 1883 | |
| Questa Prospect | Chromium, Platinum, Palladium, Iridium, Ruthenium, Rhodium | Occurrence | Chromite | |
| San Jose Valley Mine | Mercury | Producer | ||
| Santa Margarita Platinum Occurrence | Platinum | Occurrence | ||
| Santa Margarita Ranch Shell Dep. | Calcium | Past Producer | ||
| Seeley Group | Iron, Chromium | Past Producer | 1880 | |
| Tassajara Group | Limestone, General | Prospect | ||
| Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
2 since 2024Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Serrano in 2 storm reports between 2024 and 2026: 2 thunderstorm wind. 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2026 | Thunderstorm Wind | Serrano | - | Strong thunderstorm winds, gusting to 61 MPH, were reported at the Mount Lowe sensor. |
| February 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Serrano | - | An automated sensor at Mount Lowe reported a thunderstorm wind gust of 66 MPH. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thyle | 1.2 miles | 31 | |
| Chorro | 1.4 miles | 31 | |
| Goldtree | 1.7 miles | 31 | |
| San Luis Obispo | 3.6 miles | 31 | |
| Santa Margarita | 4.5 miles | 27 | |
| Garden Farms | 6.3 miles | 27 | |
| Cushing | 6.8 miles | 27 | |
| Dove (historical) | 8.1 miles | 29 |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1661425. 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.












