BlockBefore

Spence, California

26 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1910 and the latest in 1983. It stands in the Salinas census division. It lies in ZIP code area 93908. It stands on Quail Creek. The Survey maps it on the Chualar quadrangle. It stands 82 feet above sea level.

Spence within Monterey County

Then and now

1910 to 1983

The same ground, surveyed 73 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Spence, surveyed 1983
Topographic sheet of Spence, surveyed 1910

Compare 1910 against another survey:

Topographic sheets covering this place

12 surveys from 26 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

56 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 56 fires within 5 miles of Spence between 1992 and 2020, burning about 503 acres in total. None started naturally. 1 was 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/undetermined24
Equipment and vehicle use18
Debris and open burning6
Misuse of fire by a minor5
Smoking2
Arson/incendiarism1

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 2017Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire ProtectionOLD STAGE
9 September 1997Equipment and vehicle use1.0 acresSan Benito-Monterey UnitRIVER
8 September 2004Misuse of fire by a minorunder an acreSan Benito-Monterey UnitCABEU004147
5 September 2020Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreSan Benito-Monterey Unitnot named
30 September 2018Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.1 acresCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
25 September 1993Debris and open burning5.0 acresSan Benito-Monterey UnitSORATOS
7 August 2012Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresSan Benito-Monterey UnitOLD STAGE
5 August 2000Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreSan Benito-Monterey UnitGULARTE

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Monterey County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 14 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 14 workings within 5 miles of Spence: 6 producers, 4 past producers, 2 prospects, 2 occurrences. 6 still produce. What was taken out: Stone, Sand and Gravel, Construction, Stone, Crushed/Broken, Clay. 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
Bardin ProspectsLimestone, GeneralProspectSedimentary
Bardin ProspectsLimestone, GeneralPast Producer
Heins LakeClayOccurrence
HenningsenStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
RiandaStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Salinas BrickyardClayProspectSedimentary
Bardin EstateSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
Greco PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Unnamed QuarrySand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Bardin RanchStoneProducer

Every working recorded in Monterey County

Storms near this place

5 since 2016

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Spence in 5 storm reports between 2016 and 2024: 5 flood. 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
February 2024FloodSpence$10Northbound US Highway 101 was closed from Hartnell Road to Alisal Road due to flooding.
February 2024FloodSpence-Flooding at US Highway 101 at Abbott Street.
January 2021FloodSpence-Roadway flooding at US-101 N and Esperanza Rd.
December 2019FloodSpence-NB Hwy 101 at Esperanza Rd, number 2 lane is completely flooded and number 1 lane will be soon.
January 2016FloodSpence-Hartnell Road at US101 closed due to flooding.

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
Chualar3.9 miles26
Spreckels4.3 miles28
Spreckels Junction4.6 miles27
Alisal5.3 miles27
Old Hilltown5.6 miles27
Springtown5.6 miles27
Gabilan (historical)6.0 miles24
Salinas6.5 miles27

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.

Wikidata item Q7575940The 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 1656326. 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.