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Susanville, California

22 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1886 and the latest in 1995. It stands in the Susanville census division. It lies in ZIP code area 96130. It stands on Piute Creek. The Survey maps it on the Susanville quadrangle. 16,728 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 4,186 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Susanville within Lassen County

Then and now

1886 to 1995

The same ground, surveyed 109 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Susanville, surveyed 1995
Topographic sheet of Susanville, surveyed 1886

On record in Susanville

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 3 records

Population over time

2 figures

Susanville fell from 17,947 to 16,728 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
201017,947
202016,728-1,219 (-7%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

12 surveys from 22 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

280 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 280 fires within 5 miles of Susanville between 1992 and 2020, burning about 3,258 acres in total. 67 started naturally. 10 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/undetermined81
Natural67
Debris and open burning50
Equipment and vehicle use36
Misuse of fire by a minor13
Recreation and ceremony13
Arson/incendiarism10
Smoking6
Fireworks2
Other causes1
Power generation/transmission/distribution1

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 2015Missing data/not specified/undetermined40 acresLassen-Modoc UnitCENTER.
9 September 2012Missing data/not specified/undetermined2.8 acresLassen-Modoc UnitTHUMPER 2
9 September 2010Smoking1.3 acresLassen-Modoc UnitDIANE
9 September 2003Debris and open burning1.0 acresNorthern California DistrictCRAMER
8 September 2001Smokingunder an acreNorthern California DistrictCHERRY
8 September 1998Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreNorthern California DistrictLMU HOBO
7 September 2020Equipment and vehicle use30 acresLassen-Modoc UnitSUSAN RIVER APARTMENTS 4
7 September 2003Missing data/not specified/undetermined210 acresLassen-Modoc UnitDIANE

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Lassen County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 32 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 32 workings within 5 miles of Susanville: 17 occurrences, 7 unknowns, 4 producers, 4 past producers. 4 still produce. What was taken out: Gold, Stone, Stone, Dimension, Stone, Crushed/Broken. 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
Arkansas ClaimGold, SilverPast Producer
LantzIronOccurrenceHematite
Lassen Sand and GravelSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
StandishPumiceProducer
Unnamed LocationVermiculiteOccurrence
Burroughs and RakerStoneOccurrence
Burroughs and RakerStone, DimensionPast Producer
Gold Run PitStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
GreigStoneOccurrence
GreigStone, DimensionUnknown

Every working recorded in Lassen County

Storms near this place

24 since 2002

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Susanville in 24 storm reports between 2002 and 2025: 16 heavy rain, 4 flood, 3 hail, 1 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
December 2005FloodSusanville$5,000,000Extensive flooding was reported along the Susan River. Streets in Susanville and county roads were flooded. Flooding also occurred at a Union Pacific railroad trestle. Logs and other debris became lodged in the trestle and water was forced to flow around the trestle, flooding the area. Minor flooding was also reported on the Pit River near Bieber and Nubieber.
February 2017FloodSusanville$500,000Major flooding on the Susan River caused extensive damage in and to the east of Susanville from the afternoon of the 9th into the 10th. The flooding prompted the evacuation of a number of homes and apartment complexes in Susanville during the afternoon and evening of the 9th. The damage estimate for this event is rough and could be significantly in error.
March 2025Heavy RainSusanville-CoCoRaHS Station CA-LS-1, 3.2 SSW of Susanville, reported a rain total of 1.33 inches.
February 2025Heavy RainSusanville-A trained spotter located 5.0 mi WNW of Susanville, CA, reported a 24 hour rainfall/liquid total of 1.22 inches.
December 2025FloodSusanville-The California Highway Patrol reported flooding along the Susan River near the cut-off road to Bronson road west of Litchfield.
October 2024Heavy RainSusanville-A mesonet station (WWDC1-Westwood) located 4.0 mi SSW of Freonyer Pass, CA, a mesonet station (BUFC1-Bull Flat) located 11.0 mi NNE of Wendel, CA, a mesonet station (LAFC1-Laufman) located 6.0 mi S of Honey Lake, CA, and a trained spotter located 5.0 mi WNW of Susanville, CA, reported total rainfall amounts of 0.71 inches, 0.69 inches, 0.61 Inches, and 0.52 inches respectively.
December 2024Heavy RainSusanville-COCORAHS station (CA-LS-1 Susanville) located 3.0 mi SSW of Susanville, CA, reported a 24 hour rainfall total of 0.53 inches.
November 2024Heavy RainSusanville-A trained spotter located 5.0 mi WNW of Susanville, CA, reported a 24 hour rainfall/liquid total of 2.1 inches. The 2-day storm total was 3.34 inches.
September 2023Heavy RainSusanville-A Cocorahs station (CA-LS-2) located 3.5 mi SSW Susanville, CA, a trained spotter located 5.0 mi WNW of Susanville, CA, and a mesonet station (GORC1-Gordon) located 9.0 mi NW of Spaulding, CA, reported storm total rainfall amounts of 0.56, 0.67, and 1.37 inches respectively.
July 2022HailSusanville-Trained weather spotter reported half dollar sized hail and very heavy rainfall.
January 2019Heavy RainSusanville-CoCoRaHS station CA-LS-1 3 miles south-southwest of Susanville reported 2.34 inches of rainfall in a 24 hour period from 16 January 0700PST to 17 January 0700PST.
March 2019Heavy RainSusanville-CoCoRaHS Station CA-LS-2, 3 miles south-southwest of Susanville reported 0.77 inches of rainfall over a 24 hour period from 5 March 1700PST to 6 March 1700PST.
December 2019Heavy RainSusanville-Trained weather spotter 5 miles west-northwest of Susanville reported 2.53 inches of rainfall in a 48-hour period from 6 December 1700PST to 8 December 1700PST at an elevation of 5072 feet MSL. Spotter also reported receiving 2.75 inches of wet snowfall during this period.
December 2019Heavy RainSusanville-CO-OP Observer station SNVC1 1 mile west-northwest of Susanville reported 2.25 inches of rainfall in a 48-hour period from 6 December 1100PST to 8 December 1100PST at an elevation of 4184 feet MSL.
December 2018Heavy RainSusanville-CoCoRaHS observer CA-LS-1 3 miles south-southwest of Susanville reported 0.81 inches of rainfall in a 24-hour period from 24 December 0700PST to 25 December 0700PST.
March 2018Heavy RainSusanville-Trained weather spotter 6 miles west-northwest of Susanville reported storm total rainfall of 4.52 inches from 20 March 1129PST to 23 March 1129PST.
April 2018Heavy RainSusanville-Trained weather spotter 6 miles south-southeast of Susanville measured 1.61 inches of rainfall in a 24 hour period from 6 April 1043PST to 7 April 1043PST.
April 2018Heavy RainSusanville-CoCoRaHS station CA-LS-2, 3 miles south-southwest of Susanville reported 1.12 inches of rainfall in a 24 hour period from 6 April 0700PST to 7 April 0700PST.
August 2017HailSusanville-Reports of hail between 15001530PST in downtown Susanville with the largest hail up to golf ball size occurring closer to 1530PST. Leaves removed from many trees and garden plants damaged.
February 2006FloodSusanville-Flooding occurred along the Susan River. The river was above flood stage for only a couple of hours during the early morning of the 28th. The main effect was lowland and rural flooding. However, the public also reported street and creek flooding in Susanville.
July 2003Heavy RainSusanville-A spotter measured .88 inches of rain in an hour from a thunderstorm. Minor street flooding was reported.
July 2003Heavy RainSusanville-One inch of rain fell in the Willard Hill area, about 9 miles west of Susanville. No flooding was reported.
July 2002Thunderstorm WindSusanville-73 mph wind gust
July 2003HailSusanville-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Lassen 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
Johnstonville4.1 miles23
Leavitt6.9 miles23
The Crossing10.6 miles21
Janesville10.7 miles22
Belfast10.8 miles21
Goumaz (historical)11.1 miles22
Buntingville12.7 miles21
Standish12.7 miles21

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 SusanvilleAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q629584The 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 277619. 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.