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Sylmar, California

40 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1900 and the latest in 1995. It stands in the San Fernando Valley census division. It lies in ZIP code area 91342. It lies near Schoolhouse Canyon. The Survey maps it on the San Fernando quadrangle.

Sylmar within Los Angeles County

Then and now

1900 to 1995

The same ground, surveyed 95 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Sylmar, surveyed 1995
Topographic sheet of Sylmar, surveyed 1900

Compare 1900 against another survey:

Topographic sheets covering this place

19 surveys from 40 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

441 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 441 fires within 5 miles of Sylmar between 1992 and 2020, burning about 28,360 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 69 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/undetermined200
Equipment and vehicle use97
Arson/incendiarism69
Fireworks14
Recreation and ceremony14
Debris and open burning14
Power generation/transmission/distribution12
Smoking8
Misuse of fire by a minor7
Other causes5
Natural1

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 1999Missing data/not specified/undetermined3.0 acresAngeles National ForestPAXTON
9 September 1992Arson/incendiarismunder an acreAngeles National ForestOLDS
7 September 2016Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreAngeles National ForestRANGE
6 September 1998Arson/incendiarismunder an acreAngeles National ForestPICKUP
6 September 1993Missing data/not specified/undetermined2.0 acresAngeles National Forestnot named
4 September 2000Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreAngeles National ForestKAGEL
30 September 1999Debris and open burningunder an acreAngeles National ForestTRASH
30 September 1995Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreAngeles National ForestPAXTON

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Los Angeles County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 23 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 23 workings within 5 miles of Sylmar: 17 past producers, 5 prospects, 1 occurrence. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Limestone, General, Asbestos, Granite, 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
Pacoima Hill QuarryGranite, Stone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Walker Ranch PlacersGoldProspect
Wragg Ranch DepositStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Fiber QueenAsbestosPast ProducerMetamorphic
Fiber QueenAsbestosPast Producer
Baughman DepositLimestone, GeneralProspect
Baughman DolomiteLimestone, GeneralOccurrenceSedimentary
San FernandoLimestone, GeneralPast Producer
San Fernando DepositLimestone, GeneralProspect
TurnerLimestone, GeneralPast ProducerSedimentary

Every working recorded in Los Angeles County

Storms near this place

3 since 2025

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Sylmar in 3 storm reports between 2025 and 2026: 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash 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 2026Thunderstorm WindSylmar-Strong thunderstorm winds, gusting to 70 MPH, were reported at the Sombrero Road sensor.
February 2025Flash FloodSylmar-Heavy rain produced flash flood and mudflows across the westbound lanes of Highway 210 in the Santa Clarita Valley. Mud flowing across the highway resulted in numerous vehicles sliding across the highway.
February 2025Thunderstorm WindSylmar-A thunderstorm wind gust of 66 MPH was reported at Sombrero Road.

Every storm recorded in Los Angeles 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
Olive View1.2 miles40
San Fernando1.9 miles38
Rancho Cascades2.4 miles40
Pacoima3.3 miles38
Mission Hills3.6 miles38
Hickson (historical)3.6 miles38
El Merrie Dell3.8 miles41
Kagel Canyon4.1 miles41

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1661539. 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.