Wheeler Ridge, California
26 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1914 and the latest in 1992. It stands in the Tehachapi census division. It lies in ZIP code area 93203. It stands on Salt Creek. The Survey maps it on the Mettler quadrangle.
Then and now
1914 to 1992The 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.


Compare 1914 against another survey:
Topographic sheets covering this place
13 surveys from 26 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.
- 1914 USGS Caliente quadrangle1:125000, 7 printings
- 1931 USGS West of Tejon Hills quadrangle1:31680
- 1934 USGS West of Tejon Hills quadrangle1:31680
- 1934 USGS West of Tejon Hills quadrangle1:24000
- 1948 USGS Bakersfield quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1955 USGS Bakersfield quadrangle1:250000
- 1955 USGS Mettler quadrangle1:24000, 3 printings
- 1956 USGS Bakersfield quadrangle1:250000
- 1960 USGS Bakersfield quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1962 USGS Bakersfield quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1966 USGS Bakersfield quadrangle1:250000
- 1978 USGS Tehachapi quadrangle1:100000
- 1992 USGS Mettler quadrangle1:24000
Fires near this place
31 since 1993Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 31 fires within 5 miles of Wheeler Ridge between 1993 and 2020, burning about 179,604 acres in total. 1 started naturally. None 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/undetermined | 20 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 5 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 3 |
| Debris and open burning | 2 |
| Natural | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 September 2020 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Kern County Fire Department | not named |
| 14 September 2012 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Kern County Fire Department | not named |
| 10 September 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Kern County Fire Department | not named |
| 7 August 2016 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection | not named |
| 5 August 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection | not named |
| 21 August 2018 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 9.2 acres | Central California District | SABODAN |
| 19 August 2020 | Natural | 174,178 acres | Sequoia National Forest | CASTLE |
| 10 August 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 338 acres | Kern County Fire Department | ROSE |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
5 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 5 workings within 5 miles of Wheeler Ridge: 4 past producers, 1 producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hartman Concrete Materials | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unnamed Quarry | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Wheeler Ridge Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Wheeler Ridge Pit and Mill | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Wheeler Ridge Pit and Mill | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary |
Storms near this place
7 since 2015Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Wheeler Ridge in 7 storm reports between 2015 and 2024: 4 flash flood, 2 flood, 1 debris flow. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 2024 | Flood | Wheeler Ridge | - | California Highway Patrol reported debris on southbound Interstate 5 at the Grapevine Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Facility. |
| February 2024 | Debris Flow | Wheeler Ridge | - | California Highway Patrol reported a boulder on southbound I-5 north of the Laval Rd. exchange. |
| August 2023 | Flash Flood | Wheeler Ridge | - | California Highway Patrol reported a large rock blocking lanes on Interstate 5 south of Wheeler Ridge Rd. |
| December 2019 | Flood | Wheeler Ridge | - | Kern County Emergency Manager reported roadway flooding on Laval Rd. from Rancho Rd. to Wheeler Ridge Rd. |
| November 2019 | Flash Flood | Wheeler Ridge | - | California Highway Patrol reported flash flooding on State Route 99 just north of the intersection with Interstate 5 near Wheeler Ridge. Mud and Debris blocked the northbound lanes and two of the southbound lanes resulting in State Route 99 being closed from the Interstate 5 intersection to Mettler until late morning. |
| July 2015 | Flash Flood | Wheeler Ridge | - | California Highway Patrol reported mud flowing onto the intersection of Rancho Road and Sebastian Road at 04:17 PDT. |
| July 2015 | Flash Flood | Wheeler Ridge | - | California Highway Patrol reported mud flowing onto the intersection of Rancho Road and Sebastian Road at 04:17 PDT. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mettler | 4.2 miles | 26 | |
| Grapevine | 4.5 miles | 25 | |
| Meridian | 7.4 miles | 26 | |
| Tejon Ranch | 9.6 miles | 27 | |
| Lakeview | 10.5 miles | 25 | |
| Kern Lake | 11.5 miles | 26 | |
| Lebec | 12.1 miles | 25 | |
| Frazier Park | 12.5 miles | 27 |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 253004. 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.












