BlockBefore

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.

Wheeler Ridge within Kern County

Then and now

1914 to 1992

The 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.

Topographic sheet of Wheeler Ridge, surveyed 1992
Topographic sheet of Wheeler Ridge, surveyed 1914

Compare 1914 against another survey:

Topographic sheets covering this place

13 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

31 since 1993

Regional 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/undetermined20
Equipment and vehicle use5
Power generation/transmission/distribution3
Debris and open burning2
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
29 September 2020Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreKern County Fire Departmentnot named
14 September 2012Debris and open burningunder an acreKern County Fire Departmentnot named
10 September 2013Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreKern County Fire Departmentnot named
7 August 2016Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
5 August 2016Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
21 August 2018Power generation/transmission/distribution9.2 acresCentral California DistrictSABODAN
19 August 2020Natural174,178 acresSequoia National ForestCASTLE
10 August 2017Missing data/not specified/undetermined338 acresKern County Fire DepartmentROSE

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Kern County

Mines and quarries near this place

5 within 5 miles

Regional 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 SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Hartman Concrete MaterialsSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Unnamed QuarrySand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Wheeler Ridge PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Wheeler Ridge Pit and MillSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Wheeler Ridge Pit and MillSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary

Every working recorded in Kern County

Storms near this place

7 since 2015

Regional 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
January 2024FloodWheeler Ridge-California Highway Patrol reported debris on southbound Interstate 5 at the Grapevine Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Facility.
February 2024Debris FlowWheeler Ridge-California Highway Patrol reported a boulder on southbound I-5 north of the Laval Rd. exchange.
August 2023Flash FloodWheeler Ridge-California Highway Patrol reported a large rock blocking lanes on Interstate 5 south of Wheeler Ridge Rd.
December 2019FloodWheeler Ridge-Kern County Emergency Manager reported roadway flooding on Laval Rd. from Rancho Rd. to Wheeler Ridge Rd.
November 2019Flash FloodWheeler 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 2015Flash FloodWheeler Ridge-California Highway Patrol reported mud flowing onto the intersection of Rancho Road and Sebastian Road at 04:17 PDT.
July 2015Flash FloodWheeler Ridge-California Highway Patrol reported mud flowing onto the intersection of Rancho Road and Sebastian Road at 04:17 PDT.

Every storm recorded in Kern 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
Mettler4.2 miles26
Grapevine4.5 miles25
Meridian7.4 miles26
Tejon Ranch9.6 miles27
Lakeview10.5 miles25
Kern Lake11.5 miles26
Lebec12.1 miles25
Frazier Park12.5 miles27

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.