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California City California Map

Explore California City, California, with this interactive street and satellite map.

This page also offers TOPO MAPS — the official USGS topographic sheets — plus USGS aerial imagery, a labelled USNG grid overlay, a distance and bearing tool, and a GPS grid-reference readout. See How to Use This Map below.

Interactive Map of California City, California

How to Use This California City, California Map

This interactive map shows the street layout and satellite imagery for California City, California. Use the Map and Satellite buttons above to switch between street map and aerial imagery views. Use the + and − buttons to zoom in or out, or scroll your mouse wheel while holding the Control key to zoom. On a touchscreen, use a two-finger pinch gesture. Drag the map to pan to any area of California or beyond.

Click ⛶ Fullscreen to expand the map to fill your screen. To return to the normal page view, press the Escape key, click the ✕ Exit Fullscreen button that appears above the map, or on a mobile device tap the back button (Android) or the close icon (iOS).

TOPO MAPS — NEW. Click the green 🔍 Search Maps button below the map to open a second map with a Base map row offering three choices. OSM is the standard OpenStreetMap street map. Topo shows the official USGS topographic maps from The National Map — contours, hydrography, land cover and shaded relief, the same mapping used for hiking, hunting and back-country navigation in the Adirondacks, the Catskills and the Finger Lakes. Imagery shows USGS aerial photography, mostly 1-metre NAIP. The search box finds any US town, county or landmark by name, so you are not limited to California City.

Reading the map like a paper quad. Click Grid to overlay the U.S. National Grid (USNG), labelled along the edges exactly as a printed topographic sheet is — at normal zoom the squares are one kilometre across, so you can read a six-figure grid reference by eye and judge distance directly off the map. Click Measure, then tap two points, to get the distance between them together with the grid bearing in degrees and mils, the true bearing, and the magnetic bearing to set on a compass.

Click 📍 My position to take a single GPS reading from your device. It marks where you are and reports your position as a USNG grid reference as well as plain latitude and longitude — USNG being the format FEMA and US search and rescue teams work from — with a Copy position button so you can paste it straight into a text message. It takes one reading and stops, rather than tracking continuously, to conserve your battery. Note that map tiles need cell coverage, but a GPS reading does not — your coordinates stay correct even where the map itself cannot load.

City	California City
State	California (CA)
County	Kern County
Country	United States of America
Timezone	Pacific Time (America/Los_Angeles)

Latitude	35.14659
Longitude	-117.869346
Population	14,973
Density	28.4 /km²
Incorporated	Yes
ZIP Codes	93505, 93504
Area Code	760
County Seat	Bakersfield
School District	Mojave Unified School District

🌦 Goto California City Weather Page: California City, California — Weather Warnings, Forecast, Radar, Satellite & Current Conditions

About California City, California

California City is a locality in Kern County, California, United States. It has a population of 14,973. The population density is 28.4 people per km². California City is located at 35.1466°N, 117.8693°W. It observes the Pacific Time (America/Los_Angeles) timezone. California City is an incorporated locality. ZIP codes: 93505, 93504.

California City occupies an expansive stretch of high desert terrain characterized by its arid, sun-bleached plains and sparse, hardy vegetation. It lies 20.7 miles north-northeast of Rosamond, CA (from Rosamond, CA: bearing 29°T), and is situated 11.8 miles east-northeast of Mojave. The landscape around California City unfolds as a vast, dry basin, where the light at dusk turns the earth into a palette of bruised purples and burnt ochre. To the north, one might perceive the distant, shimmering outline of the Sierra Nevada, serving as a faint, jagged anchor to the horizon. Closer to the center of the grid, the small surface of Central Park Lake offers a singular, reflective point amidst the dust, while the nearby banks of Cache Creek suggest the ancient paths of water through this thirsty ground. Residents frequently find respite in the quiet corners of Balsitis Park, where the stillness of the afternoon air highlights the immense, open scale of the Fremont Valley.

Development within California City reflects an ambitious, mid-century vision of suburban expansion that sought to carve a metropolis from the quiet desert floor. The local economy relies heavily on a blend of service-oriented commerce and the specialized presence of the nearby aerospace industry, which utilizes the vast, clear airspace for testing and flight research. While the original grand designs for the layout remain partially realized, the enduring rhythm of daily life is shaped by the persistence of those who choose to live in this expansive, quiet space. The industry here is defined by a quiet endurance, where the labor of the day is often performed under a relentless, brilliant sun that demands a slow and deliberate pace. Agriculture exists only on the fringes, as the soil remains more suited to the sprawling geometry of the streets than to the cultivation of traditional crops.

Cultural life in California City thrives on a sense of rugged autonomy, favoring the independence of those who appreciate the silence of the high desert over the clamor of the urban coast. Notable landmarks are few, yet the presence of the town's sprawling, unfinished grid serves as a unique testament to the optimism of its founders. Social gatherings and local events often center around community spaces where the shared experience of the climate fosters a distinct, neighborly bond among the residents. While California City does not claim a roster of globally famous figures, the character of the place is built by the everyday individuals who navigate the stark beauty of the Mojave environment. The atmosphere remains one of profound solitude, where the horizon feels infinite and the stars at night are unobstructed by the hazy glow of distant, crowded metropolitan centers.

Nearby Outdoor Places

Fremont-Kramer Area of Critical Environmental Concern (Area of Critical Environmental Concern) — 1.9 mi, 317° NW
Desert Tortoise Research Natural Area Area of Critical Environmental Concern (Area of Critical Environmental Concern) — 2.3 mi, 315° NW
Borax Bill Park (Local Park) — 2.3 mi, 046° NE
California City Memorial Park (Local Park) — 3.2 mi, 260° W
Fremont Valley Ecological Reserve (State Conservation Area) — 9.1 mi, 045° NE
Josephine Stephens Bishop (Monument) — 13.0 mi, 325° NW
Rio Tinto Borax Mine Visitor Center (Museum) — 13.1 mi, 128° SE
Eastern Kern County Onyx Ranch State Vehicular Recreation Area (State Recreation Area) — 13.1 mi, 325° NW
Red Rock Canyon State Park (State Park) — 13.2 mi, 335° NW
Boron Aerospace Museum (Museum) — 16.0 mi, 129° SE
Twenty Mule Team Museum (Museum) — 16.0 mi, 129° SE
Red cliffs trail (Attraction) — 16.1 mi, 338° N
Airplane graveyard viewpoint (Viewpoint) — 16.2 mi, 253° W
X1 Loading Pit (Monument) — 17.1 mi, 182° S
Burro Schmidt Tunnel (Attraction) — 17.9 mi, 359° N
Cudahy camp (Historic Ruins) — 18.5 mi, 350° N
The Rand Desert Museum (Museum) — 19.5 mi, 038° NE
Bickel Camp (Historic Ruins) — 20.0 mi, 357° N
Pacific Crest Trail National Scenic Trail (National Trail) — 20.6 mi, 280° W · 1,886 acres
El Paso Mountains Wilderness Area (Wilderness Area) — 21.1 mi, 357° N · 24k acres
Golden Valley Wilderness Area (Wilderness Area) — 23.8 mi, 043° NE · 38k acres
X-15 Memorial (Monument) — 24.2 mi, 039° NE
Sequoia National Forest (National Forest) — 31.4 mi, 340° N · 1.1M acres
Coy Burnett Stadium (Stadium) — 32.0 mi, 268° W
Historic Water Tower (Attraction) — 32.6 mi, 268° W
BeeKay Theatre (Theatre) — 32.7 mi, 268° W
Tehachapi Depot Museum (Museum) — 32.7 mi, 268° W
Hitching Post (Cinema) — 32.7 mi, 268° W
One Desert Sky (Public Artwork) — 33.8 mi, 205° SW
San Gabriel Mountains National Monument (National Monument) — 45.3 mi, 189° S · 454k acres

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