Map of French Camp CDP, California

French Camp (from Campo de los Franceses, Spanish for “Field of the Frenchmen”) is an unincorporated community in San Joaquin County, California, United States. The population was 3,770 as of the 2020 census. Up from 3,376 at the 2010 census, and down from 4,109 at the 2000 census. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined French Camp as a census-designated place (CDP). The census definition of the area may not precisely correspond to local understanding of the area with the same name.

French Camp is the location of the U.S. Army Sharpe Depot and the GSA Western Distribution Center, and is the oldest settlement in San Joaquin County. San Joaquin General Hospital is located in French Camp. It is also the location of the county jail, the county juvenile hall and the county children’s shelter, which combine to form a sizable percentage of the place’s population.

French Camp CDP overview:
Name:	French Camp CDP
LSAD Code:	57
LSAD Description:	CDP (suffix)
State:	California
County:	San Joaquin County
Elevation:	20 ft (6 m)
Total Area:	3.143 sq mi (8.140 km²)
Land Area:	3.142 sq mi (8.138 km²)
Water Area:	0.001 sq mi (0.002 km²) 0.03%
Total Population:	3,770
Population Density:	1,200/sq mi (460/km²)
ZIP code:	95231
Area code:	209
FIPS code:	0626028
GNISfeature ID:	1658581

Online Interactive Map

Click on to view map in "full screen" mode.

French Camp online map. Source: Basemap layers from Google Map, Open Street Map (OSM), Arcgisonline, Wmflabs. Boundary Data from Database of Global Administrative Areas.

French Camp location map. Where is French Camp CDP?

French Camp location on the U.S. Map. Where is French Camp CDP. — French Camp location on the U.S. Map.

French Camp location on the California map. Where is French Camp CDP. — Location of French Camp in California.

History

French Camp was the southernmost regular camp site of the Hudson’s Bay Company southern fur brigades sent from Fort Vancouver (now Vancouver, Washington), established by Michel Laframboise in 1832. Its Spanish name was preserved in a land grant dated January 13, 1844 as Rancho Campo de los Franceses. It is commemorated as California State Historic Landmark 668:

French Camp was also known as Castoria, the Latin word for “beaver” being “castor”, reflecting its central role in the California Fur Rush.

French Camp was strategically sited at the southern end of the southernmost slough (which became known as French Camp Slough) of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, maximizing the use of the waterway for ease of transportation. A trail led off from the site to the southeast into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It was subsequently used as an alternate route for the Mariposa Road, part of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road, especially favored during the rainy season because of its exceptional drainage. The route was eventually paved and exists to this day as “French Camp Road”.

During WWII, Japanese Americans that lived in French Camp were relocated to civilian assembly centers and relocation centers overseen by the War Relocation Authority (WRA) in accordance with Executive Order 9066. Japanese Americans from French Camp were sent to the Turlock Assembly Center at the Stanislaus County Fair, Manzanar War Relocation Center, and the Gila River War Relocation Center. Accounts of the relocation and life in the camps are detailed through letters from former students of the French Camp Grammar School.

French Camp Road Map

French Camp city Satellite Map

Geography

French Camp is located at 37°52′58″N 121°16′47″W / 37.88278°N 121.27972°W / 37.88278; -121.27972 (37.882742, -121.279788).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 3.1 square miles (8.0 square kilometers), 99.97 percent of it land and 0.03 percent of it water.