Map of Mountain Ranch CDP

Mountain Ranch (formerly, El Dorado and El Dorado Town) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Calaveras County, California, United States. The population was 1,628 at the 2010 census, up from 1,557 at the 2000 census. The town is registered as California Historical Landmark #282. The town center is quite small with fewer than 50 people living in it. The 5 mile square area surrounding the town accounts for the balance of the population.

Mountain Ranch CDP overview:
Name:	Mountain Ranch CDP
LSAD Code:	57
LSAD Description:	CDP (suffix)
State:	California
County:	Calaveras County
Elevation:	2,123 ft (647 m)
Total Area:	41.244 sq mi (106.822 km²)
Land Area:	41.188 sq mi (106.677 km²)
Water Area:	0.056 sq mi (0.145 km²) 0.14%
Total Population:	1,628
Population Density:	37.7/sq mi (14.6/km²)
ZIP code:	95246
Area code:	209
FIPS code:	0649628

Online Interactive Map

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

Mountain Ranch location map. Where is Mountain Ranch CDP?

Mountain Ranch location on the U.S. Map. Where is Mountain Ranch CDP. — Mountain Ranch location on the U.S. Map.

Mountain Ranch location on the California map. Where is Mountain Ranch CDP. — Location of Mountain Ranch in California.

History

The settlement was established during the California Gold Rush. Mountain Ranch’s post office was established in 1858. In 1868, it was moved to another town called El Dorado Camp 1.5 miles south, as there was already an El Dorado post office in California, El Dorado Camp became known as Mountain Ranch. Currently, there are 3 post office buildings in the town. The present one, a small post office which was built in 1956, and a post office built in 1923 which was once billed as the world’s smallest post office. The original location of the town of Mountain Ranch also has a historical landmark. The bell on the historical marker was used in the local school from 1885 to 1953. Established as Cave City School District in 1855, this school joined with the Banner District in 1946 to become the El Dorado Union Elementary School District. In 1942 the last of the gold mines closed. Further economic losses took place in the 1970s, when local saw mills shuttered, and also in 1983 when the Calaveras Cement Co. closed. In 2015, the town was ravaged by the Butte Fire. More than 350 homes along the outskirts burned, but firefighters and local ranchers were able to save most of the downtown.