Chalfant, CA

Chalfant is an unincorporated census-designated place in Mono County's Tri-Valley, in Chalfant Valley at the western base of the White Mountains. U.S. 6 runs through the area, about 14 miles north of Bishop and 22 miles southeast of Benton; the 2020 census counted 660 residents. Mono County's larger population centers are far apart, and its planning documents list Chalfant among the small communities scattered across the Eastern Sierra. Most residents commute to Bishop for work and school, giving the valley a practical connection to the county's southern hub.

Chalfant has a small civic center of gravity in the Chalfant Community Center, where the county's Regional Planning Advisory Committee meets as needed. The local commercial landmarks are Chalfant Mercantile and Chalfant Big Trees Farm & Feed; White Mountain Ranch Road leads off U.S. 6 toward them. The Champion Spark Plug Mine trail adds a piece of old industrial history at the base of the range, while Eastern Sierra Unified School District serves local students. The place is a valley community built around county roads, a community center, and the White Mountains.