Randsburg, CA

Randsburg is a unincorporated community in Kern County, California, United States. The 2020 census counted 45 residents. Randsburg is located 17 miles south of Ridgecrest, at an elevation of 3,504 feet. Gold was discovered by Frederic Mooers, John Singleton and Charles Burcham at Yellow Aster Mine on 25 April 1895 and a mining camp quickly formed named Rand Camp. The town has an influx of tourists throughout the year. Most visitors arrive between autumn and spring due to the extreme heat in summer. Randsburg's local map joins its older history to the places and landscapes that still shape the town today, all within the wider California setting.

ATTRCharles White / Attribution

The local scoop is how Randsburg's history still shows up in the places people visit, work, learn, and meet. Both mine and camp were named after the gold mining region in South Africa. Randsburg is on the west side of U.S. Route 395 between Kramer Junction to the south and Ridgecrest to the north. Randsburg is in the Rand Mountains, and is separated by a ridge from the neighboring community of Johannesburg.