Almanac note · History and culture
California City is much bigger on the map than it feels in town
California City covers 203 square miles, which explains its wide desert roads, OHV riding area, and spread-out high desert feel.
California City can surprise people because the city limits cover so much land. At 203 square miles, it is one of the largest cities in California by area. That does not mean it feels like a giant downtown. It feels more like a high desert city with wide space between places.
That size matters for daily life and for visitors. California City has neighborhoods, civic buildings, Central Park, and recreation programs, but it also reaches out toward desert routes and open land. Since the 1960s, the area has been a major off-highway vehicle destination.
Borax Bill Park and Station are part of that story. They sit along the historic Twenty Mule Team Parkway and serve riders heading into the California City Riding Area. The city also uses permits and marked routes to keep riding tied to the right areas.
California City makes more sense when you picture all those pieces together: a desert city with a big map, local parks, riding routes, and a lot of space around the edges.
Where to see it
California City Boulevard, Central Park, Borax Bill Park, and the surrounding desert routes.
Official sources
Official source trail
Reviewed July 2, 2026
California Porch explains the path. The official source is still the place to confirm the current rule, fee, form, map, deadline, or office decision.
Use the official page before you spend money, file paperwork, rely on a deadline, or change a property.
Connected places
Where it fits on the map
Open a place page for the county layer, nearby places, and other California entries tied to that local page.
Related notes
Keep following this thread.
These are picked from nearby places, shared tags, and the same California topic shelf.
McFarland grew as a farm town, then Highway 99 split the map
McFarland's story starts with a 1909 townsite, growth during the Depression, incorporation in 1957, and Highway 99 dividing the city into east and west sides.
Read next →Arvin's farm-town story runs beside the packing houses
Arvin grew from Staples Store, railroad-side farm shipping, and Kern County agriculture into a city with deep valley roots.
Read next →The Tehachapi Loop lets long trains cross over themselves
The Tehachapi Loop solved a hard mountain railroad problem, letting trains gain elevation between the San Joaquin Valley and the Mojave.
Read next →