Terra Cotta Ghost Town

Riverside County, California33.7031, -117.3747

Can you visit?

Likely private land

Private or unlisted land · Ask the owner first

Nearest town
2.3 miWarm Springs, CA
Mild months
Jan–Dec8 of 12
Next ghost town
2.9 miWillard
Illustration of a desert landscape
Illustration of the landscape type, not a picture of Terra Cotta. No free-licensed photo yet.

Terra Cotta is an abandoned town in Riverside County, California.

On the map

20 mi40 miMenifeePerrisWildomarTemescal ValleyMead ValleyTerra Cotta
  • National Forest
  • City, county
  • Private or unlisted

Star: Terra Cotta. Dots: other ghost towns within 40 miles, colored by land manager. Squares: towns over 1,000 people. Rings are straight-line distance. Live map: © OpenFreeMap, OpenMapTiles, OpenStreetMap contributors.

The closest town with more than 1,000 people is Warm Springs, CA, about 2.3 miles east in a straight line. The nearest city over 50,000 is Lake Elsinore, CA, 2.6 miles away.

Ghost towns nearby

  1. Willard2.9 mi south
  2. Rancho Temescal8 mi northwest
  3. Pinacate9 mi northeast
  4. Leon16 mi east
  5. Linda Rosa17 mi southeast
  6. La Placita22 mi north
  7. Agua Mansa23 mi north
  8. Politana26 mi north

Distances are straight lines. Roads to ruins are often dirt, and a 20-mile hop can take an hour.

Who owns the land

Private or unlisted land

The point we have for this town is not on any public or protected parcel in PAD-US, the national map of public land. That usually means private land. Ruins on private land are off limits without the owner's permission, even when no fence or sign is visible. Look from the public road.

The point is the town location from Wikidata, and the land record is from PAD-US 3.0 (USGS). Ruins can spread past that point, and land changes hands faster than the database. How we read PAD-US.

Weather by month

0°20°40°60°80°100°6642Jan6743Feb7246Mar7649Apr8254May9058Jun9664Jul9865Aug9361Sep8354Oct7346Nov6540DecJan: 3.0 inFeb: 2.9 inMar: 1.5 inApr: 0.5 inMay: 0.2 inJun: 0.1 inJul: 0.2 inAug: 0.1 inSep: 0.2 inOct: 0.5 inNov: 0.6 inDec: 2.0 inrain
Mild month (average high 55–88°F, low above 28°F) 32°F, freezing Rain and snow water, inches

Mild months here run October to May, judging by NOAA normals from Elsinore. June to October bring 10 or more days at 90°F and up.

NOAA 1991–2020 normals from the Elsinore station (USC00042805), 2 miles away. About 11.8 inches of precipitation a year.

Facts

LocationRiverside County, California
Coordinates33.70306, -117.37472
Also known asTerra Cotta, California, Terra Cotta, CA
SourcesWikidata Q7703072 · Wikipedia article

Questions

Where is Terra Cotta ghost town?

In Riverside County, California, at 33.7031, -117.3747. The closest town with more than 1,000 people is Warm Springs, CA, about 2.3 miles east in a straight line. The nearest city over 50,000 is Lake Elsinore, CA, 2.6 miles away.

Can you visit Terra Cotta?

Likely private land. The point we have for this town is not on any public or protected parcel in PAD-US, the national map of public land. That usually means private land. Ruins on private land are off limits without the owner's permission, even when no fence or sign is visible. Look from the public road.

When is the best time to visit Terra Cotta?

Mild months here run October to May, judging by NOAA normals from Elsinore. June to October bring 10 or more days at 90°F and up.

Are there other ghost towns near Terra Cotta?

Yes. Willard (2.9 mi), Rancho Temescal (8 mi), Pinacate (9 mi), Leon (16 mi).

More ghost towns in California

All 240 ghost towns in California · Ghost towns near Los Angeles · Ghost towns near San Diego · Ghost towns near Barstow