Randsburg (formerly Rand Camp) is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) in

Kern County Kern County is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 909,235. Its county seat is Bakersfield. Kern County comprises the Bakersfield, California, Metropolitan statistical area. The county sp ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Randsburg is located south of Ridgecrest, at an elevation of . The population was 69 in the 2010 census, down from 77 in the 2000 census.

Geography

Randsburg is located at . It is on the west side of

U.S. Route 395 U.S. Route 395 (US 395) is a U.S. Route in the western United States. The southern terminus of the route is in the Mojave Desert at Interstate 15 near Hesperia. The northern terminus is at the Canada–US border near Laurier, where the road be ...

between Kramer Junction to the south and Ridgecrest to the north. Randsburg is in the

Rand Mountains The Rand Mountains are located in the Mojave Desert northeast of California City and southwest of the town of Randsburg. History The mountains were the location of the Rand Mining District, with the mining towns of Randsburg, Red Mountain, and J ...

, and is separated by a ridge from the neighboring community of

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the CDP has a total area of , over 99% of it land.

Climate

Randsburg has a

cold semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...

(

BSk BSK is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to: Sports * OFK Beograd, Serbian football club * FK BSK Borča, Serbian football club * FK BSK Batajnica, Serbian football club * FK BSK Banja Luka, Bosnian-Herzegovinian football club * FK BSK Led ...

) found on the western edge of the

Mojave Desert The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily in ...

with very hot, dry summers and cool winters.

History

Gold was discovered at

Yellow Aster Mine Yellow Aster Mine was a large gold mine in Southern California. Discovery In 1894, prospectors Frederic Mooers and William Langdon ventured into the Red Mountain range in the Mojave Desert, where they discovered trace amounts of gold. The ne ...

in 1895 and a mining camp quickly formed named Rand Camp. Both mine and camp were named after the gold mining region in South Africa. The first post office at Randsburg opened in 1896.

Tourism

The town has an influx of tourists throughout the year. Most visitors arrive between autumn and spring due to the extreme heat in summer. The annual Western Days Celebration starts in the third weekend of September, where the town hosts events such as gun fights, panning for gold, live bands, dances and vendors. During Thanksgiving and New Year's Day weekend,

off-roading Off-roading is the activity of driving or riding in a vehicle on unpaved surfaces such as sand, gravel, riverbeds, mud, snow, rocks, and other natural terrain. Types of off-roading range in intensity, from leisure drives with unmodified vehicl ...

enthusiasts visit via the town's legal off-roading trail. Local shops are usually closed on weekdays, and open during weekends.

Demographics

2010

At the 2010 census Randsburg had a population of 69. The population density was . The racial makeup of Randsburg was 62 (89%) White, 0 African American, 4 (6%) Native American, 2 (3%) Asian, 0 Pacific Islander, 0 from other races, and 1 (1%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2 people (3%). The whole population lived in households, no one lived in non-institutionalized group quarters and no one was institutionalized. 0 lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 were institutionalized. There were 42 households, 1 (2%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 13 (31%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 4 (10%) had a female householder with no husband present, 0 had a male householder with no wife present. There were 5 (12%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 3 (7%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 17 households (41%) were one person and 6 (14%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 1.6. There were 17 families (41% of households); the average family size was 2.1. The age distribution was 2 people (3%) under the age of 18, 2 people (3%) aged 18 to 24, 5 people (7%) aged 25 to 44, 37 people (54%) aged 45 to 64, and 23 people (33%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 59.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 68.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 67.5 males. There were 97 housing units at an average density of 49.9 per square mile, of the occupied units 39 (93%) were owner-occupied and 3 (7%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2%; the rental vacancy rate was 50%. 64 people (93% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 5 people (7%) lived in rental housing units.

2000

At the 2000 census there were 77 people, 49 households, and 22 families in the CDP. The population density was . There were 109 housing units at an average density of . The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the CDP was 86% White, 5% Native American, 4% from other races, and 5% from two or more races. 5% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 49 households 4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43% were married couples living together, and 53% were non-families. 49% of households were one person and 25% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 1.6 and the average family size was 2.1. The age distribution was 4% under the age of 18, 3% from 18 to 24, 16% from 25 to 44, 48% from 45 to 64, and 30% 65 or older. The median age was 57 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.7 males. The median household income was $48,000 and the median family income was $49,875. Males had a median income of $53,750 versus $21,250 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $23,602. None of the population and none of the families were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

Film and video

The lost 1913 movie ''

The Mystery of Yellow Aster Mine ''The Mystery of Yellow Aster Mine'' is a 1913 American Short film, short Drama film, drama Silent film, silent black and white film directed by Frank Borzage and starring Wallace Reid, Pauline Bush (actress), Pauline Bush and Arthur Rosson. It w ...

'' was filmed in Randsburg. ''

South of Suez ''South of Suez'' is a 1940 American drama film directed by Lewis Seiler and starring George Brent, Brenda Marshall and George Tobias. An alleged murder in an African diamond mine haunts a man many years later after he has returned to Britain. The ...

'', starring

George Brent George Brent (born George Brendan Nolan; 15 March 1904 – 26 May 1979) was an Irish-American stage, film, and television actor. He is best remembered for the eleven films he made with Bette Davis, which included ''Jezebel'' and ''Dark Victory ...

and released in November 1940, was filmed in Randsburg. The video for

Calvin Harris Adam Richard Wiles (born 17 January 1984), known professionally as Calvin Harris, is a Scottish DJ, record producer, singer, and songwriter who has released six studio albums. His debut studio album, ''I Created Disco'', was released in June ...

's platinum single, ''

Feel So Close "Feel So Close" is a song by Scottish DJ Calvin Harris, released as the second single from his third studio album, ''18 Months'' (2012). In order to have lyrics and be standalone, Harris had to return to singing on this song, after previously s ...

'', was filmed in part in Randsburg. Dwight Yoakam's 1989 video for "Long White Cadillac" was also filmed in the town.

Rand Mining District

In Randsburg is

California Historical Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meeting at least one of ...

number 938, the Rand Mining District signed October 12, 1958. The area was home to the Rand Mining District which included the

and the Kelly Mine. The mines started the town of Randsburg in 1895 and later the town of

Johannesburg, California Johannesburg is a census-designated place (CDP) in Kern County, California, in a mining district of the Rand Mountains. Johannesburg is located east-northeast of Randsburg, at an elevation of . The terminus of the Randsburg Railway was here f ...

and

Atolia, California Atolia is a ghost town in the Mojave Desert near Randsburg, in northwestern San Bernardino County, California. History It was at the site of a tungsten mine that started production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production ...

. The Rand Mine produced more silver than any mine in California. The mine closed in 1929 as it was no longer profitable. In January of 1898

Randsburg Railway The Randsburg Railway was a branch line railroad in California's Mojave Desert. It originated at the main line of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad (AT&SF) at Kramer Junction, California, and terminated at Johannesburg, California, with ...

opened. It ran from Johannesburg to Kramer Junction, California with a stop at Atolia. Rand Mining District California Historical Landmark reads: :''NO. 938 RAND MINING DISTRICT - The Yellow Aster, or Rand, mine was discovered in April 1895 by Singleton, Burcham, and Mooers. The town of Randsburg quickly developed, followed by the supply town of Johannesburg in 1896. Both names were adopted from the profusion of minerals resembling those of the ranch mining district in South Africa. In 1907, Churchill discovered tungsten in Atolia. In June 1919, Williams and Nosser discovered the California Rand Silver Mine at Red Mountain.'' californiahistoricallandmarks.com Landmark chl-938
/ref>

References

External links

Randsburg photo gallery
at Western Mining History {{authority control History of Kern County, California Census-designated places in Kern County, California Mining in California Populated places in the Mojave Desert Populated places established in 1895 Census-designated places in California 1895 establishments in California