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History · Mountain Mesa

Half of Mountain Mesa’s homes were built after 1983

Most of Mountain Mesa was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1983. Below: maps from 1943 on and the census since 1990.

0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: w:en:David Jordan · CC BY-SA 3.0

What stands out about Mountain Mesa’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Mountain Mesa are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Mountain Mesa’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Mountain Mesa’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Mountain Mesa, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Mountain Mesa yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Mountain Mesa (often shortened to Mt. Mesa) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Kern County, California, United States. Mountain Mesa is located 2 miles (3.2 km) west of South Lake at an elevation of 2,641 feet (805 m). The population was 823 at the 2020 census, up from 777 at the 2010 census.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 777 to 823 (+6%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Mountain Mesa, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Mountain Mesa California along SR178c. 2008Mountain Mesa California along SR178Lake Isabella California eastern portionc. 2007Lake Isabella California eastern portionLake Isabella California eastern portion (cropped)c. 2007Lake Isabella California eastern portion (cropped)
On the map

Mountain Mesa on the map, 1943 to 1985

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Mountain Mesa. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Mountain Mesa on the 1943 USGS mapMountain Mesa on the 1972 USGS mapMountain Mesa on the 1985 USGS map1943Isabella Dam sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Mountain Mesa.

People over time

Mountain Mesa, census by census

02004006008001,0001,20020002020Peak: 1,153

Between 716 and 1,153 people in every census since 1990.

4 censuses, 1990–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Mountain Mesa’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Mountain Mesa

Nobody well known was born in Mountain Mesa itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
J
John MeehanAmerican art director · b. 1902
Ryan ClarkAmerican musician · b. 1979
B
Boo JohnsonAmerican skateboarder · b. 1993
C
Chris DenmanAmerican football player · b. 1983
R
Raymond W. StoughtonAmerican nuclear chemist · b. 1916

Questions about Mountain Mesa’s history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (3), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.