Califa
Ghost town · Madera County, California

Califa is a ghost town in Madera County, California. It is one of 18 former communities in Madera County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 15th among the 58 California counties with a vanished settlement on record.
The U.S. Geological Survey lists Califa as a historical populated place on the Berenda topographic quadrangle: the name is no longer in official use for a community, whether the settlement was abandoned, absorbed into a neighbouring town or renamed. The recorded location is 37.0847° N, 120.2079° W.
Key facts
| USGS quadrangle | Berenda |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 247 ft |
| Nearest living town | Fairmead, CA |
| Distance to it | 0.9 miles |
| GNIS feature ID | 1666145 |
| Coordinates | 37.08467, -120.20795 |
What's there now
Califa is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Fairmead, CA (population 1,119), about 0.9 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 247 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.
Nearby places
- Medanoghost town · Madera County · 4.3 mi
- Ashghost town · Madera County · 5.4 mi
- Margueriteghost town · Merced County · 6.2 mi
- Tylerghost town · Madera County · 6.2 mi
- Ovejoghost town · Madera County · 6.3 mi
- Tillmanghost town · Madera County · 7.2 mi
- Dickensonghost town · Merced County · 7.9 mi
- La Branzaghost town · Merced County · 8.7 mi
- Plainsghost town · Madera County · 8.9 mi
- Lincolnghost town · Madera County · 8.9 mi
- Talbotghost town · Madera County · 9.7 mi
- Burchellghost town · Merced County · 13 mi
Questions
Where is Califa?
Califa is in Madera County, California, at 37.0847, -120.2079.
How many ghost towns are in Madera County?
Madera County, California has 18 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.
- USGS Geographic Names Information System (Domestic Names) — GNIS Domestic Names, feature record (public-domain)
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line and ACS — Census Gazetteer + ACS 5-year population (public-domain)
Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.