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Nortonville

Ghost town · Contra Costa County, California

Mt. Diablo quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1896, 1:62,500)
Mt. Diablo quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1896, 1:62,500) · U.S. Geological Survey, Historical Topographic Map Collection · Public domain

Nortonville is a ghost town in Contra Costa County, California. It is one of 13 former communities in Contra Costa County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 24th among the 58 California counties with a vanished settlement on record.

The U.S. Geological Survey lists Nortonville as a historical populated place: 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 37.9578° N, 121.8806° W.

Key facts

Nearest living townClayton, CA
Distance to it3 miles
Coordinates37.95778, -121.88056

Open the location on a map

What's there now

Nortonville is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Clayton, CA (population 10,962), about 3 miles away in a straight line. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.

Nearby places

Questions

Where is Nortonville?

Nortonville is in Contra Costa County, California, at 37.9578, -121.8806.

How many ghost towns are in Contra Costa County?

Contra Costa County, California has 13 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.

Sources and licences

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.