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Alpha

Ghost town · Nevada County, California

Washington quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1950, 1:24,000)
Washington quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1950, 1:24,000) · U.S. Geological Survey, Historical Topographic Map Collection · Public domain

Alpha is a ghost town in Nevada County, California. It is one of 28 former communities in Nevada County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 8th among the 58 California counties with a vanished settlement on record.

The U.S. Geological Survey lists Alpha as a historical populated place on the Washington 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 39.3305° N, 120.7824° W.

Key facts

USGS quadrangleWashington
Elevation4,154 ft
Nearest living townWashington, CA
Distance to it2 miles
GNIS feature ID1682829
Coordinates39.33045, -120.78244

Open the location on a map

What's there now

Alpha is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Washington, CA (population 124), about 2 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 4,154 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.

Nearby places

Questions

Where is Alpha?

Alpha is in Nevada County, California, at 39.3305, -120.7824.

How many ghost towns are in Nevada County?

Nevada County, California has 28 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.