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Alta

Ghost town · San Diego County, California

Elcajon quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1893, 1:62,500)
Elcajon quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1893, 1:62,500) · U.S. Geological Survey, Historical Topographic Map Collection · Public domain

Alta is a ghost town in San Diego County, California. It is one of 19 former communities in San Diego County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 12th among the 58 California counties with a vanished settlement on record.

The U.S. Geological Survey lists Alta as a historical populated place on the El Cajon 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 32.7798° N, 116.9889° W.

Key facts

USGS quadrangleEl Cajon
Elevation634 ft
Nearest living townCasa de Oro-Mount Helix, CA
Distance to it1.6 miles
GNIS feature ID1666231
Coordinates32.77977, -116.98892

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What's there now

Alta is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Casa de Oro-Mount Helix, CA (population 19,651), about 1.6 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 634 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.

Nearby places

Questions

Where is Alta?

Alta is in San Diego County, California, at 32.7798, -116.9889.

How many ghost towns are in San Diego County?

San Diego County, California has 19 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.